Art Therapy

To heal without medication is possible, and even preferred by many. Individuals who have the gift of a visionary, and the heart of compassion have been driven toward a group of people—particularly soldiers diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)—with a deep desire to improve their lives. They possess the need to make a change in this world: rather it is for a loved one, a patient, or even a soldier once themselves. Educating and bringing awareness to the public and the health care system of these illnesses and an effective treatment such as, art therapy without medication is a huge undertaking, but an important one. Health care industries have argued that not enough evidence has been provided for them to understand how to label
and treat this illness—PTSD—completely. But, they have agreed that the more data provided on the illness and the treatment for it, the greater chance these individuals will have an adequate care provided and paid for through health insurance. We need to do more for these individuals diagnosed with PTSD—which tend to be more in the field of military service members than in any other traumatic event.
Many cases have come to light over the years on more individuals being diagnosed with PTSD, particularly in military soldiers, but not limited too. Rape, abuse, and experiencing a devastating environmental disaster rank among the most common events to cause an individual to develop PTSD. Seeking help after one of these events is common enough that help is readily available, but the actually illness of a brain injury often goes untreated. The lack of treatment for these people, particularly soldiers is significant, and more information needs to be provided in order to help these overlooked individuals. Kate Collie et.al, describe indicators of PTSD along with the time frame in which these symptoms can occur, how long they can occur, and the duration of this disease (157). All this information helps pinpoint the location of the illness and how other case studies can zone in on these specific things. Their article “Art Therapy for Combat-Related PTSD: Recommendations for Research and Practice” also provides more accurate numbers relating to military veterans, the specifics of war and their effects on the soldiers that developed PTSD, and what to research for more precisely. Also with Jeremy Ramirez’s article “A Review of Art Therapy among Military Services Members and Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, this helps to review and compare new and old data. However, his article also educates on another important aspect which has a deep connection with other research, and that is where all this information is broken down to explain in detail, the exact location and function of the brain that is affected by this disease (40-41). Information such as this is vital to the treatment exploration and the conformation of the effectiveness art therapy can have on those with this type of brain trauma. Gathering information is vital, but making sense of it is even more so. The argument that art therapy as a treatment for PTSD has not been extensively researched is true, however, there is enough evidence provided to declare this particular therapy beneficial on many levels—even for those with the most severe symptoms. In my opinion art therapy has proven to be an effective treatment, but with more research—more specifically with military soldiers, due to research showing that the majority of people most likely to be diagnosed with PTSD are military members—the better and healthier life can be for these individuals because a better understanding of the two subjects. We all know health is important, and doctors encourage us to start the healthy habit at a young age.
B. Hoffman explains in her article "The Role of Expressive Therapies in Therapeutic Interactions; Art Therapy-Explanation of the Concept" defining art therapy with its techniques and the effectiveness on healthy people as well as patients (200). Healthy people can turn ill and when it involves the brain it gets tricky to treat. Patients such as those told they have PTSD have benefited from art therapy. Art therapy is not a new program. She explains how along with the creation of psychiatry in the 1800’s, art was implemented as a way to distinguish between the disorders of a sick person and to discover talents of high aesthetic value (200). The illness PTSD is not a new illness, it is just starting to be understood –along with art therapy having been around for hundreds of years –a new understanding of this illness and treatment is just now starting to surface. Three very important pieces—where Katie Collie et.al and Jeremy Ramirez shed a light on the troubled individual with PTSD from different traumas, and Hoffman demonstrate the positives of art therapy on healthy individuals—particularly the promotion of art and how it helps with the development of a child—give praise to the therapy which utilizes art to enhance life in both the healthy and the sick. The usefulness of art therapy in youth is an added benefit, but she also emphasizes on the positives of nonpharmacological interventions in a patient’s life. To treat without medicine in the military is hard because Ibprophen is the doctor’s best friend. Doctors should be educated with these nonpharmacological programs so they are not so medicine happy, but more opt to send them to a therapy that has been around for a long time. Hoffman goes way back to the time of the 1800’s and discusses a number of individuals who advanced art therapy, the benefit it provided for different groups of people, along with the
connection and creation of many different groups and organization that developed from art therapy (198-199). I think this article is very helpful in establishing the history of a simple thing