"New Growth" by C. Malchiodi
Art Therapy and Military: Basic Training for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder--When States Become Traits
From the 2008 AATA Presentation, "What Art Therapists Can Learn from Bruce Perry" with P. Gussie Klorer [chronic trauma and children], Tally Tripp [trauma and adults], Gretchen Miller [domestic violence and children], and Cathy Malchiodi [posttraumatic stress and military]
Bruce Perry's contributions on childhood trauma, staits, and traits such as hyperarousal and dissociation that result from traumatic events form a helpful model for understanding PTSD and other trauma reactions in military personnel. As one soldier who recently returned from Iraq notes, " During your military training, you are taught to instinctively have some aspects of PTSD…you learn what it takes to survive the battlefield, but you pay the price when you go home.” In other words, military with PTSD may actual learn “symptoms” such as hyperarousal or dissociation because of training they receive to engage in combat reinforces these states that can become personality traits.
For a download of the powerpoint presentation that accompanies this talk, please visit the downloadable resources section of the website.
It’s the eve of the third anniversary of a disaster that literally drowned a city, displaced thousands, and remains a reminder of failed recovery efforts. Three years later, some children are coping while others still struggle.