Art Therapy

Leisure Exploration and Creativity with Veterans and Service Members was the podcast that I chose to listen to. This podcast stood out to me because I have multiple family members that are veterans. Rusty Noesner, a US navy seal veteran, suffered two traumatic head injuries. When he returned to the US, he began therapy at Walter Reed, and had many benefits from art therapy. Rusty discusses the importance of art and self-expression and how he used this creative process to adapt back into his life. Using different kinds of art mediums, he was better able to express his anxiety and frustrations.

The process of art therapy puts your brain into a creative process and areas of your brain begin to come back to life. He was touched so much by this process that he began his own nonprofit for veterans, War Paints. He explained how many veterans were afraid of trying art therapy because it wasn’t “masculine” enough for them. As occupational therapist, it is our job to encourage art therapy and explain that expressing yourself is a strength. Veterans do not want to be pitied or looked down upon, so it is very important on how you initiate this process. Art can range from woodworking to photography to journaling. It is not about just painting a picture, it is about engaging in a creative process of your choice to stimulate your brain. Data shows that 20 veterans a day die of suicide. Leisure participation has also been found to increase quality of life, self-esteem, and emotional well-being.