Living with PTSD

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Creativity as a Therapy

Have you tried some form of artistic expression as a way of coping with PTSD or some other mental health problem?

Your options are wide and varied. For me it was always photography and writing. Some time later I combined both and released my first book. My first book made me feel even more vulnerable ... but I knew it was something that I had to do as part of learning to live with PTSD, as well as trying to reach out to other people to raise awareness of the condition ... especially those suffering in silence.

There are so many people, Veterans and Civilians, that are afflicted by this condition that are suffering in silence.

Many things stop people moving forward: the inability to vocalise how they feel, the fear of stigma, self loathing ... the list goes on.

Creativity allowed me to focus on something clean that wasn't tied in with corrupt governments and leaders betraying our efforts as Veterans ... while my poetry allows me to wash out my wounds from time-to-time, photography allows me to slip the chains of PTSD for a while - leaving me free to create beautiful images of the natural world.

There are many artists in the world that have used art in similar ways. I'll be be updating this page with some examples that I hope will inspire you to give creativity a go as a coping mechanism.

Caution ... make sure you have some support sorted out before you start working at your issues in this way as you may want to or need to talk to someone about the issues that this form of therapy can raise.

Have a look at these links:

Art Therapy at Combat Stress
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15684553

Carole Cluer
http://carolecluer.com

Kate Walters
www.katewalters.co.uk

Pandora's Project
http://www.pandys.org/articles/PTSDarttherapy.html

 

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