Art Therapy and Emotional Well Being in Military Populations With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms
Art therapy is used across the Military Health System for treatment of posttraumatic symptoms, but there is limited research on how art therapy is able to restore emotional expression and regulation in service members. This research hopes to learn about the effects of art therapy on emotional expression and regulation in service members as well as the neurological systems at work. If a participant chooses to be in this study, he or she will attend ten sessions over a period of twelve weeks. The first session will be an interview and self-assessment questionnaires to collect information on a variety of symptoms, experiences, and personality traits, and an MRI scan. During the MRI scan, participants will be asked to perform a task where they will be shown a series of neutral and negative images. The middle eight sessions will be one-hour art therapy sessions with a certified art therapist. The last session will consist of the same self-assessment questionnaires and another MRI scan.
• DEERS Eligible
• Active Duty or Veteran separated within the past 5 years
• Significant posttraumatic stress symptoms (score of \>/=31 on the PCL-5)