How Theatre Aims to Cure PTSD of Veterans?—Anqi Dai

You might think of bringing patients suffering from PTSD to a play, but have you ever tried to have them involved in plays?

Brain Change

Common symptoms of PTSD are attributed to changes within the brain, primarily in areas that control fear and emotional processing. The amygdala is one of them. The amygdala is powered by signals from neurons called neurotransmitters, one of which is glutamate. But overexposure to this chemical can cause the prefrontal cortex to lose its functional and structural integrity. As a result, people with PTSD have increased sensitivity to the amygdala and tend to overreact to stimuli. It is well known that veterans returning from war are most likely to suffer from PTSD

Theatres and PTSD

Stephan Wolfert, who was a veteran himself once, is now trying to use theater as a PTSD intervention. Wolfert once lived in a desperate mood and was accidentally pulled out by the play Richard the Third. He then went to school for acting, read Shakespeare, and found a majority of Shakespeare’s works were about veterans.

Wolfert pointed out that soldiers’ conditioned response to war has profoundly affected their daily lives, and theater plays worked to reconnect their central nervous system to stay out of the fight-fight state. Instead of avoiding any possibilities of memories in troops, “De-Cruit” therapy actually asks vets to narrate their trauma on paper, which is believed a way to relive those events. Then veterans need to read both their “trauma monologue” and Shakespeare in verse and breathe consistently.

In a friendly, encouraging, and safe environment, veterans are able to accept past trauma and view it as purely a feeling instead of real threats. Wolfert plans to practice De-Cruit in more areas, making it transferable and manualized. With scientific evaluation and evidential basis, this potent medicine would bri

ng a brighter future for people suffering from PTSD.

Works Cited

https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/2340/point-of-view#

https://greymattersjournaltu.org/issue-1/trauma-and-ptsd-understanding-the-brain-in-the-midst-of-recovery

Photos: MAX FLATOW OF MAX FLATOW PHOTOGRAPHY AS APPEARED IN HOUSTON MAGAZINE