Art can be a powerful tool in the recovery of veterans with traumatic brain injuries, according to new research out of the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at 26 veterans with traumatic brain injuries who received creative arts therapy at one of 12 Creative Forces clinical sites over a two-year period.
The researchers found that the therapywhich includes music, dance, painting, and creative writinglowered symptoms of PTSD and traumatic brain injury and helped patients feel less alone, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"There's a lot of stigma around brain injuries and trauma in general," study co-author Dr. Anjee Chatterjee tells the Inquirer.
"It's a lot easier to talk about brain injuries in the civilian population than it is in the military."
The study's lead author, Chatterjee, says the research shows that "art can be a powerful tool in the recovery of veterans with traumatic brain injuries."
Veterans with PTSD make up the largest group of patients receiving creative arts therapy, according to Creative Forces, which has received more than $1 million in grants since 2012 to provide therapy at military hospitals and facilities, as well as in communities across the US.
(Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are
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