Postcombat Stress Disorder: A Case Study Using Art Therapy

<p>This paper examined how Vietnam veterans might use art therapy to process combat trauma. The goal of the research was to discover if the art process could assist veterans to reexperience their combat trauma and to develop ego mastery. Presented was a case study of a 39-year-old Vietnam veteran suffering from postcombat stress disorder who participated in 6 weekly sessions of nondirected art therapy at a Veterans Administration rehabilitation center. The etiology of postcombat stress disorder, as well as veterans' symptoms, and psychosocial adjustment problems were discussed. Advanced was the notion that adjustment difficulties in veterans might result from posttraumatic borderline conditions. The case study illustrated how the veteran mastered his combat trauma and developed integration ego strength through the art process.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Art Therapy

Year dc:date.available

1988

Author dc:creator

• Barbanica, Priscilla

• Art Therapy
• PTSD
• Combat Trauma
• Veterans
• Counseling Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-print-theses/9

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.dominican.edu:art-therapy-print-theses-1008