A New Treatment For Military Veterans Suffering From Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

New Therapy To Help Military Veterans With PTSD

Imagine you were out walking your dog in the neighborhood one day when a firecracker went off, making a loud cracking bang. The sound had a huge impact on you. You hear noises and are terrified by a terrifying memory from the past. Your heart feels as if it’s being squeezed incredibly hard. You begin to break out in cold sweat.

You’re panicked, which isn’t the best feeling in the world, is it? This is exactly what many of our PTSD-affected military veterans go through. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also referred to as shell shock or combat stress. It happens after a traumatic occurrence or a life-threatening situation. After such an occurrence, it’s natural for the mind and body to be in shock, but when your nervous system becomes “stuck,” this normal response becomes PTSD.

It indicates that even if you are no longer in a stressful situation, your nervous system is unable to manage and return to a balanced state. This is most likely for individuals who have been under a lot of stress.

PTSD IN MILITARY VETERANS

Veterans who have returned home after serving in the military for an extended period of time are more likely to acquire PTSD. Those who return home from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq often feel anxious that they will be killed at any moment. If you’ve seen the film American Sniper, you’ll know that Bradley Cooper portrays Chris Kyle, a genuine Navy SEAL sniper. When Chris returned home to his wife and children after participating in the war, he suffered from PTSD.

ADULT COLORING THERAPY FOR PTSD IN MILITARY VETERANS

Anyway, let’s get this negativity and heaviness out of the way! We’re sure we’ve had enough just by reading the news, so let’s get to the good news. The good news is that PTSD in war veterans can be treated with therapy. Art therapy, specifically adult coloring therapy, is one of the unexpected approaches.

Coloring is especially beneficial to persons with PTSD since their amygdala — the brain’s integrated core of emotions, emotional behavior, and motivation — is overactive, according to Erin Maynard, president of PTSD Survivors of America. “The trouble is that it’s the region of the brain that governs the fear response,” she explained.

PTSD is a memory storage and recall problem in which you become fixated on these horrific experiences, which become ever-present for you. Adult coloring therapy actually reduces amygdala activity, which is one of the reasons it can help you relax.”

COLOR ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES FOR A PTSD AWARENESS PROGRAM

PTSD Survivors of America, a charity that works to educate, assist, and help promote awareness about PTSD, has launched a program called “Color Across America for PTSD Awareness” after seeing the benefits of adult coloring therapy. They’re organizing coloring events for people with PTSD all throughout the country. The program provided a place for survivors to not only receive adult color therapy but also to socialize with one another, which aids in the management of PTSD.

WHAT CAN A CRAYON AND A COLORING BOOK DO?
It’s incredible how far a simple crayon and coloring book can take you. It’s no longer merely a trend, a hobby, or a way to kill time. It aids the treatment of depression in the elderly. It provides children an incentive to put their iPhones and iPads away, even if just for a short while.

It is beneficial to war veterans and anyone else suffering from PTSD. The basic crayon and coloring book does so much more than it is designed to. Given all of the benefits and applications that a simple crayon and coloring book can provide, it’s no surprise that coloring books have sold millions upon millions of copies not only in the United States but also around the world.

It’s easy to see why so many individuals have become addicted to adult coloring books. We hope that one by one, every one of us can contribute to making the world a better place for all of us.