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Use of a Drawing Task in the Treatment of Nightmares in Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Jenna BroderickThe College of New Rochelle
Fall 2016
Can art therapy, specifically a drawing task, impact on a specific and pervasive
symptom of PTSD: nightmares?
1995
Inspired by informal reports
12 weeks alternating betweendrawing and writing
BOTHParticipants:
Vietnam combat veterans (42 and 44 yo)
Met DSM-111-R criteria for PTSDInpatients in a 16-week PTSD program:
1995Reported real combat nightmares 4+
times a month before the study
No prior experience with art therapyNo art beyond elementary school.
No learning disabilitiesNo problems with written or verbal
expression.
The Nightmares
Findings!
Subject #2 similarly noted:“It’s weird. I don’t jump out of the bed anymore.” ‘Writing? Well, I don‘t seem to be any good at writing. I get too tight inside. I tried it but it doesn’t come out, I just get mad. I did it for 10 days but after that-no way! I don’t see any difference. I don’t know. I still sweat and pace around a lot.”
Both gave up the writing task in their last week
Subject #1 reported that during the
drawing intervals:
I’m not sweaty and jumpy when I wake
up. The nightmare wakes me up, but I’m
calmer. More relaxed. I can go back to
bed and go to sleep.”
Solacing an empathic stance and a containment of
the anxiety linked to the imagery
is provided when the therapist is present.
drawing versus writing
Drawing fosters asense of reality testing by affording the client
the ability to distances themselves from the experience
Unexpectedfindings!
development and increase in
aerial perspective
in the nightmare
&
an increased
sense of self-awareness
while dreaming
Morgan, C. & Johnson, D. (1995) Use of a Drawing Task in the Treatment of Nightmares in Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder, Art Therapy, 12:4, 244-247, DOI: 10.1080/07421656.1995.10759172