Article originally posted by The Journal​​​​

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence partnered with Veterans Affairs National Center for Ethics in Health Care Oct. 6 to host a ceremony showcasing a NICoE art therapy mask exhibit at the VA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The exhibit, “Unmasking the Trauma of War,” includes several paper-mâché masks created by patients who have come through the NICoE program, and provides a forum to see and learn about how art therapy benefits the type of patients seen at the NICoE – enabling “visibility” to what has been described as “the invisible wounds of war.”

“The masks provide a glimpse into the inner experience of what our service members returning home deal with,” said Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence, Veterans Health Administration. “The exhibit represents the VA’s long-standing collaboration with the Department of Defense.”

Dedicated to improving the lives of patients and families affected by TBI, the NICoE employs a unique, holistic approach to clinical treatment by using interdisciplinary teams and integrative medicine, including creative art therapy.

“Unless you treat the mind and body, you can’t be successful in treating the needs of your service members,” said Dr. Louis French, Deputy Director for Operations at the NICoE, elaborating on the use of Creative Arts Therapy at the NICoE. “We try to learn as we treat, and as we use more interventions, we try to learn how [they] work and why [they] are successful.”

NICoE art therapy sessions may include a mask-making activity, where patients explore different ways of processing and communicating their trauma and experiences with the help of credentialed masters-level art therapists.

Describing her work with TBI patients, NICoE’s Certified Art Therapist Melissa Walker said, “It’s amazing to see the transformation that can occur in a patient’s outlook and recovery through art therapy. Art can serve as a bridge to span the gap between trauma and communication and expression.”

Rusty Noesner, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and former NICoE patient, also addressed the group about his personal experiences with art therapy and how he brings similar success to veterans struggling with TBI and psychological health conditions. After returning home with a TBI from heavy combat operations in Afghanistan, Noesner said he was reluctant to try art therapy for the first time.

“Art? Feelings? I don’t think so,” he said, “But I quickly learned how wrong I was.”

Noesner’s experience at the NICoE impacted him so significantly that he felt driven to carry on what he learned at the NICoE to help fellow veterans transition back to civilian life through a nonprofit organization he founded.

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