I read this interesting article about a CIA agent who received TBI treatment at the NICoE. What I also found encouraging was that he noted art therapy to be one of the most helpful aspects of his treatment.
After 26 years with the CIA, I had silent wounds
"But what was most useful for me was the softer side of healing that is science based and proven to be effective in treating TBI.
A mask therapy program at the NICoE, in which TBI victims are encouraged by trained art therapists to express themselves by creating masks, helped me tremendously.
I put a great deal of thought and time into my mask -- a Superman-inspired one -- and wrote an accompanying poem. Both signified what my family thought of me for so long. A once invincible case officer on the tip of the spear for the US government, who served bravely and with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places I cannot name.
The mask was attached to a wooden plaque, with the background of the CIA seal cracked in half. It symbolized how I later had to fight some in the organization in order to obtain proper medical care. An ice pick is drilled through the mask as well, showing the headaches I still suffer from 24/7. Making this mask was a deeply cathartic experience for me, which -- along with talking to the resident chaplain and other talented mental health professionals -- has helped me begin to heal from the moral injury that I suffered. My kids recently sent me a text that stated "Dad, you are still our superman." I bawled like a baby."
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