Art can heal PTSD's invisible wounds | Melissa Walker

Prevoditelj: Senzos Osijek Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

You are a high-ranking military service member

¶ Ti si visokopozicionirani činovnik vojničke službe

deployed to Afghanistan.

premješten u Afganistan.

You are responsible for the lives

Odgovoran si za živote

of hundreds of men and women,

stotine žena i muškaraca

and your base is under attack.

i tvoja je baza napadnuta.

Incoming mortar rounds are exploding all around you.

Ispaljene granate eksplodiraju oko tebe.

Struggling to see through the dust and the smoke,

Dok se mučiš se vidjeti kroz prašinu i dim,

you do your best to assist the wounded

daješ sve od sebe kako bi pomogao ranjenima

and then crawl to a nearby bunker.

i nakon toga pužeš do najbližeg bunkera.

Conscious but dazed by the blasts,

Svjestan, ali ošamućen od eksplozije,

you lay on your side and attempt to process what has just happened.

ležiš i pokušavaš razumjeti što se upravo dogodilo.

As you regain your vision,

Dok ti se vid oporavlja,

you see a bloody face

vidiš krvavo lice

staring back at you.

koje zuri u tebe.

The image is terrifying,

Prizor je zastrašujuć,

but you quickly come to understand

ali brzo shvaćaš

it's not real.

kako nije stvaran.

This vision continues to visit you multiple times a day and in your sleep.

Prizor ti se vraća nekoliko puta u danu i dok spavaš.

You choose not to tell anyone for fear of losing your job

Odlučuješ se ne reći nikome zbog straha od gubitka posla

or being seen as weak.

ili da te ne vide kao slaboga.

You give the vision a name,

Daješ prizoru ime,

Bloody Face in Bunker,

Krvavo lice u bunkeru,

and call it BFIB for short.

I zoveš ga skraćenicom KLUB.

You keep BFIB locked away in your mind,

Držiš KLUB skrivenog u svojim mislima,

secretly haunting you,

a on te poskrivečki proganja

for the next seven years.

sljedećih sedam godina.

Now close your eyes.

Sada zatvori svoje oči.

Can you see BFIB?

Možeš li vidjeti KLUB?

If you can, you're beginning to see the face

Ako možeš, počinješ uviđati

of the invisible wounds of war,

kako rat ostavlja nevidljive rane,

commonly known as post-traumatic stress disorder

poznate kao posttraumatski stresni poremećaj(PTSP)

and traumatic brain injury.

i traumatska ozljeda mozga.

While I can't say I have post-traumatic stress disorder,

Iako ne mogu reći da imam PTSP

I've never been a stranger to it.

Ipak mi nije potpuna nepoznanica.

When I was a little girl, I would visit my grandparents every summer.

Kada sam bila djevojčica, svako sam ljeto posjećivala baku i djeda.

It was my grandfather

Moj me djed

who introduced me to the effects of combat on the psyche.

upoznao s utjecajima rata na psihu.

While my grandfather was serving as a Marine in the Korean War,

Dok je moj djed služio kao marinac u Korejskom ratu,

a bullet pierced his neck and rendered him unable to cry out.

Metak mu je probio vrat, zbog čega nije mogao vikati.

He watched as a corpsman passed him over,

Gledao je kako mrtvoznik prolazi pored njega

declaring him a goner,

proglašavajući ga mrtvim

and then leaving him to die.

i ostavljajući ga da umre.

Years later, after his physical wounds had healed

Godinama kasnije, nakon što su fizičke rane zacijelile

and he'd returned home,

i on se vratio kući,

he rarely spoke of his experiences in waking life.

rijetko je razgovarao o svojim iskustvima

But at night I would hear him shouting obscenities

Ali noću, od njegove sobe pa niz hodnik, mogla sam

from his room down the hall.

ga čuti kako odvratno vrišti.

And during the day I would announce myself as I entered the room,

I tijekom dana uvijek bih se najavila kada bih ulazila u sobu,

careful not to startle or agitate him.

pažljivo, kako ga ne bih uplašila i potresla.

He lived out the remainder of his days

Ostatak svoga života proveo je

isolated and tight-lipped,

izoliran i šutljiv,

never finding a way to express himself,

ne pronalazeći način da se izrazi,

and I didn't yet have the tools to guide him.

a tada još nisam imala znanja da mu pomognem

I wouldn't have a name for my grandfather's condition

Nisam znala naziv za djedovo stanje

until I was in my 20s.

dok nisam bila u dvadesetima.

Seeking a graduate degree in art therapy,

Učeći za diplomu u terapiji umjetnošću

I naturally gravitated towards the study of trauma.

Prirodno sam naginjala prema nauci o traumi.

And while sitting in class learning about post-traumatic stress disorder,

I dok sam sjedila na nastavi i učila o posttraumatičnom stresnom poremećaju,

or PTSD for short,

ili skraćeno PTSP,

my mission to help service members who suffered like my grandfather

moj je cilj postajala želja da pomognem vojnicima koji su

began to take form.

patili kao moj djed.

We've had various names for post-traumatic stress

Imali smo različite nazive za posttraumatični stres

throughout the history of war:

kroz cijelu ratnu povijest:

homesickness,

čežnja za domom,

soldier's heart,

vojničko srce,

shell shock,

šok od granate,

thousand-yard stare, for instance.

pogled u daljinu, na primjer.

And while I was pursuing my degree, a new war was raging,

I dok sam nastavljala svoj studij, novi je rat bjesnio,

and thanks to modern body armor and military vehicles,

i, zahvaljujući modernim oklopima za tijela i vojna vozila,

service members were surviving blast injuries they wouldn't have before.

Vojnici su preživljavali eksplozije koje ranije ne bi.

But the invisible wounds were reaching new levels,

Zato su one rane koje ne možemo vidjeti uzele maha

and this pushed military doctors and researchers

i to je prisililo vojne doktore i istraživače

to try and truly understand the effects that traumatic brain injury, or TBI,

da zaista pokušaju razumjeti učinak traumatične ozljede mozga

and PTSD have on the brain.

I PTSP-a na mozak.

Due to advances in technology and neuroimaging,

Zbog napretka u tehnologiji i neuroimaginingu,

we now know there's an actual shutdown in the Broca's,

znamo da postoji stvarni prekid u Brocinoj regiji,

or the speech-language area of the brain, after an individual experiences trauma.

ili jezično-govornoj regiji mozga, nakon što pojedinac doživi traumu.

This physiological change,

Ta fiziološka promjena

or speechless terror as it's often called,

ili terror koji ostavlja bez teksta, kako se često zove,

coupled with mental health stigma,

zajedno sa stigmom o mentalnom zdravlju,

the fear of being judged

strahu od osuđivanja,

or misunderstood,

ili neshvaćenosti

possibly even removed from their current duties,

te mogućeg udaljavanja od svakodnevnih obveza,

has led to the invisible struggles of our servicemen and women.

doveo je do nevidljivih borbi naših vojnika i vojnikinja.

Generation after generation of veterans

Generacije i generacije veterana

have chosen not to talk about their experiences,

odlučile su ne pričati o svojim iskustvima

and suffer in solitude.

i patiti u samoći.

I had my work cut out for me when I got my first job

Moj prvi posao bio je kao napravljen za mene,

as an art therapist at the nation's largest military medical center,

terapeutkinja umjetnošću u najvećem nacionalnom vojnom bolničkom centru,

Walter Reed.

Walter Reed.

After working for a few years on a locked-in patient psychiatric unit,

Nakon nekoliko godina rada na zatvorenom psihijatrijskom odjelu

I eventually transferred to the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, NICoE,

Dobila sam premještaj u National Interepid Center of Excellence

which leads TBI care for active duty service members.

koji vodi brigu o traumatskoj ozljedi mozga za aktivne vojnike.

Now, I believed in art therapy,

Ovako, vjerovala sam u terapiju umjetnosti,

but I was going to have to convince service members,

ali sada sam trebala u to uvjeriti članove vojske,

big, tough, strong, manly military men,

velike snažne, jake, većinom vojnike muškarce,

and some women too,

i također neke žene,

to give art-making as a psychotherapeutic intervention a try.

da daju šansu umjetnosti kao metodi psihoterapije.

The results have been nothing short of spectacular.

Rezultati su bili ništa manje nego spektakularni.

Vivid, symbolic artwork

Naši vojnici i vojnikinje stvaraju

is being created by our servicemen and women,

snažne, simbolične umjetničke radove,

and every work of art tells a story.

i svaki dio rada govori priču.

We've observed that the process of art therapy bypasses

Promatrali smo process umjetnosti kako zaobilazi

the speech-language issue with the brain.

jezično-govorni problem mozga.

Art-making accesses the same sensory areas of the brain that encode trauma.

Bavljenje umjetnošću pristupa senzornim područjima mozga koji određuju traume.

Service members can use the art-making to work through their experiences

Vojnici mogu koristiti umjetnost kako bi prošli kroz svoja iskustva

in a nonthreatening way.

u neprijetećim uvjetima

They can then apply words to their physical creations,

Onda mogu primijeniti riječi za njihove stvarne kreacije

reintegrating the left and the right hemispheres of the brain.

Reintegrirajući lijevu i desnu hemisferu mozga.

Now, we've seen this can work with all forms of art --

Sada, vidjeli smo kako ovo vrijedi za sve vrste umjetnosti

drawing, painting, collage --

crtanje, slikanje, pravljenje kolaža-

but what seems to have the most impact

ali ono što se čini da ima poseban utjecaj

is mask-making.

je pravljenje maski.

Finally, these invisible wounds don't just have a name,

Na kraju, te nevidljive rane nemaju samo ime,

they have a face.

nego i lice.

And when service members create these masks,

Kada vojnici stvaraju ove maske

it allows them to come to grips, literally, with their trauma.

doslovno im omogućavaju da se uhvate u koštac sa svojim traumama.

And it's amazing how often that enables them

I nevjerojatno je koliko često im to omogućava

to break through the trauma and start to heal.

da se bore protiv traume i započnu zacjeljivati.

Remember BFIB?

Sjećate se KLUB-a?

That was a real experience for one of my patients,

To je bilo stvarno iskustvo jednoga od mojih pacijenata,

and when he created his mask,

i kada je napravio svoju masku

he was able to let go of that haunting image.

mogao je pustiti sliku koja ga je proganjala.

Initially, it was a daunting process for the service member,

U početku je to bio težak proces za tog člana vojničke službe,

but eventually he began to think of BFIB as the mask,

ali s vremenom je počeo zamišljati kako je KLUB maska,

not his internal wound,

a ne njegova nutarnja rana,

and he would go to leave each session,

i svaki put kad bi napuštao sesiju

he would hand me the mask, and say, "Melissa, take care of him."

dao bi mi masku I rekao: “Melissa, brini se za njega.”

Eventually, we placed BFIB in a box to further contain him,

S vremenom smo stavili KLUB u kutiju da ga ona dalje sadržava,

and when the service member went to leave the NICoE,

I kada je vojnik napuštao NICoE

he chose to leave BFIB behind.

Odlučio je ostaviti KLUB-a.

A year later, he had only seen BFIB twice,

Godinu dana poslije, vidio je KLUB samo dvaput,

and both times BFIB was smiling

i oba se puta KLUB smijao

and the service member didn't feel anxious.

i vojnik se nije osjećao anksiozno.

Now, whenever that service member is haunted by some traumatic memory,

Danas, kada god ovog vojnika progoni neko traumatično sjećanje,

he continues to paint.

on slika.

Every time he paints these disturbing images,

Svaki puta kada naslika ove uznemirujuće slike,

he sees them less or not at all.

vidi ih manje ili ih uopće ne vidi.

Philosophers have told us for thousands of years

Filozofi su govorili tisućama godina

that the power to create

kako je moć stvaranja

is very closely linked to the power to destroy.

usko povezana s moći uništavanja.

Now science is showing us that the part of the brain

Sada znanost pokazuje kako dio mozga

that registers a traumatic wound

koji registrira traumatsku ozljedu

can be the part of the brain where healing happens too.

može biti i dio mozga koji također liječi.

And art therapy is showing us how to make that connection.

A terapija umjetnosti nam pokazuje kako ostvariti tu povezanost.

We asked one of our service members

Pitali smo jednog od vojnih članova

to describe how mask-making impacted his treatment,

da opiše kako je pravljenje maski utjecalo na njegovo liječenje,

and this is what he had to say.

i ovo je rekao.

(Video) Service Member: You sort of just zone out into the mask.

(Video) Vojnik: Ti se potpuno fokusiraš na masku.

You zone out into the drawing,

Fokusiraš se na crtanje

and for me, it just released the block,

i za mene, blokada nestaje,

so I was able to do it.

i ja sam uspio u tome.

And then when I looked at it after two days, I was like,

i kada sam ju pogledao dva dana kasnije, pomislio sam,

"Holy crap, here's the picture, here's the key, here's the puzzle,"

"Sranje, evo slike, evo ključa, evo zagonetke,"

and then from there it just soared.

i od tada je sve samo lebdjelo.

I mean, from there my treatment just when out of sight,

Mislim, odatle je moje liječenje postalo izvanredno,

because they were like, Kurt, explain this, explain this.

zato što su govorili, Kurt objasni ovo, objasni ovo.

And for the first time in 23 years,

i po prvi puta u 23 godine,

I could actually talk about stuff openly to, like, anybody.

mogao sam, u stvari, otvoreno pričati o tim stvarima, svima.

I could talk to you about it right now if I wanted to,

Mogao bih s tobom pričati o tome sada, ako želiš,

because it unlocked it.

jer je otključano.

It's just amazing.

To je nevjerojatno.

And it allowed me to put 23 years of PTSD

I dopustilo mi je da stavim 23 godine PTSD-a

and TBI stuff together in one place

I traumatske ozljede mozga zajedno na jedno mjesto

that has never happened before.

što se nikada prije nije dogodilo.

Sorry.

Oprosti.

Melissa Walker: Over the past five years,

Mellissa Walker: Posljednjih 5 godina

we've had over 1,000 masks made.

Napravljeno je preko 1000 maski.

It's pretty amazing, isn't it?

Nevjerojatno, zar ne?

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

I wish I could have shared this process with my grandfather,

Voljela bih da sam ovaj proces mogla podijeliti sa svojim djedom,

but I know that he would be thrilled

ali znam da bi on bio oduševljen

that we are finding ways

što nalazimo načine

to help today's and tomorrow's service members heal,

kako pomoći u liječenju današnjim i sutrašnjim vojnicima,

and finding the resources within them

i pronalaženje izvora unutar njih

that they can call upon

koje mogu koristiti

to heal themselves.

kako bi se izliječili.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)