A new study finds that a program based in Louisville, Kentucky is having a positive impact on military veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The results published in the Journal of Veterans Studiesshow that veterans with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury report an improved psychological outlook after participating in ‘Dancing Well: The Soldier Project.’
Dance educator Deborah Denenfeld offered the first version of the program in 2010 at the suggestion of a psychiatrist at Fort Knox, who thought it might help improve memory in veterans with these combat-related issues.
In 2014 Denenfeld launched the 10-week version Dancing Well in Louisville. It's essentially a community barn dance, slowed down and adapted to the physical and emotional comfort levels of this particular group of veterans.
The study was done by Western Connecticut State University psychology professor Robin Gustafson, and a team that included Denenfeld and University of Louisville biology professor Cynthia Corbitt.
Gustafson said the findings show “great promise in treating some of the most persistent symptoms of PTSD in veterans.”
Chronic anxiety and isolation can lead to depression and thougts of suicide, and military personnel returning from combat, who suffer from PTSD or traumatic brain injury, can find these issues make it challenging to be reintegrated into the community.
Seventeen veterans who participated in the 10-week study reported a reduction in isolation and stress, as well as an increase in optimism.
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