6ers, art therapy has long been studied to have the potential to assist anyone as a form of rehabilitation. The inner struggles that are often difficult to convey are, for some, more easily expressed in the form of art if you’re willing to be vulnerable and trust the process.
This week, Tony Nash is joined by Richard Casper, a retired US Marine Corp, and the co-founder and Executive Director of CreatiVets. After surviving 4 IED blasts and overcoming PTSD using art as therapy, Richard is passionate about helping veterans with PTSD as well as creating and publishing music by veterans. He was listed as Time Magazine’s Next Generation Leader in 2017.
You'll discover that while combat-related trauma is often difficult to express in words alone, art therapy offers a different approach. Creative therapy can lead and the people around you to have a better understanding of traumatic events, so you no longer have to suffer alone in silence. You can give yourself the opportunity to lead a great life.
As a result, you’ll understand that to move forward with joy and build that quality of life you deserve, you need to bridge your painful memories and truly understand and communicate your experience, sometimes in a creative way, so you can relieve yourself of the mental and emotional baggage while still honoring the memory of it all.
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- 01:13 - How Creativets began and started gaining a foothold
- 02:10 - Richard learns about his brain injury and the loss of ability to learn new skills
- 04:16 - How art school taught him to understand structures in songwriting
- 05:26 - A small act of bravery at a bar that changed the course of his life
- 07:30 - Understanding the healing process behind writing music and how it can help other veterans
- 10:38 - How Richard deals with traumatic stories and integrating it with the creative process as a therapy
- 12:13 - How their programs can repurpose memory
- 14:49 - Getting the trauma out of your body while honoring the memory of the real heroes
- 15:52 - Transitioning your war brain into an artist brain
- 16:27 - The impact that Creativet has created and the response from veterans
- 17:48 - A tragic incident with Richard’s sister led to writing the song, This Is Your Sign
- 20:16 - Seeking new ways to tell a story
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Here is how to connect with Richard Casper:
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Connect with Got Your Six podcast:
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Connect with Tony Nash:
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