![]() Walker redirects the praise she has received towards the military personnel whom she is proud to serve. So far, hundreds of service members have designed more than 1,000 masks, and the program is scheduled to expand from two centers to twelve in the next six months. Mask making, Walker says, is a common therapeutic practice. “That’s when you know they have something important to say, and they’re also learning about themselves through the process,” she says. The men and women are given two hours to create their masks, but many keep returning to it in their spare time. At their first session, service members are given a blank papier mâché mask and told to decorate it, to use it “to explore parts of themselves, their experiences or their emotions about their injuries or treatment,” says Walker. The outpatient program treats active-duty service members who have traumatic brain injury (TBI) and underlying psychological health conditions, including post-traumatic stress. Six years ago, art therapist Melissa Walker (TED Talk: Art can heal PTSD’s invisible wounds) incorporated mask-making into the Healing Arts program at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, Maryland. But through a unique art therapy program, veterans are using them to reveal truths - often painful ones - about themselves. Most people wear masks to obscure or change their identities. ![]() Art therapist Melissa Walker uses masks to allow service members with traumatic brain injuries to express their deepest emotions and experiences, helping them and their loved ones heal.
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