Need Help: Developing Case for Woodworking as PTSD Therapy

[Ken Aucremanne]

Hi Everyone,

First, it's nice to be a visible member of this forum, and hope to add real value. I've been reading the contributions for years on the Creek, but recently decided to join. Please allow me to introduce myself and this cause.

Me. Navy veteran, and grad student at American University in DC. Been devouring woodworking info since I was a kid, and recently started assembling my second attempt at a respectable shop.

My Cause: I'm producing a short film on woodworking as a PTSD therapy, and starting a 501c3 to promote the same. This is the final project to finish my master's degree in Communications.

What I'm looking for:
- Any information on programs that are currently helping vets to cope with PTSD and other issues through craft, most especially woodworking.
- Any published research that may support the efficacy of this claim. I have a couple sources, but could always use more.
- Any names of experts in woodworking and/or psychology who may find this a worthwhile affair.
- Anyone who would like to provide testimonials on their own therapy.
- Any volunteers who would like to help kickstart this project through pro-bono consultation (legal, financial, management, marketing, board membership, etc). I could use all the help I can get.
- Anyone who lives near Boston, MA or Rancho Cucamonga, CA that wouldn't mind a vet couch surfing for a couple days. Need to shoot a cross-country documentary film on pocket change, and could really use the help.
- Anyone who would like to share a room at Woodworking in America, in a couple weeks (this is short notice, I know... found out a little late about the conference. I'd be happy to sleep on the floor.)

I realize that this all seems a bit far-fetched, but I have 3 months to complete the film for a grade, and at least provide a solid plan for the nonprofit. Thankfully, where I might be limited in funding, I'm limitless in passion for the subject.

Hope to get some equally crazy responses. Let's start this conversation.

[Bill McNiel]

Ken,
Great concept! Unfortunately I have nothing that can help you in this endeavor other than moral support.

bon chance - Bill

[Ken Aucremanne]

That's okay Bill Moral Support is always appreciated. And I'm not entirely useless (as the post above may allude to), as there are a couple of heavyweight organizations that will help support this project. When I say "no-budget documentary" I'm not including the thousands I've invested in camera equipment, and multiples of that for my education. All is not lost, it's just a very tight time frame for such an ambitious project.

Again, any support is appreciated, even the moral kind!
Respectfully,
Ken Aucremanne

[Ralph Boumenot]

Ex navy too 20 years in subs - Try getting in touch with the Veterans Administration PTSD programs workers. Every major city has one and a lot of the local communities have Community Based Outreach clinics that could help you too.

[Ken Aucremanne]

I've reached out to a couple of friends in our local office and in DC. The problem in dealing with the VA is, unsurprisingly, the speed of service. Because this is the sort of project that needs executive approval and funnelling through their PR department, it is VERY slow moving. Shame, really... this is a project that has the potential to positively boost their image. If anyone happens to speak to a local PTSD group that would be interested in this project, I'll PM you my contact details to pass along.

[Alan Hick]

My Cause: I'm producing a short film on woodworking as a PTSD therapy, and starting a 501c3 to promote the same. This is the final project to finish my master's degree in Communications."

Well, I don’t want to be the skunk at the picnic, but I might be none-the-less. I’m not sure what you mean by “woodworking as a PTSD therapy”, but if you mean the statement literally, where you’re substituting woodworking for the “basket-weaving therapies” of yesteryear I don’t think you’re going to get very far.
I think you may be approaching this backward. You seem to be saying: “I have a therapy—woodworking. I want to see if said therapy works on condition X” (where x is obviously PTSD). Which is like saying “I want to see if Lithium tablets will cure the common cold”. Well, it may. But before you could offer it as a therapy to anyone you’d have to conduct a study and PROVE that it works.

PTSD has been fairly well studied, and the most effective strategies of treatment fall under the heading of CBT—cognitive behavioral therapy. The 2 subtypes of CBT that seem to work best are PE—prolonged exposure, and CPT—cognitive processing therapy. You can read about them here:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatm...tment-ptsd.asp
Some additional articles you can look up and read in PDF format, without a subscription, are:
Challenges and Successes in Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress: Lessons Learned From Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD
And
Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2013 May;14(2):62-4. doi: 10.1177/1529100613484706.
Achieving the Promise of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Other Mental Health Conditions for Veterans.

You mentioned that you have “a couple sources” that support your plan. Could you post links to those sources? I’d be very interested in reading them.

You might be able to somehow integrate woodworking into an existing CBT program, but now you have to have an instructor who’s an expert woodworker as well as a licensed psychotherapist. And “woodworking” as a generality should somehow pertain to the source of the trauma the patients experienced. Otherwise, it’s just a “field trip”, so to speak.

I haven’t studied the Chris Kyle case at all, but I’m wondering if there might be a parallel to what you’re proposing. Well-intentioned individuals brought a person reported to have PTSD to a place where there are loud booms, people wearing hearing protection, etc. It didn’t end well.

Imagine the same individual in a woodworking setting. There are loud machines. People wear hearing protection, which interferes with their ability to identify the source of a sudden loud noise—like a board getting shot out of a tablesaw or thickness planer and smashing into a wall (we hope), and process what that noise means. Though, if you’re proposing to use hand tools only, we can mitigate some of the noise issues. So, okay, let’s plane some boards with a good old #7 or #8. How exactly do the efforts of cutting, planing, chiseling, gluing and screwing something together help a person overcome the mental traumas of war, or domestic violence, or the Boston Marathon Bombing? Personally, I don’t know.

Now, to be sure, I find time spent in my shop to be “therapeutic”—which is just a fancy way to say I enjoy what I do. But I’m not struggling with PTSD and these two “therapeutics” are thus not the same thing.

So, while I’m thrilled that someone is thinking about ways to help veterans and others who struggle with a truly crippling condition, and I applaud your creativity, I think you should spend some time reading up on the effective therapies for PTSD, and what’s being done to get those therapies better implemented and more readily available. After you’re better versed in proven therapies, you may want to change your focus, or at least alter the plan of implementation.

Hope that wasn’t too much of a bummer to read.

[Ken Aucremanne]

Not a bummer at all, Alan. I appreciate the insight. It sounds like you're quite well-versed on the subject, and many of the points you brought up here must be addressed in the film.

First, and let me be clear. I'm not a scientist of any sort. I'm a storyteller. I understand that there are many limitations to this thesis. And I'm not about to attempt causality between woodworking and a cure for any disorder. When I use the word "therapy," I'm not making any implication that scientific evidence will back this. I believe woodworking to be "therapeutic" in much the same way as you do.

The "basket-weaving therapies" of old are in fact still around. Here is one of the major suppliers of craft kits for the VA:
https://www.hhv.org/hhv-programs/arts-crafts/

And Art therapy is still alive in research:
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ777008.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...97455608001081

There is a wide degree of variance in post-traumatic stress disorder. My symptoms are rather mild compared to some. I am fine with power tools, but am keenly aware that their presence could provoke negative effects for many others, so the focus will likely stay on hand tool use for wider inclusion. The therapeutic benefits of incorporating a craft or learning a skill into group therapy, however, is worth investigating to promote self-worth, expressiveness, and focus.
http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol2014/iss1/3/

Personally, I'm not much for purely decorative arts (don't tell my wife the painter), preferring instead to create something of use and value.

But again, I don't have all the answers. This journey is as much about discovery as anything else. There are some very compelling stories out there that should be told, and many good people doing great things with this craft, despite their limitations. "Get a hobby" is one of the most common suggestions from psychologists when treating side-effects of PTSD such as depression and anti-social behaviors. If the vets believe this art form to be of immense value to their own recovery and/or treatment, isn't that what ultimately counts? To me, these testimonials are far more valuable than any stack of peer reviewed articles.

And besides, I never shared my implementation plan, did I? All I spoke about was a documentary film...

So thanks for the insight. I know I didn't address all your concerns, and will most certainly read your articles (scouts honor). But my role is to bring brighter minds than my own together through telling the story as it stands today. If you have further suggestions or criticisms, I'd truly appreciate hearing them.

Very Respectfully,
Ken A.