:00:12. > :00:17.Tonight we are looking at the unlikely story of some
:00:17. > :00:21.extraordinary men. Men who answered the country's call for service, but
:00:21. > :00:26.decades after they fought in our name, are still fighting their own
:00:26. > :00:33.personal battles. I hated the army so much when I got out. So there
:00:33. > :00:40.you were cast adrift. With nothing. -- suddenly you laugh. The military
:00:40. > :00:45.was my family. But it caused me quite a lot of damage. It is not
:00:45. > :00:48.just physical scars they bear but the physical wounds of war, combat-
:00:48. > :00:53.related post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, a condition which
:00:53. > :00:56.has existed as long as men have been asked to fight. Sleepless
:00:56. > :01:01.nights, inability to relax, continuous fear about the
:01:02. > :01:08.approaching night. I suffer with intrusive thoughts from my time in
:01:08. > :01:15.the Falklands. It does not go away. Invisible wounds they are trying to
:01:15. > :01:20.heal using art. For me, it is not a canvas, but a life. It is the most
:01:20. > :01:26.powerful of the therapies I have tried. Are you saying that without
:01:26. > :01:30.that therapy you might not be here? Positive MACRO. Definitely. But can
:01:30. > :01:38.the power of art really help rebuild the lives of those who have
:01:38. > :01:42.been damaged years after swearing an oath to Queen and country?
:01:42. > :01:48.swore by Almighty God that I would be faithful and bear true
:01:48. > :01:56.allegiance. The to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her
:01:56. > :02:02.heirs and successors... And that I will honestly and faithfully...
:02:02. > :02:08.Defender Majesty, her heirs and successors... In person, Crown and
:02:08. > :02:14.dignity against all enemies... well-observed and obey orders of
:02:14. > :02:24.Her Majesty, her heirs and successors... And of the generals
:02:24. > :02:38.
:02:38. > :02:43.Just as it seems inevitable that countries will always go to war, so
:02:43. > :02:47.it seems inescapable that there will always be haunting human
:02:47. > :02:51.consequences. During the First World War the condition we now know
:02:51. > :02:58.as post-traumatic stress disorder was labelled a lack of moral fibre.
:02:58. > :03:03.Or more simply, shell-shock. Often viewed as a kind of emotional
:03:03. > :03:07.weakness, or even cowardice, it is a disorder where the memories of
:03:07. > :03:10.traumatic events are frozen in the brain and can be triggered by the
:03:10. > :03:20.slightest thing, meaning people with PTSD still feel the same
:03:20. > :03:36.
:03:36. > :03:39.intense Vere, even years after the It seems one enduring constant
:03:39. > :03:45.among the ever changing face of war is the damaging psychological
:03:45. > :03:54.legacy amongst those asked to fight. The condition finally gained
:03:54. > :03:59.official recognition after Vietnam. 1.5 million US troops fought active
:03:59. > :04:02.combat during the conflict and many returned traumatised. The effects
:04:02. > :04:07.experienced high suicide rates and criminal convictions, many
:04:07. > :04:11.developed drug and alcohol problems, they began demanding answers. The
:04:11. > :04:18.condition that had been so easily dismissed for generations was
:04:18. > :04:23.finally given a medical diagnosis, post-traumatic stress disorder. The
:04:23. > :04:31.turning point for recognising PTSD in the UK was the Falklands war. A
:04:31. > :04:36.conflict where it is believed more troops have since taken their own
:04:36. > :04:42.lives. After the Falklands it only became gradually acknowledged
:04:42. > :04:47.within military psychiatric circles that this was a real issue.
:04:47. > :04:57.modern face of Battle related trauma, men who have served in
:04:57. > :04:58.
:04:58. > :05:04.Belfast, Bosnia and beyond, each What might seem like an every day
:05:04. > :05:14.trip to the Tate Modern in London is actually a challenging mission,
:05:14. > :05:17.
:05:18. > :05:27.How do you feel being in a public space? It is not too crowded. I
:05:28. > :05:28.
:05:28. > :05:35.know one of the lads is keeping an eye on me. D'you like it? I do. I
:05:35. > :05:44.feel like I want to walk up the steps. Some of it is so weird.
:05:44. > :05:52.These men must be mental! Is this your favourite piece? In looks very
:05:52. > :05:56.beautiful. It is an aspiration to me, it is like you want to go
:05:56. > :06:00.somewhere but it is not possible to get there. I only come here with
:06:00. > :06:04.Combat Stress because I feel safe with them. I would not come here on
:06:04. > :06:11.my own but I would like to be here a my own to have that confidence.
:06:11. > :06:15.Could you give that a go next time? I don't know. For the present time
:06:15. > :06:19.I count my blessings. They were brought to the Tate Modern for
:06:19. > :06:27.therapeutic reasons by a Combat Stress, a charity at the forefront
:06:27. > :06:32.of fighting the mental health effects of conflict. The mind tries
:06:32. > :06:36.to represent the material for filing so you get nightmares,
:06:36. > :06:41.flashbacks and intrusive memories. You become up tight, you get
:06:41. > :06:47.anxiety symptoms with panic attacks, irritability, anger outbursts,
:06:47. > :06:53.difficulty sleeping, poor concentration. In the military
:06:53. > :06:58.people perceive themselves as being invincible and fairly macho, for
:06:58. > :07:08.the vast majority it takes a long time before they ask for help. In
:07:08. > :07:13.
:07:13. > :07:19.fact, the average is around 13 It took Frank and Bones way it more
:07:19. > :07:29.than 13 years before they got help. -- Wayne Moores. I have joined them
:07:29. > :07:31.
:07:31. > :07:36.for my first go at fishing. -- way more. You will need one of these.
:07:36. > :07:42.Flick it forward and let go with your finger. Where has it gone?
:07:42. > :07:48.the air. I think I caught a plant! You are not going away empty-
:07:49. > :07:53.handed! Frank joined the Paras when he was 18 and served for eight
:07:53. > :08:00.years in Northern Ireland, as it turned from a peacekeeping mission
:08:00. > :08:04.into one of the bloodiest periods in UK history. The day he left he
:08:04. > :08:13.threw all his medals into the dustbin. In some ways it was closer
:08:13. > :08:22.than a family, then all of a sudden, there you are, cast adrift, where
:08:22. > :08:30.do I go? What do we do? When do you think you're PTSD kicked in?
:08:30. > :08:37.goes back to 1971. In Northern Ireland. That is a little bite, we
:08:37. > :08:43.have something interested in debate. How many years was that after you
:08:43. > :08:51.left the army that you were diagnosed with PTSD? Nearly 30
:08:51. > :08:59.years after leaving the forces. years of going around undiagnosed.
:08:59. > :09:03.Correct. How would your life have been different if there was
:09:03. > :09:13.diagnosed 30 years ago? I probably would not have got into the trouble
:09:13. > :09:14.
:09:14. > :09:20.I got into. I would probably be married to my first wife. The
:09:20. > :09:30.alcoholism, drug abuse is part and parcel of PTSD. So where would my
:09:30. > :09:31.
:09:31. > :09:38.life be? I do not know. When you get flashbacks, are they like
:09:38. > :09:43.daydreams, or like being back there? Depending on what has caused
:09:43. > :09:50.it, it can be back in the event. For example, the other week I
:09:50. > :09:56.stopped at a little cafe and I was sat there and suddenly the sash
:09:56. > :10:02.window across the other side came up six inches and the net curtain
:10:02. > :10:10.blew out and I dived for the floor, under the table. People were going
:10:10. > :10:20.what the hell...? To explain to them that that was -- I explained
:10:20. > :10:29.
:10:29. > :10:39.to them it was a sniper. That was I can see the attraction of fishing
:10:39. > :10:46.
:10:46. > :10:51.Bones's PTSD stems from his time on HMS Sheffield during the Falklands,
:10:51. > :10:56.he went undiagnosed for 17 years. 20 crewmen died during the attack.
:10:56. > :11:06.The heat generated by fires in the ship was so intense that
:11:06. > :11:06.
:11:06. > :11:15.eyewitnesses said the whole blistered and felt like snow. --
:11:15. > :11:22.hull. After the initial impact they asked for a volunteer, I
:11:22. > :11:28.volunteered, that is why I am like I am. Inside it is a mess some days.
:11:28. > :11:35.Complete and utter carnage. There was a photograph in the papers at
:11:35. > :11:40.the time of you coming off the boat saying you're war was over. Yes,
:11:40. > :11:48.but as you can see, my war is not over. It's like that for other guys
:11:48. > :11:52.as well. Alex Coker also left the Army but combat-related PTSD and
:11:52. > :11:57.now gets treatment at Combat Stress. He joined at 18 and was a Corporal
:11:57. > :12:03.in the Royal Engineers. He survived constant missile attacks in the
:12:03. > :12:09.first Gulf war, and was would be UN in Rwanda. What other jobs have you
:12:09. > :12:14.done since you left the forces? worked as a sheet metal places.
:12:14. > :12:20.Since he left, he has struggled with feelings of aggression and
:12:20. > :12:26.anxiety, for which he is now one medication to keep in check. I am
:12:26. > :12:31.alert all the time. If somebody claps a jump out of my skin,
:12:31. > :12:39.sweating and night, my head is racing all the time. What goes
:12:39. > :12:43.through your mind? I don't know really. It is like a constant noise
:12:43. > :12:51.in my head. I did nothing there was anything wrong with me, I thought I
:12:51. > :12:57.was like anybody else. I hated the army so much when I got out I did
:12:57. > :13:02.not know what to think. That is a lot of what goes on in my head, I
:13:02. > :13:07.am confused. Sometimes I hate it so much a have to sit down and go to
:13:07. > :13:11.sleep, it is too much noise going on. Alex was also a witness to the
:13:11. > :13:15.circus of horrors that was the peacekeeping mission in the Balkans.
:13:15. > :13:25.It was there, while still in the army, that his condition began to
:13:25. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:33.surface. We would do what ever we But then I could not see the point
:13:33. > :13:39.of it. We were there for a long time. We did loads of jobs, one
:13:39. > :13:44.bloke got his head blown off, the engineers were out there shovelling
:13:44. > :13:51.up bodies. I was in turmoil, remember going to sit outside in
:13:51. > :13:58.the middle of a mortar attack, thinking they were going to blow my
:13:58. > :14:06.head off. I was just fed up. If you knew what it would be like after,
:14:06. > :14:12.would you have still joined the army? I suppose so. Why do you say
:14:12. > :14:21.that? We all do our bit. I would have liked to have stayed in but I
:14:21. > :14:24.just could not stand it any longer, the utter chaos. All the military
:14:24. > :14:28.hospitals in the UK have been closed. Now veterans to come
:14:28. > :14:35.forward for help are treated within the NHS, or by charities. Outside
:14:35. > :14:39.the NHS, Combat Stress is the biggest provider of support. This
:14:39. > :14:45.is their Surrey headquarters where veterans come and stay for two week
:14:45. > :14:49.stints of treatment. It feels very militaristic, the flags are up, it
:14:49. > :14:52.is spick and span, a lot of order. But there is something going on in
:14:52. > :15:02.here which you would not really expect people who have served in
:15:02. > :15:09.
:15:09. > :15:13.This is art therapy. Used here alongside the more mainstream
:15:13. > :15:19.psychiatric and psychological treatments and medication.
:15:19. > :15:23.They employ the country's only art therapist dedicated to working with
:15:23. > :15:26.veterans. They have got loads of symptoms,
:15:26. > :15:30.they might have been trying to ignore for years. When they come
:15:30. > :15:37.here, they are looking for answers. They are looking for for things
:15:37. > :15:39.that are going to help and they're willing to try. It is not like a
:15:39. > :15:43.lesson, you don't need to be good at art.
:15:43. > :15:49.This is a recognised branch of psychotherapy which uses the art to
:15:49. > :15:57.bring out a flow of images which afterwards, can then be decoded and
:15:57. > :16:03.doing so, helping the brain to reprocess the traumatic memories..
:16:03. > :16:10.I pick up the art materials and it is as though the drawing starts
:16:10. > :16:19.making itself. It is not really me controlling the process. If I'm
:16:19. > :16:25.trying to draw properly gets in the way. It is surprising what it it
:16:25. > :16:35.actually brings out. It is amazing what's actually in there that you
:16:35. > :16:38.don't bloody realise. It is disorder information storing
:16:39. > :16:42.and retrieval that the memories aren't stored as normal memories so
:16:42. > :16:47.being able to express them, a little bit at a time symbolically
:16:47. > :16:57.and to give them sense and meaning through art therapy can help them
:16:57. > :16:59.
:16:59. > :17:02.to process it. To put it into words. Although some of the art created in
:17:02. > :17:06.therapy can seem primitive and deliberately so, whilst they are
:17:06. > :17:14.here, there is time and space for veterans to enjoy making more
:17:14. > :17:17.poppished pieces which are on display everywhere.
:17:17. > :17:21.-- polished pieces which are on display everywhere.
:17:21. > :17:27.It is good stuff, frank. Well, thanks. That's only the
:17:27. > :17:34.second painting I've ever done. You get some of the visitors coming
:17:34. > :17:40.round and saying, "I like that. I like the effect." Yeah, you get the
:17:40. > :17:46.shug -- shrug of the shoulders that somebody appreciates. It is It is
:17:46. > :17:51.nice to hear work work about your work.
:17:51. > :17:57.It wakes up a new sense in you if you like.
:17:58. > :18:05.I went to Combat Stress for five years, I can't draw. I couldn't
:18:05. > :18:10.paint. I thought, "That's sissy stuff." One day I decided I'll give
:18:10. > :18:14.it a go. I get a lot out of it. It is camming. I can -- calming. I can
:18:14. > :18:24.put things on paper that I couldn't actually say. I couldn't explain it,
:18:24. > :18:31.
:18:31. > :18:37.but I can put it on to paper so it It is called The Demise of Cornwall.
:18:37. > :18:40.When I came out of the Forces, it was about what I saw in Cornwall,
:18:40. > :18:45.the mining and the fishing it pretty much dried up and the
:18:45. > :18:52.poppies which I put in, it is a little bit of a dig for me because
:18:52. > :18:57.most of the help that goes into the veterans is charity.
:18:57. > :19:00.It feels like there is a real camaraderie? There is a real
:19:00. > :19:04.camaraderie and lots of people who have got the same sort of thing
:19:04. > :19:14.wrong with them and they just get together and help each other and
:19:14. > :19:20.
:19:20. > :19:24.Did this start off from one of the therapy sessions? Yeah, normally it
:19:24. > :19:27.is weird actually, but when you turn up here, you have got no
:19:27. > :19:32.expectations of what is going to go on, but something might happen
:19:32. > :19:36.during the day and it triggers off an episode in the night. Most of my
:19:36. > :19:41.stuff comes from what happens when I sleep. Another piece I have done
:19:41. > :19:46.is a from a dream which I had on Saturday which is a hanging tree.
:19:46. > :19:50.High hung myself in my -- I had hung myself in my dream and I
:19:50. > :19:53.couldn't get that out of my head until I put that image down as a
:19:53. > :19:56.model. It is like taking some of the
:19:56. > :20:04.poison out of the emotions that drive you? Yeah, I finished the
:20:04. > :20:12.dream off. I drew a line under it and that was it, gone.
:20:12. > :20:15.Steve Woods joined the army in 1979, but left after developing PTSD. His
:20:16. > :20:20.went undiagnosed for 17 years. Why did you join the Army in the
:20:20. > :20:24.first place? Truthfully, to get away from home.
:20:24. > :20:31.I don't want to go into too much detail, but I had a very abusive
:20:31. > :20:38.childhood. How old were you when you joined? 16. 16.
:20:38. > :20:42.When I joined, "Are you sure you want to join the Light Infantry."
:20:42. > :20:49.The military was my family. When actual in fact, it caused me a lot
:20:49. > :20:55.of damage, you know. I'm getting help and the art is pushing me in
:20:55. > :20:59.the right direction. I'm really thankful for that.
:20:59. > :21:02.How would the art and the therapy lift you from that? It was the
:21:02. > :21:07.flashbacks and the thoughts that put me into that state. When I'm
:21:08. > :21:12.painting, I get lost in it and thoughts don't come in.
:21:12. > :21:19.In terms of the things which have helped you, you have been diagnosed
:21:19. > :21:24.and going on medication... Yeah. How significant is the art therapy?
:21:24. > :21:30.I think without it, there has been points in the last three years
:21:30. > :21:39.where I just wanted to go - well, do away with myself. I think
:21:39. > :21:44.without the art and the support of my wife and people like Jan, I
:21:44. > :21:49.wouldn't be here. It has been fundamental. It really has.
:21:49. > :21:59.Are you really saying without the art therapy, you might not be here?
:21:59. > :22:04.
:22:04. > :22:14.It might not be mainstream, but art therapy has a rich tradition rooted
:22:14. > :22:16.
:22:16. > :22:25.in familiar territory. I've come to the Impeer War mew -- Imperial War
:22:25. > :22:32.Museum to see the work of a painter whose work makes him fundamental to
:22:32. > :22:37.the story of art therapy. This is some of the art of the
:22:37. > :22:44.artist Adrian Hill, a man with a remarkable story who is seen as the
:22:44. > :22:47.godfather of art therapy, aged just 22 in 1917, he was sent by the
:22:47. > :22:51.Imperial War Museum out to capture what life was like in the First
:22:51. > :22:57.World War and these are some of the extraordinary, powerful, evocative
:22:57. > :23:03.pieces that he brought back from the Western Front. What really
:23:03. > :23:10.makes Adrian Hill relevant for us is that in 1938, he contracted
:23:10. > :23:14.tuberculosis and was sen to the san -- sent to the sanatorium and he
:23:14. > :23:22.screchd and -- sketched and drew and in 1939 some soldiers who were
:23:22. > :23:26.the first casualties where brought there and he extended his use of
:23:26. > :23:31.art to them to lift their spirits. He had a revelation that he could
:23:31. > :23:34.help those soldiers who had trauma related to war. What is really
:23:34. > :23:40.fascinate something that art therapy, since its birth, has been
:23:40. > :23:45.entwined with conflict and all of these years later we have different
:23:45. > :23:52.soldiers, different conflicts, but the pioneering approach of Adrian
:23:52. > :23:56.Hill is given respite to those suffering from their service.
:23:56. > :24:06.More evidence of the potential therapeutic power of art comes from
:24:06. > :24:08.
:24:08. > :24:14.the fringes of the Artic Circle. We've come to Northern Finland to a
:24:14. > :24:20.small place right up against the Swedish border to meet a guy who
:24:20. > :24:28.has been on an amazing journey. His life has been transformed by art
:24:28. > :24:32.since he left the SAS. Steve Pratt joined the Army as a
:24:32. > :24:38.boy soldier at the age of 14, he stayed for 17 years and fought in
:24:38. > :24:43.conflict zones all over the world. Hi, Steve.
:24:43. > :24:49.Thanks for coming. He was decorated for his service in
:24:49. > :24:54.the SAS, but left in 1981 when he began to develop the symptoms of
:24:54. > :25:01.PTSD. He moved to Finland seeking
:25:01. > :25:05.solitude and distance from his past. Steve has reinvented himself as an
:25:05. > :25:11.acclaimed practising artist who has comibt -- exhibited across Europe.
:25:11. > :25:17.This is the main room then? Yeah, we start over here really. This is
:25:17. > :25:26.his latest exhibition. His work seems to draw heavily from
:25:26. > :25:29.his military background. This really shows the size of the
:25:29. > :25:34.problem in my head. If you look at the size of this painting and the
:25:34. > :25:39.figures in this painting, what's going on in this painting was in my
:25:40. > :25:45.head and it really frightens me. It is the actual canvas that you
:25:45. > :25:51.use, goes through a violent process? Yeah. So that is being
:25:51. > :25:55.chainsawed? That's because I have been to pieces and I was really mad.
:25:55. > :26:00.If you are full of rage and hate, you can express those things, but
:26:00. > :26:04.when you express them on a canvas, they become an expression in
:26:04. > :26:08.painting so you are actually, they change and then you can see them
:26:08. > :26:18.for what they are and then you can be, you know, separated from that.
:26:18. > :26:25.
:26:25. > :26:29.I started working in Northern Ireland, you know, in an
:26:29. > :26:33.intelligence gathering role. It was a very different kind of war war to
:26:33. > :26:39.what they have now, it wasn't lots of bombs flying around. It was a
:26:39. > :26:46.lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, a lot of uncertainty. One of my
:26:46. > :26:52.colleagues was abducted, tortured, killed, body never found and I was,
:26:52. > :26:58.you know, going out then to talk to people who might know about this
:26:58. > :27:06.and that was a bit of a problem well, quite a big problem for me.
:27:06. > :27:11.That's where I started to feel the weight of the job I was doing, you
:27:11. > :27:18.know. Then it was just like something snapped inside me and I
:27:18. > :27:24.thought, "I can't do this anymore." When I left my military service, I
:27:24. > :27:30.was told at my final medical that, "I will give you a year before you
:27:30. > :27:37.kill yourself.". How irresponsible can you get?
:27:37. > :27:42.To say that to somebody in distress? That sentence rang in my
:27:42. > :27:48.ears for the next 19 years. After leaving the Army, Steve suffered
:27:48. > :27:53.from severe depression. He was prescribed medication, but it was
:27:53. > :27:57.after starting a fine art degree, he found the feelings start to
:27:57. > :28:01.dissipate. Art enabled me to move on and to
:28:01. > :28:06.continue continue move on. It has been the only way I could achieve
:28:06. > :28:12.closure. I wouldn't have been able to achieve it by thinking about it
:28:12. > :28:17.because by thinking about it, you just spin around the problem. Art
:28:17. > :28:26.enables unconscious activity to come out on to a canvas and then to
:28:26. > :28:29.look back and say, "That's how it was." Not, "That is is how it is
:28:29. > :28:32.now. "I feel I am in a better place now
:28:32. > :28:37.and in a place where I can possibly help others.
:28:37. > :28:42.Convinced that creativity helped him deal with past traumas, Steve
:28:42. > :28:46.made a decision. He is coming back to the country he once served, but
:28:46. > :28:51.fled from. I have enrolled at Goldsmith's
:28:51. > :28:54.doing the MA art scibg owe therapy so you can -- psychotherapy so you
:28:54. > :28:58.can work with people using psychotherapy. I see that as a
:28:59. > :29:08.purpose in my life. I have got to use this to enable other people to
:29:09. > :29:11.
:29:11. > :29:15.see the journey and help them move Art therapy has been around for
:29:15. > :29:20.decades and therapists report impressive anecdotal evidence.
:29:20. > :29:24.Something seems to be going on, but there is little little scientific
:29:24. > :29:28.research into what is going on in the brain. I have come to Chicago
:29:28. > :29:33.to meet one of the few guys in the world who can shed light on what
:29:33. > :29:36.the potential potential neurological impact might be.
:29:36. > :29:41.As Director of Clinical neuroscience at one of America's
:29:41. > :29:48.largest ved large veterans hospitals, Dr Lukasz Konopka worked
:29:48. > :29:54.with Vietnam vets suffering with PTSD. He is one of the few nure
:29:54. > :30:04.roll gists who have -- nure roll gists to have done research into
:30:04. > :30:07.
:30:07. > :30:14.art therapy and its impact on the Kenny Show or happens when somebody
:30:14. > :30:19.suffers trauma? This structure is important, it is involved in memory
:30:19. > :30:22.consultation. If there is chronic stress the volume of this
:30:22. > :30:29.hippocampus increases, this is what you would expect to see in somebody
:30:29. > :30:36.suffering from PTSD. With the decrease in hippocampus, one's
:30:36. > :30:42.function is decreased because it is involved in memories. What role
:30:42. > :30:47.does art therapy have been somebody -- in treating somebody with PTSD?
:30:47. > :30:56.It is essential because it taps into the very primitive networks of
:30:56. > :31:01.the brain. Brain function changed through art therapy could be long-
:31:01. > :31:07.lasting, so by being able to alter brain function we can establish new
:31:07. > :31:11.pathways, and buy it doing that you allow the patient to begin to live
:31:11. > :31:16.a different life. Are you saying prolonged use of art therapy can
:31:16. > :31:26.actually result in the brain being rewired? I am absolutely convinced
:31:26. > :31:27.
:31:27. > :31:32.It was remarkable to hear what Lukasz Konopka had to say, art
:31:32. > :31:35.therapy is not just about painting, for him, it is an integral part of
:31:35. > :31:42.the healing process for people who really need all the help they can
:31:42. > :31:46.get. Whatever is happening on a new a logical level, the art does seem
:31:46. > :31:50.to unleash brawl and private memories. Memories which the
:31:50. > :31:55.veterans are willing to share with each other, and for the first ever
:31:55. > :32:01.time for a therapy session, with the camera. The first part today, I
:32:01. > :32:05.was going to suggest the theme of the invisible wound. Then, after
:32:05. > :32:15.one hour, we will gather together and come back into this space to
:32:15. > :32:25.
:32:25. > :32:32.Invisible wounds. The analogy is wandering down the road in the dark
:32:32. > :32:39.at night, a red light hit me, hit the wall, I see a shadow on the
:32:39. > :32:45.wall. I see the shadow of what I was when I was a soldier, and we
:32:45. > :32:49.have a swift connection, that is those two red lines. It is me
:32:49. > :32:56.saying what is the matter, you don't feel well? The other one says
:32:56. > :33:03.I wish I could have the confidence and the ability you had then. I am
:33:03. > :33:12.a shadow of myself, I hide in the shadows of my home. I wish I did
:33:12. > :33:22.not have these invisible wounds, I could be like him. I used to look
:33:22. > :33:25.
:33:25. > :33:35.after these guys, and now they look Does that strike a chord with
:33:35. > :33:36.
:33:36. > :33:39.others? Yes. Thank you. Through the imagery they give me a sense of
:33:39. > :33:44.what it might be like but I do not think anybody could understand
:33:44. > :33:50.unless they had been there, that is why they so respect being together
:33:50. > :33:56.because they know the other person understands. It was very much when
:33:56. > :34:04.one and it said about -- Jan said about a won't, I felt a tightening
:34:04. > :34:08.in my chest and I felt straps being pulled tightly, sort of a pain, and
:34:08. > :34:15.you do not know what you want to tear the straps of, or hold on to
:34:15. > :34:21.it. Whether to hold on to it and keeping deep inside, because it is
:34:21. > :34:30.yours, you do not want anybody else to know. You want to rip it off but
:34:30. > :34:37.it is protected. You're not getting out. I had two it failed marriages,
:34:37. > :34:47.endless failed relationships and it was getting worse and worse. In the
:34:47. > :34:47.
:34:47. > :34:54.end, I was at a stage where I tried to commit suicide. All those people
:34:54. > :34:59.that see are so big ex soldiers and think look at that fat man! Wasting
:34:59. > :35:09.away on a pension. He is not wasting away, he is fighting like
:35:09. > :35:14.
:35:14. > :35:18.It is not a mainstream form of therapy, certainly at the moment,
:35:18. > :35:24.and I guess some would be sceptical, but you do not look like the sort
:35:24. > :35:28.of bunch of people that are easily taken for a ride. You were
:35:28. > :35:32.definitively say there is something in this? At silly. You guess. It do
:35:32. > :35:39.you feel it almost connects to a part of the brain that other
:35:39. > :35:44.therapies do not touch? Absolutely. You're all nodding. This is a
:35:44. > :35:49.primary one, it gets things... is the one that opens the doors.
:35:49. > :35:55.You yes, very quickly. It pulls things out so fast and deep that
:35:55. > :36:02.I'd think it is the most powerful therapy I have tried. Having seen a
:36:02. > :36:12.session I am blown away by how powerful it can be as an instrument
:36:12. > :36:12.
:36:12. > :36:16.to unlock some pretty deep, hidden emotions. I was struck by how much
:36:16. > :36:20.people's lives are still so impacted by conflicts which have
:36:20. > :36:30.happened in some cases decades ago, and they are still carrying of --
:36:30. > :36:37.
:36:37. > :36:44.carrying that suffering around. It Combat stress has seen its caseload
:36:44. > :36:49.got 70 per cent in the past five years, and now helps 4500 veterans
:36:49. > :36:54.a year, but there is a big waiting list. One thing which has come to
:36:54. > :36:58.light whilst filming is the defence review which will see troops over
:36:58. > :37:03.the next decade demobilised, many of whom will have seen a frontline
:37:03. > :37:06.action in Iraq, Afghanistan, and will have been exposed to trauma.
:37:06. > :37:09.With combats stress already creaking under the strain of
:37:09. > :37:15.waiting lists, I just wonder whether we will be able to provide
:37:15. > :37:21.the level of help and support that many of these people need. Some
:37:21. > :37:25.people close to the Armed Forces are naturally concerned about this.
:37:25. > :37:32.As a result of the Post 9/11 walls, there is a huge consequence, people
:37:32. > :37:38.have had limbs blown off, blinded, people with brain injuries, but by
:37:38. > :37:42.far the biggest problem we will have is the tidal wave of those
:37:42. > :37:46.with mental scars, unseen scars, which will increasingly manifest
:37:46. > :37:53.themselves. We have to be sympathetic and help those people
:37:53. > :37:56.deal with them because we owe them that. In terms of who is out in
:37:56. > :38:05.Afghanistan now, we have a nursing team of three out there looking
:38:05. > :38:11.after a population of up to 10,000 people. Is that enough? Yes, it is.
:38:11. > :38:17.Not everybody who sees a traumatic event is going to get ill. So the
:38:17. > :38:22.main burden of mental health problems arising from Operations is
:38:22. > :38:27.going to be after the operation. With the cuts coming, thousands
:38:27. > :38:32.will leave the forces, will that make it harder to try to look after
:38:32. > :38:39.their psychological well-being? is likely to be limited to those
:38:39. > :38:46.who have been in combat. And we know how to follow people up. And
:38:46. > :38:50.routine medicals members of the Armed Forces undergo now contain
:38:50. > :38:54.Ayres -- contains assessment of mental health, that is important at
:38:54. > :38:58.discharge where we are trying to pick people up. There is such a
:38:58. > :39:02.human consequence when troops are committed, there is such a
:39:02. > :39:06.responsibility for them, their families and the repercussions be
:39:06. > :39:12.on that. I have long campaigned on mental health issues and we must
:39:12. > :39:16.recognise that while we treat the visible injuries off a wall, --
:39:16. > :39:24.injuries from war, I think the invisible wounds are less well
:39:24. > :39:27.treated. It would be great to find money for servicemen and women but
:39:27. > :39:33.defence is not a vote-winner and because we live in a democracy
:39:33. > :39:36.politicians focus on the things that will win them popular support.
:39:36. > :39:42.Looking after servicemen and women is not one of them. The direct
:39:42. > :39:46.funding would be helpful. More direct funding. It would be nice to
:39:46. > :39:56.have an automatic service for veterans that does not rely on
:39:56. > :39:59.
:39:59. > :40:03.Unlike Britain, the US has hospitals across the country
:40:03. > :40:09.dedicated to treating veterans. This is the main one in the centre
:40:09. > :40:15.of Chicago. These veterans are using art therapy in much the same
:40:15. > :40:22.way our men do back home. Years and years I did not know what was wrong.
:40:22. > :40:31.I thought I was just crazy. uncontrollable rage, nightmares, I
:40:31. > :40:36.did not know what it was. RC Hardy has been using art therapy for four
:40:36. > :40:43.Muntz, he is an ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran with PTSD. There
:40:43. > :40:48.are nights I do not sleep at all. Sometimes I get frightened, I Wyke
:40:48. > :40:51.-- I wake up frightened for no reason. His art work expresses
:40:51. > :41:01.emotions and experiences which seemed timeless and universal too
:41:01. > :41:06.many a veteran of conflict. This indicates what goes on with a young
:41:06. > :41:15.person who goes to war, or combat, and you see people with skin blown
:41:15. > :41:22.away, their face off, you know. Cut one time I dug up dead bodies in
:41:22. > :41:29.Vietnam. -- at one time. This bothers him, he dreams of it, it is
:41:29. > :41:36.in his mind forever. Inside the mask you can see... Drugs,
:41:36. > :41:41.cigarettes... Drugs, dope, everything that is in there,
:41:41. > :41:45.everything they used to hide behind if they're not taking medication.
:41:45. > :41:50.How much of a fight with you put up if I said I was going to take away
:41:50. > :41:56.your brushes and you cannot paint? I can't paint no more? I would put
:41:56. > :42:00.up a big fight. You were telling me I can't express myself. I express
:42:00. > :42:05.myself through my art. You telling me I can't express myself? It is
:42:05. > :42:15.like taking away my freedom of speech. What if you can't talk any
:42:15. > :42:15.
:42:15. > :42:19.more? I would try to fight to! -- you. It was the terrible human
:42:19. > :42:24.fall-out from America's time in Vietnam which led to PTSD being
:42:24. > :42:29.diagnosed. It also fuelled a new symbiosis between art and the
:42:29. > :42:32.experience of war, creating something quite special. In
:42:32. > :42:42.downtown Chicago there is a building I have heard about for
:42:42. > :42:55.
:42:55. > :42:59.ages at which I just have to go and This is the National Veterans Art
:42:59. > :43:03.Museum in Chicago, originally founded by some Vietnam veterans.
:43:03. > :43:08.What makes this place unique is that every piece here has been
:43:08. > :43:14.created by somebody who has witnessed war. Although established
:43:14. > :43:19.my Vietnam veterans, the museum now includes works reflecting a more
:43:19. > :43:28.recent American conflict. This piece is called Sand Angel, it was
:43:28. > :43:32.made by an American serviceman who was out Iraq in the first Gulf war.
:43:32. > :43:37.He came across an injured Iraqi serviceman who was dying and his
:43:37. > :43:42.arms were flailing out. What makes this piece so haunting is that it
:43:42. > :43:45.is not a piece of make believe, you know that the artist was a soldier
:43:45. > :43:50.who had this image a running through his head for years, from
:43:50. > :43:59.something he had actually seen, which he felt compelled to get out.
:43:59. > :44:02.This is the result. One of the founders of the museum is the a
:44:02. > :44:08.numb veteran Joe Fornelli, he was a crew chief on a Huey helicopter,
:44:08. > :44:12.one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. In the field he felt
:44:12. > :44:18.compelled to capture the chaos around him using whatever he could
:44:18. > :44:22.lay his hands on. He created this delicate image using split bamboo
:44:23. > :44:29.and dried coffee. Maybe subconsciously I was making notes
:44:29. > :44:35.because I did want people to know what I witnessed. I did it with my
:44:35. > :44:45.hard work. What role do you think art can have been helping somebody
:44:45. > :44:47.
:44:47. > :44:53.who has been in conflict to heal It opens up things that are closed
:44:53. > :45:00.and should not be closed off inside these individuals. There are the
:45:00. > :45:06.people like them. That helps. -- other people. Another artist on
:45:06. > :45:16.display is Bill Crist. A fellow Vietnam veteran. I love this museum.
:45:16. > :45:16.
:45:16. > :45:22.I know I am not alone. I used to think I was the lone ranger out
:45:22. > :45:28.there. I couldn't talk about anything, you know. Bill was con
:45:28. > :45:31.conscripted into the infantry and developed severe PTST after the
:45:31. > :45:34.conflict. You come home and everything is
:45:34. > :45:41.going to be fine, it is not that way.
:45:41. > :45:46.It is not that way at all. His works were created using art
:45:46. > :45:53.therapy during time spent in a psychiatric ward. They depict the
:45:54. > :45:59.memories which still haunt him. was unconscious, that's how
:45:59. > :46:02.powerful that explosion was. I told the people in charge, I will draw
:46:02. > :46:09.these because a picture is worth 1,000 words and I won't have to
:46:09. > :46:19.talk about it anymore. Wrong. The more I drew, the more I talked.
:46:19. > :46:24.Avr got out the the -- after I I out of the infantry, I became a
:46:24. > :46:31.medic. The tail rot ar was going full speed and it went into his
:46:31. > :46:37.head and ripped the top of his head off. His brains were all over the
:46:37. > :46:41.ground. I am ashamed to say I was crying and throwing up at the same
:46:41. > :46:49.time. That was an extremely traumatic experience for me. Very
:46:49. > :46:56.traumatic. The art is where the power is and
:46:56. > :47:02.the art is what created the museum. Is it worth more than life? I think
:47:02. > :47:12.what we all want, the survivors want, we all want to make sure that
:47:12. > :47:14.
:47:14. > :47:17.the ones that didn't make it... Are always remembered.
:47:17. > :47:23.One of the most striking exhibits here, perhaps the centrepiece of
:47:23. > :47:32.the whole museum, is this. It is a monument to every American soldier
:47:32. > :47:36.who died in Vietnam and it is a replica of of every single soldier
:47:36. > :47:42.who died starting in that corner in 1957 and working its way in
:47:42. > :47:51.chronological order to that way corner to 1975.
:47:51. > :47:55.On each dog tag, the name of a service person who died in Vietnam,
:47:55. > :47:59.over 58,000. An incredible amount of effort has gone into making this.
:47:59. > :48:04.It has taken two years to individually punch each dog tag.
:48:04. > :48:10.What is truly extraordinary is what each one represents.
:48:10. > :48:16.I just thought of something - that memorial was never really a part of
:48:16. > :48:25.this exhibit or design in the beginning, but they are the ones
:48:25. > :48:35.that didn't make it. I just thought of it now.
:48:35. > :48:43.
:48:43. > :48:49.It is incredibly powerful. Yeah. Yeah. We all know somebody on that.
:48:49. > :48:55.Looking around at this stuff, on the one hand, I am in awe of it and
:48:55. > :49:04.on the other han other hand I am jealous, thinking we should have
:49:04. > :49:09.something like this in the UK. You know, what, it is natural. If
:49:09. > :49:12.somebody planted the seed and nurtured in. It is natural that
:49:13. > :49:17.this should happen to me. It does seem natural and such a
:49:17. > :49:21.positive and public way to channel experiences which most of us would
:49:21. > :49:31.find unimaginable. Surely our guys back home deserve a similar
:49:31. > :49:34.
:49:34. > :49:37.platform. A public exhibition might be a good start. But would our
:49:37. > :49:42.veterans be up for an exhibition? Something which could bring their
:49:42. > :49:47.stories to a wider public and encourage other ex-soldiers not to
:49:47. > :49:52.suffer in silence and what form should it take? We have we have got
:49:52. > :49:56.this idea that it would be great to push this on to a wider stage and
:49:56. > :50:00.have an exhibition or something to bring it to the wider public.
:50:00. > :50:04.It is important to get that message across to the decision makers that
:50:04. > :50:07.send us to war. I am at the stage now where I would
:50:07. > :50:13.like to push it forward. To let other people see what I'm doing.
:50:13. > :50:17.It would be interesting to compare some of the work we've done.
:50:17. > :50:27.A mixture of the art and art therapy and create a balance so
:50:27. > :50:27.
:50:27. > :51:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 64 seconds
:51:32. > :51:39.Steve Pratt has been measuring up the gallery. He has met with bomber
:51:39. > :51:46.macro at Combat Stress to select some work to display. -- Jan.
:51:46. > :51:50.Speech bubbles. What is going on? Our guys have been hard at it.
:51:50. > :51:56.glad I achieved it but I do not think I will do this again in a
:51:56. > :52:01.hurry. It takes you to a dark place where you do not want to go. I have
:52:01. > :52:11.not done anything at home for a long time. It was nice to get back
:52:11. > :52:19.into something. It was a painful exercise to work this are but very
:52:19. > :52:25.valuable. I feel it is really helping me. Sometimes I cry when I
:52:25. > :52:32.am doing it, having a good paint. Some weird stuff comes out but it
:52:32. > :52:37.is all good. It is all hell for. Hopefully we can get more people
:52:37. > :52:47.who can understand because they will be a lot of lads coming back
:52:47. > :52:49.
:52:49. > :52:53.he will need help. Hell of a lot of them. Steve Pratt is also creating
:52:53. > :53:00.a challenging new work which incorporates past memories. He is
:53:00. > :53:10.using some interesting techniques. A star from the point of view of a
:53:10. > :53:10.
:53:11. > :53:20.traumatic destruction -- I start. Then some kind of rebuilding. That
:53:21. > :53:36.
:53:36. > :53:45.destruction is also we creation and . We decided to call the exhibition
:53:45. > :53:54.Invisible Wounds. The work on display features art made join
:53:54. > :54:04.therapy sessions, specially created pieces by our guys.
:54:04. > :54:14.Artwork that we brought back from America. And a series by Steve
:54:14. > :54:27.
:54:27. > :54:34.This is a hell of a piece of work. It looks really good with the light
:54:34. > :54:44.What does the piece symbolise? That's how a lot of us feel a lot
:54:44. > :54:44.
:54:44. > :54:49.of the time. The distance, I wanted to bring in from us into reality
:54:49. > :54:55.and and how we feel smaller than everyone else and insignificant. I
:54:55. > :54:59.was a bit apprehensive about how it was going to turn out. It does look
:54:59. > :55:08.good. Is that a smile from you? little bit, yeah.
:55:08. > :55:13.I feel something has been achieved tonight. So if people look at this,
:55:13. > :55:18.what do you want them to take away from it? If you are willing to
:55:18. > :55:24.allow others to help you then even though it seems that there is no
:55:24. > :55:32.future for you at the time, life can transform.
:55:32. > :55:41.This is by a chap called Bones. is superb. The rest of the guys
:55:42. > :55:47.have worked superb. You can be sur surrounded by millions of people,
:55:47. > :55:54.but you can still be alone. That's what this painting is about.
:55:54. > :55:57.It is every bit as valid an injury as a visible wound
:55:57. > :56:02.It is a fine piece of work this. Thank you.
:56:02. > :56:07.Are you proud of it? I feel I'm giving part of me away, if you know
:56:07. > :56:12.what I mean. I'm giving part of my secret. This is what the people
:56:12. > :56:21.don't see. This is a representation of the brain. I'm pleased to have
:56:21. > :56:28.done it and I'm pleased it is here. There are exhibitions that contend
:56:28. > :56:32.with so much meaning. It caught the imagination of everybody who has
:56:32. > :56:38.been here. There has been artists here and people from the MoD here.
:56:38. > :56:46.It as been awe inspiring. It has been a shock, but a really positive
:56:46. > :56:48.coming together of people and works. This is a piece which has come out
:56:48. > :56:54.of an art therapy session. That's right.
:56:54. > :56:57.You have taken the content and turned it into a fine piece of work.
:56:58. > :57:02.It has taken a long time to do this one. The more I looked at the
:57:02. > :57:08.drawings and the more I looked at it as the painting was was
:57:08. > :57:12.developing, it started to bring me down a bit. I finished the picture
:57:12. > :57:18.and I'm happy with it. I'm only doing it because someone else might
:57:18. > :57:23.get some help from it and think, "I tried art therapy.". Everyone,
:57:23. > :57:26.thank you very much for coming. It is an excellent turnout. A
:57:26. > :57:31.fantastic turnout. Thank you once again really to the guys who have
:57:31. > :57:38.put this exhibition together. Incredible, powerful, emotional,
:57:38. > :57:43.bloody good pieces of work which I hope you're proud of.
:57:43. > :57:49.What's the overarching thing that you want somebody who has not
:57:50. > :57:56.served and comes in and sees this? Just because they see see someone
:57:56. > :58:02.and it looks hunky-dory, this is what is going on underneath their
:58:02. > :58:05.skin. This is horrific. It brought Combat Stress into the public eye.
:58:05. > :58:09.Job done. You have done yourselves proud. You
:58:09. > :58:19.have done everyone proud and you have sent a strong, positive
:58:19. > :58:48.
:58:48. > :58:50.message. So if if we can give a I guess I found the veterans aren't
:58:50. > :58:53.both shocking, but inspirational to know the individual journeys of
:58:53. > :58:55.people who have all given so much for the country and hope that their
:58:55. > :58:57.paintings means that some of the people coming back from Iraq and
:58:57. > :59:00.Afghanistan don't go through five, ten, 15, 20 years before getting
:59:00. > :59:02.help and go through what some of these guys have been through