Drama Therapy

Below is an account of one day at the VAMC.

Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP)

SATP is an outpatient program addressing drug and alcohol addiction. Because they share a history of addiction as well as their experiences in the military as well, this group tends to be characterized by a sense of bonding in spite of individual differences and conflicts. They are focused and goal oriented, with recurring themes around family relationships, addiction triggers and self-esteem.

After last year’s loss of their highly regarded recreation therapist, this group has bounced back and seems to have stabilized, with better attendance and more individuals returning after the required number of visits. There has been a lot of discussion and work recently around sons, daughters, and young people in general as well as concern expressed for traditions that have been lost, and a growing culture of indifference experienced by group members. The focus of this group seems to reflect a generation of veterans who are getting older and are questioning their place in society and family life. Many of the group members feel that their service and stories have been largely ignored, indicating to us as group leaders that we need to facilitate opportunities for group members to make important connections in CANY groups, so that participants can experience the power of being witnessed as they share their stories, as well as witnessing others.

Not long ago we encountered a new group member, Dennis*, who was very articulate, but also wound very tightly together. In CANY groups, Dennis struggled to express much more than his frustration and anger around living in a shelter for the first time in his life. He remained isolative in his anger at being treated unfairly, as well as being embarrassed by his addiction. Over the next few weeks, in spite of support and suggestions offered by other group members, Dennis continued to vent the same general “critique” of society at large. Still, he kept coming. The Monday after Mothers’ Day, Dennis arrived at the CANY group expressing fury at his daughter, who had, he reported, refused to dress up for Sunday’s church services. Dennis’ experience clearly resonated with other members of the group who joined him in a rant about the younger generation, which then moved into exploring family and cultural changes that trigger their addictive behavior.

At some point in the discussion, it became clear that what we were talking about was the deep sense of chaos that these men experienced in their lives. When asked if this was accurate, they all agreed, sharing that this was exactly how their lives felt. Too many things felt out of control, too many things felt like an assault to their senses. Inspired by this experience, we invited participants to create a group poem, entitled CHAOS. Dennis was particularly affected by the poem, along with the support he had felt from the group, and expressed his gratitude to them. He even looked more relaxed physically.

Learn more about another VAMC program, Peer Advocate Training.

*Names of group members are always changed to respect their privacy.