Clinical Research Findings
Creative Forces® invests in research on the impacts and benefits – physical, emotional, and social – of creative arts therapies as innovative treatment methods.
Creative Forces® is committed to the pursuit and promotion of clinically relevant biomedical and behavioral research on the effectiveness of creative arts therapies for service members, veterans, family members, and caregivers. Several strategies are critical to the success of our research program. They include: informed selection of rigorous research designs; support for multisite studies; funding of research opportunities at Creative Forces® sites, and collaboration with other health/rehabilitation disciplines and partners.
Creative Forces Clinical Research
Advancing Creative Forces Clinical Research
The Creative Forces Clinical Research: A Strategic Framework and Five-Year Agenda (2018-2022) establishes the strategic objectives for Creative Forces clinical research and provides a five-year plan for achieving those objectives (see link below.)
Advances in Creative Forces Clinical Research and Applications of the Creative Arts Therapies for Treating PTSD and TBI in Military-Connected Populations published in July 2020 gives an overview to date of key findings (link below). Compelling preliminary evidence put forth by Creative Forces research supports use of the creative arts therapies in promoting rehabilitation and recovery for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma. As of August 2021, the 22 studies published by Creative Forces Network-affiliated researchers provide preliminary support for using creative arts therapies. Together, the findings justify continued growth of the program so that the nation’s military personnel, and families and caregivers, receive greater access to these therapies, as informed by best practices.
Creative Forces Clinical Research Summit
The Creative Forces Clinical Research Summit took place September 18-19, 2017 at the National Academies of Science in Washington, DC. The event provided an opportunity to gather world-renowned experts to discuss effective approaches to creative arts therapies practice and research pertaining to military populations.
Art Therapy Research and Resources
Key Creative Forces® clinical research findings indicate:
- Art therapy helps in recovering from traumatic experiences, reducing flashbacks and nightmares.
- Artworks created in art therapy can act as agents for change to improve frustration tolerance and stabilize emotions.
- Art therapy helps in coping with difficult experiences and feelings such as grief, loss, avoidance, survivor’s guilt, and shame related to wartime.
- Art therapy may foster connectivity in the brain to help support healthier brain function.
- Mask-making in art therapy promotes expressions of patriotism and belongingness to address feelings of disconnect with society and the country after returning home from deployment.
- Additional research outcomes can be found in the Creative Forces Art Therapy Research overview.
Music Therapy Research and Resources
Key Creative Forces® clinical research findings indicate:
- Music therapy is provided as integrated care and stand-alone treatment for PTSD to address behavioral health goals such as: promoting relaxation, informing mind body connections, emotional regulation, hypervigilance, and sleep.
- Music therapy in the treatment of TBI addresses cognition and memory, sustained/focused attention to task, divided attention/multitasking, problem-solving skills, speech and language, auditory processing (auditory perception and tolerance of auditory stimuli), motor control and response, and headaches.
- In collaboration with other treatment disciplines, music therapy contributes to improvements in articulation, task-attention, and compensatory strategies.
- Music therapy can enhance interpersonal communication, reduce isolation, and support familial bonding/social engagement.
- In collaboration with other treatment disciplines, music therapy contributes to improvements in range of motion, functional use of bilateral upper extremities, strength endurance, and breath support.
Additional research outcomes can be found in the Creative Forces Music Therapy Research overview.