Rounding out my reviews of my classes, we finish with INTD 105: Theatre Therapy for Veterans. In all honesty, before attending this course, I had my reservations. I had no idea what the course would entail, and I left it up to my imagination to decide how good or bad it would be. Having only a couple days of class left, I think it is safe to say that my conclusion about the course is that I am happy I was thrown in blindly. As unfortunate as that may seem, I would never have signed up to take this class, but that is the truth. However, I am so glad that I was because I was opened up to an abundance of knowledge about veterans, specifically about veterans who deal with PTSD as a result of serving time in the military. Even though not everyone has a connection to the military and to the people who put their lives on the line to defend our country, I think that everyone should learn about the effects of war and violence on those who serve and how they can help those who suffer when they are living in the dark.
Professor Arena was able to connect stories told through Theatre of War and Act of War into the real world and personal stories that she herself struggled with, making all the more points about PTSD from the books real. Also, because there were moments when the books brought up uncomfortable and graphic scenes, those moments were the most important as they were untold truths. They were uncomfortable because they were events that no one ever wanted to discuss, but it was necessary to talk about them. We learned that learning about PTSD through the lens of these unbelievable tragedies and events created healing outlets for veterans who have dealt with similar graphic events and who found peace in communicating their feelings concerning stories such as the Greek tragedies. I am glad that I was put into this class and am grateful for all the new things I have learned, considering I would have never learned about this had I not been randomly placed in this course.
Well, it seems as though that is all I have to say, so this is the end of the Anxious Girl’s Accounts, so until next time, dear readers. Godspeed.
