Treating the Effects of Military Sexual Trauma through a Theater-Based Program for US Veterans

The goal of this article is to examine the experience and aftermath of military sexual trauma (MST) among U.S. women Veterans with a particular emphasis on the therapeutic benefits of giving voice to their experience in an all-Veteran trauma treatment called the DE-CRUIT program. The DE-CRUIT program uses a feminist framework of human connection in combination with narrative elements from drama and theater. The therapeutic process of this treatment program is described by outlining the specific benefits of its feminist underpinnings and through the use of a case example of an MST survivor who participated in this treatment. We describe the ways that a treatment program can play a role in supporting women Veterans not only in dealing with the effects of MST, but also in connecting to the #MeToo movement.