What Shakespeare Can Teach us About PTSD [Things That Go Boom]

Shakespeare, war, PTSD and healing. Brilliant program that completely grabbed me. Host Laicie Heeley talks with Stephan Wolfert, an army Vet, about his program, De-Cruit, which helps veterans heal through Shakespeare.

Wolfert unexpectedly attended a performance of Shakespeare’s Richard III in Montana, where the words broke through to him in a way he’d never experienced. It was so profound he had a catharsis and was sobbing in the theater. His openness  about this experience was moving.

Out of this, he redirected his life to study drama and created Shakespeare workshops for vets. For veterans, trained to operate within the military structure, reconnecting in civilian life often proves hard. But Shakespeare’s words speak to war, human connection and a multitude of emotions and deceits, all relevant topics both in the military and in life.

Wolfert’s passion for the subject, and his personal experience of the healing power of Shakespeare’s words, made me grateful for his unique vision and reignited an interest in seeing Shakespeare.

And, as so many great podcasts do, made me amazed at what folks are doing out there.

Things that Go Boom, launched in December 2017, is an excellent podcast that delivers quality content in short segments. Heeley, the host, is the founder and editor of the foreign policy magazine Inkstick.

• Podcast: Things that Go Boom
• Episode: What Shakespeare can teach us about PTSD
• Host: Laicie Heeley
• Date: 2/12/18
• Duration: 27 minutes; Shakespeare episode starts at ~ 4 minutes in

Things that Go Boom: “about the ins, outs, and whathaveyous of what keeps us safe.”

More Information:
De-Cruit: Using “Shakespeare and science to heal trauma. At its core DE-CRUIT is the process of interweaving personal writings with Veteran-related Shakespeare texts…”