Vietnamese Water Puppets: Therapy for Veterans

The Vietnamese art form of water puppetry has expanded in popularity since its humble beginnings in rice paddies and ponds of the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. Traditionally, puppeteers stand waist deep in water, hidden from the audience's view, as they manipulate puppets as large as 36 inches in and out of the water. Shows include music, singing, ornate puppets, and fantastical storylines. Many guided tours of Vietnam include this elaborate and culturally representative display in their itineraries. Water puppet shows can hold a more significant purpose than simply a tourist attraction.

Creative arts therapy is often used to treat people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder because of its ability to connect with victims' nonverbal, kinesthetic and visual memories. For Vietnam war veterans, Vietnamese water puppet shows can be the perfect therapy. These puppet shows allow veterans to experience Vietnam in a medium independent of war, ultimately allowing them to cope with their troubling past encounters.Veteran Joseph Bangert believes Vietnamese water puppet shows have the ability to normalize relations between Vietnam and the United States. He hopes people will be able to "discover that Vietnam is not the name of a war but of a society and a culture."

Credit to http://www.csmonitor.com/1992/0629/29101.html/(page)/2 and
http://www.developmentaltransformations.com/images/james_drama_therapy_in_the_treatment.pdf