Drop in TONIGHT with Steven & Friends for "The Gang's All Here! Peanuts & PTSD!" - Warriors for Life (WFL)

Join our Volunteer, Air Force Veteran, Peer Support Specialist, and Writer/Author Steven Bates TONIGHT for "Mid-Week Musings!" edition of Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, sponsored and presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV).

We are asking everyone to share who we are and what support that Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) is providing via WFL. If you know someone who is a veteran, first responder or a family member/caregiver, please ask them to join us for at least one meeting so they can learn more about what we do and how they can share their wisdom with others who may be able to learn from them.

TONIGHT's Topic:  "The Gang's All Here! Peanuts & PTSD!"

"On this day in history, the creator of one of the most iconic, all-American, most recognizable entities was born.  Born in Minneapolis in 1922, a young baby named Charles Monroe Schultz was the only child of a humble barber and his wife, who both

later moved to St Paul, where young Charles grew up and attended high school at St Paul Central High School.  As a high school student, Charles started drawing cartoons about a hunting dog that ate pins and tacks.  After sending the drawing to Ripley's Believe It or Not, it was published in 1937.  Ironically, even the published cartoon was rejected by the high school yearbook and was not allowed to be printed in school materials.  Charles' talents and contributions to society were finally recognized by his old alma mater sixty years later when a five-foot-tall statue of Schulz's creation was placed in place of prominence at the school. 

Charles was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served with the 20th Armored Division as a .50 caliber machine gunner and earning the Combat Infantry Badge.  After his discharge, Charles Schulz created one of the most beloved casts of characters to ever grace the cartoon world, the Peanuts gang.  So iconic was this cast of characters that they have been printed in 75 countries in over 21 languages, exhibited in the Smithsonian, had a museum dedicated to the life of Charles Schulz in Santa Rosa, CA, and even earned Charles the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award presented by the President to civilians."

So what does a veteran drawing iconic cartoons help those struggling with depression and PTSD? 

Drawing iconic cartoons, as a form of art therapy, helps veterans struggling with depression and PTSD by providing a non-verbal outlet for emotional expression, facilitating trauma processing, and fostering a sense of control and community. This creative process serves as a safe and structured way to manage symptoms that can be difficult to articulate with words alone. 

Key Benefits

• Emotional Expression: Art allows veterans to externalize complex emotions like anger, sadness, and fear that may be challenging to discuss verbally. Cartoons, in particular, can offer a lighthearted or symbolic approach to tough subjects, making them less intimidating to explore.

• Trauma Processing: The act of creating art can help individuals process and reframe traumatic experiences in a safe, controlled environment. By giving visual form to memories, veterans can gain a better understanding of their experiences and gradually loosen their psychological hold.

• Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Engaging in creative activities can be a calming, meditative process that shifts focus away from racing, anxious thoughts and promotes mindfulness. This process can lower stress hormones (cortisol) and boost mood-enhancing chemicals (dopamine).

• Sense of Control and Accomplishment: Trauma can strip away a person's sense of control. The process of drawing—making choices about subject, color, and style—helps veterans regain a sense of mastery and autonomy. Completing a piece of art also provides a sense of accomplishment, which can boost self-esteem and confidence.

• Community Building: Art therapy programs often take place in group settings, allowing veterans to connect with others who have shared similar experiences. This peer support helps reduce isolation and builds a supportive community where individuals feel understood and validated. 

Overall, drawing cartoons offers a unique and accessible avenue for veterans to navigate their mental health journey, complementing traditional therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Organizations like Creative Forces and the Wounded Warrior Project integrate such creative outlets into their programs to help veterans develop healthy coping mechanisms and improve their quality of life. 

PTSD and depression are strongly linked due to shared risk factors, symptom overlap, and a cause-and-effect relationship, where trauma can lead to both conditions. They frequently co-occur, with a high percentage of people with PTSD also experiencing depression. Trauma can alter brain chemistry and lead to feelings of helplessness, anxiety, and social withdrawal, which can trigger depressive symptoms. 

How PTSD and depression are linked

• Shared causes: Both PTSD and depression can be triggered by traumatic events. Factors like prior exposure to adversity, genetics, and how the brain handles stress can increase vulnerability to both conditions.

• Symptom overlap: There is a significant overlap in symptoms between the two conditions, such as difficulty sleeping, feeling emotionally numb, and trouble concentrating.

• Cause-and-effect: PTSD symptoms can lead to depression over time. For instance, chronic hyperarousal and intrusive memories from PTSD can directly contribute to depressive symptoms. Studies have shown a correlation between the intensity of early PTSD symptoms and the later development of depression.

• Behavioral and biological factors: Trauma can lead to behaviors like social withdrawal, substance abuse, or self-harm, which can worsen or trigger depression. Prolonged stress from trauma can also alter brain chemistry, affecting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which are linked to depression. 

Why the link is important

• High comorbidity: Depression is up to five times more likely in people with PTSD compared to those without it.

• Increased severity: When the two conditions co-occur, the symptoms of both can be more intense.

• Worse prognosis: The co-occurrence of depression with PTSD is associated with a poorer prognosis and can increase the risk of other health problems, including a higher risk of early death from causes like cardiovascular disease and suicide, especially in women. 

Treatment considerations

• Overlapping treatments: Many treatments for PTSD, such as talk therapy and medication, are also effective for depression.

• Integrated approach: Because the conditions are so often linked, treatment often addresses both concurrently. Seeking treatment early is crucial to prevent symptoms from worsening over time. 

Join Air Force veteran, author, and Peer Support Specialist Steven Bates as we discuss just that very topic with the Warriors for Life Mid-Week Musings Peer Support group tonight!

Warriors for Life (WFL) Online "Mid-Week Musings!" edition presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) — Wednesday (TONIGHT), November 26, 2025, @ 4:30 PM PT, 5:30 PM MT, 6:30 PM CT, & 7:30 PM ET

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87440882846 

Thank you,

Steven Bates

Air Force Veteran, Writer/Author, Peer Support Specialist, &

Volunteer Facilitator, Victory for Veterans, Inc.

“Honor & Respect Always — Warriors for Life!”