NICK SCHIFRIN: Post-traumatic stress is far# too common among veterans.

Ten percent of men,## nearly 20 percent of female# veterans report symptoms at## some point in their lives.

But could# the arts provide a needed prescription?

Stephanie Sy reports from Seattle for our ongoing## coverage of the intersection of arts# and health, part of our Canvas series.

(SINGING) STEPHANIE SY: On a recent af.. Opera, a group of military veterans# prepares for an upcoming performance.

WOMAN: OK.

Not a bad review.

Thank you.

STEPHANIE SY: This veterans# choir is part of Path with Art,## a Seattle nonprofit that offers a range of# programming designed to promote public health.

WOMAN: Let's go again.

STEPHANIE SY: For Shanda De Anda, who served# 24 years in the United States Air Force,## the once a week ritual of singing with# fellow service members has been healing.

MASTER SGT.

SHANDA L. DE ANDA (RET.

), U.S.

Air# Force: Trauma changes who you are as a person.

STEPHANIE SY: De Anda served in# combat roles in Iraq, Afghanistan,## and Bosnia.

But it wasn't until she retired# from the Air Force in 2019 that she began## to process all that she'd seen on the# battlefield.

She was diagnosed with PTSD.

MASTER SGT.

SHANDA L. DE ANDA (RET.

): But I# was like, I'm sure I don't have that.

I'm sure## that's not a problem for me.

And then COVID# hit, and I lost the ability of being really## active and in the community.

And so being alone# with my thoughts became more a part of my life.

STEPHANIE SY: She says, when even# leaving her house made her terrified,## her therapist referred her to Path with Art.

MASTER SGT.

SHANDA L. DE ANDA# (RET.

): Joining the veterans choir,## where I'd be surrounded by other veterans,# is a way of kind of finding my vo.. STEPHANIE SY: Randy Schoesler has also# found a new voice in the veterans choir.## He served in the Air Force for# seven years until he says he was## kicked out of the military in# the early '80s for being gay.

2ND LT.

RANDY SCHOESLER (RET.

), U.S.

Air Force:# Randy Schoesler, I was very much in the closet,## because, at the time, this was# before don't ask, don't tell even.

There was#no defense.

If you were found to be gay,## it was instant discharge.

STEPHANIE SY: What did you go through?

2ND LT.

RANDY SCHOESLER (RET.

): Well, first,## it was the shock.

.. STEPHANIE SY: Schoesler struggles with depression.# He's been coming to Path with Art for six years.

2ND LT.

RANDY SCHOESLER (RET.

): I need community.## I need camaraderie.

I need# to be able t.. STEPHANIE SY: Path with Art has offered classes## on everything from learning# the basics of podcasting... MAN: You both have nice big voices.

MAN: Really?

STEPHANIE SY: ... to p.. classes are available to low-income# adults and all veterans for free.

HOLLY JACOBSON, CEO, Path with Art: We have# a mental health crisis.

There's no one magic## pill that's going to solve it all.

And so the# arts can play a role in helping fill that gap.

STEPHANIE SY: Holly Jacobson,# the CEO of Path with Art,## says since launching the veterans program# in 2019, participation has skyrocketed.

HOLLY JACOBSON: It really did show that# there was a need.

So it's now a quarter## of our program, over 500 individuals last year.

SPC.

DONNA BAKER (RET.

), U.S.

Army:# This is supposed to be a wolf.

STEPHANIE SY: Here veterans# are also employed as teachers.## Artist Donna Baker teaches art classes# using mixed media, including yarn.

SPC.

DONNA BAKER (RET.

): When I get to# the point where I can't handle things,## I go to art and it just kind of -- it# calms me down.

It relaxes my mind.

I feel## at ease.

I don't feel anxious.

I don't# feel like I have to battle the world.

STEPHANIE SY: Baker was stationed in# Germany during the late '80s and early '90s.## A survivor of sexual assault, she says she still# struggles with PTSD from her time in the Army.

SPC.

DONNA BAKER (RET.

): In a lot of ways,# I can totally connect.

I can totally connect## with maybe what they're feeling, their# angst, their pain, their suffering.

STEPHANIE SY: Feelings that# other military sexual assault## survivors like Chris Wisdom share.# She joined the Army in the late '90s.

PRIVATE 1ST CLASS CHRIS WISDOM (RET.

), U.S.# Army: They were telling the females not to## go out at night alone because there were# a lot of attacks, that there were a lot of## rapes.

And it wasn't by civilians coming# on post.

It was by your fellow soldiers.

And so the fire represents the anger and# then the tears, the sorrow and sadness.

STEPHANIE SY: More than two decades later,## her artwork, including this mask,# expressed what she went through.

So that mask, I named Explosive# Emotions.

I made that to represent## when you try to suppress who you# are and your feelings for so long## with all that you have been through that# eventually it's just going to explode.

SUSAN MAGSAMEN, Author, "Your Brain on Art": The# folks that have served our country so beautifully## have come home and have experienced trauma# in a way that many of us can't understand.

STEPHANIE SY: Susan Magsamen is the co-author of# "Your Brain on Art" and an assistant professor of## neurology at Johns Hopkins University.

Her# extensive research has included looking at## Path with Arts programs and has found they are# effective at improving mental health outcomes.

SUSAN MAGSAMEN: And a lot of times,# people talk about well why can't you## just get over something?

And trauma is# not like that.

And so the way to get out,## it turns out that these arts and aesthetic# experiences can be incredibly valuable.

Something as simple as singing, which# activates your parasympathetic nervous## system, activates the vagus nerve,# again connects you to each other,## calms your physiology and# makes you just feel better.

STEPHANIE SY: For Shanda De Anda, it's working.

MASTER SGT.

SHANDA L. DE ANDA (RET.

): For# a long time, I was trying to get back to## who that version of Shanda was.

But she# isn't here anymore.

And mourning that## loss and then celebrating the opportunity# of developing a new Shanda is something## I think Path with Art was extremely# instrumental in making that happen.

STEPHANIE SY: For so many here, it's a step away# from a painful past toward a more hopeful future.

For the "PBS News Hour" I'm# Stephanie Sy in Seattle.