12 minute read
Ocean Therapy
CHASTENATION
Chasten Whitfi eld is a young earth shaker with an inspirational story. Chasten started fi shing competitively at age 14 and instinctively donated the money she won to children’s charities. At the time, Chasten volunteered for a fi shing camp, where she met somebody who inspired her to make a difference — Easton, a young boy with spina bifi da. Chasten helped Easton catch a fi sh from a pier, and the joy that it brought him pushed her to take a step further. She borrowed a friend’s boat that would fi t his wheelchair so he could feel the freedom of fi shing that she enjoys. She knew that day that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life; shortly after, Chasten partnered with Bluefi n Boats to build a specially adapted boat — and Chastenation was born.
Chasten says that the goal of Chastenation, which is a “nation” of partners that help her in her mission, is to build self-esteem in children with disabilities and to give them a day where they only need to think about fi ghting fi sh.
Chasten strongly believes that being on or near the ocean reduces stress and anxiety, increases a sense of well-being and happiness, lowers your heart and breathing rate, and “just makes you feel good.” It has been her go-to for relief since she was young. She says that she doesn’t have to be fi shing, and just being on the water is incredibly healing: “While my mom was going through breast cancer, on her bad days, she would do the same and go out on the water just to get out. She said it made her feel so much better.”
When it comes to the children that she helps, Chasten says that she hopes for equality and for the world to treat them the way that the fi sh do — with no discrimination.
To learn more about Chastenation, visit ChastenWhitfi eld.com.
Chasten Whitfi eld teaching a young boy how to fi sh
KEEP CALM AND PADDLE ON
Keep Calm and Paddle On (KCPO) was established in Canada in 2012 by Chad Guenter with this exact motto in mind. At fi rst, Chad was on a mission for personal happiness, but his altruistic nature inevitably made the mission much bigger than himself. KCPO raises money for mental health charities through sponsored long-distance paddles that aim to raise awareness and end the stigma associated with mental health issues. In the fi rst year, the impact was so great that the charity movement was extended to the Cayman Islands by Chad's dear friend, Jasmin “Yaz” Muratijic.
Since 2012, more and more people have joined Chad and Yaz across lakes and oceans and down rivers, anywhere that a body of water has given them the energy that they needed to talk openly about their personal struggles. Yaz believes that “water in general is a healer. There’s nothing else you can think about other than the task in front of you.” When I asked him what about water makes it healing, Yaz responded, “Just the sheer size of it. It demands respect and focus. It’s a living organism, and it changes from day to day — the currents, winds, swells. You can learn about it every day and never fully understand. It’s a form of meditation, and it doesn't matter if you spend one or 10 hours paddling, the natural high is unmistaken and very addictive — in its greatest form. It’s just you and the elements.”
KCPO wants people who may be suffering in silence to come out to paddle and talk about it, that depression is not a weakness, and that collectively we are stronger and can beat it together.
To join a paddle or support KCPO, visit kcpo.ky (Cayman Islands) or kcpo.ca (Canada).
FLEAHAB
FleaHab is a Sober Living Environment directed by professional big wave surfer and recovering addict, Darryl ‘Flea’ Verostko. Neurobiology says that addiction is a reward prioritization issue where the user becomes dependent on the dopamine reward derived from one source only — the drug of choice — and excludes other more natural possibilities.
Surfing and other activities in nature have the potential to change brain chemistry by providing alternative rewards to satisfy the brain’s desire for a neurochemical “rush.” Surfing replaces the high of drugs with the natural dopamine “high” produced by the intensity and novelty of riding the waves. It also helps the addict cope with any associated depression or anxiety by exposing them to other healing properties that the ocean provides — it gives us energy and demands focus and respect. Also, the ocean is constantly changing yet essentially staying the same, which entertains and inspires the mind.
FleaHab offers a different approach to sober living by focusing on a holistic mind, body and spirit interacting with positive intention while making surfing a daily priority.
Flea says that the ocean is the most important part of the residents’ recovery, in conjunction with following a 12-step program, and that keeping the water and beaches clean is everything.
To learn more about FleaHab, visit FleaHab.org.
Ocean Therapy for Veterans
A staggering 58% of people who are exposed to warfare are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, compared to between 3-6% of people in the civilian population. In 2019, 25% of U.S. veterans were reported to have a service-connected disability.
The following are ocean centric programs that focus specifically on life and ability after military service using blue space as therapy.
OPERATION SURF
Operation Surf channels the healing powers of the ocean to restore hope, renew purpose and revitalize community. It began 10 years ago when a wounded veteran wanted to surf again following a severe injury. Since then, Operation Surf has used these healing powers to help hundreds of injured veterans, activeduty military, military spouses and family from around the U.S. They do this through surf therapy and their online support platform. “The ocean is one of, if not the most, powerful things on our planet. It is a place where we are forced to remain in the present and focus on what we are doing.”
Veteran groups and instructors start their sessions “in the pit,” where they share experiences and personal solutions to tell stories, connect and find belonging before surfing to rinse it off. “The ocean is one of, if not the most, powerful things on our planet. It is a place where we are forced to remain in the present and focus on what we are doing,” says John Hallett, veteran services manager at Operation Surf. “When you are able to surrender to it and learn how to harness its power by simply riding a wave, you are forever changed. This is something that we have introduced to countless veterans throughout the years who had believed that they were no longer capable of doing such a thing. Giving people a new outlook on the future of their lives and what they are still able to accomplish despite their injuries has been our primary objective at Operation Surf. It gives people hope.”
Again, I wanted to know what it is about the ocean that is so healing. Hallett’s answer: “Dealing with severe PTSD and other challenges related to military service can result in your thoughts constantly racing and remaining in a state of hypervigilance. When I am in the ocean, I remain in the present, focused on the task at hand. It is a place that constantly humbles you and reminds you that you are not in control. It is a sense of surrender you have to accept, which ultimately brings peace. Even if I don’t get in the water, sit on the shore and listen to it, smell it and see it, I feel that peace.”
To learn more about Operation Surf, visit OperationSurf.org.
THE DIVE PIRATES FOUNDATION
For most people who participate in the sport, scuba diving provides an incredible feeling of bliss through weightlessness, a sense of freedom and quiet time. Now imagine the impact that this experience can have on somebody who suffers from a physical disability or the fatigue of PTSD. The Dive Pirates Foundation celebrates life after injury and the human spirit through adaptive scuba diving.
Founded by avid scuba divers Barbara Thompson, Sophie Wimberley and Janette Evans, teaching injured military personnel was supposed to be a one-time effort. However, the impact was so big that it quickly gained momentum, and the group is now celebrating its 17th year as The Dive Pirates Foundation. For the recipients of the Foundation, spending time underwater is “healing to the soul, very gratifying to not only have the sense of accomplishment of achieving open water diver status, but to enjoy it with friends and family.
“The weightlessness of the water frees many of our recipients from the constant pain and pressure they feel in a wheelchair.” And for those who live with PTSD, it “quiets the mind; under water, the world stops and they are at peace to enjoy the true beauty around them.” Not only has this organization bettered the lives of the recipients, it has also bettered the lives of those who run it, providing “inspiration, hope, compassion and humility in ways beyond words. The ocean brings us all together, and that camaraderie inspires us to live better lives and have hope for tomorrow.”
To learn more, visit DivePirates.org.
Mackie Davis from Dive Pirates
PROJECT HEALING WATERS FLY FISHING
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities. Since beginning in 2005, the nonprofit organization has grown to provide 230 programs operating in 48 states that are managed by volunteers who work in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, Department of Defense (DOD) military installations, Warrior Transition Units (WTU) and other institutions.
At the root of PHWFF is the belief that the sport of fly fishing holds many therapeutic benefits — encompassing the physical, mental and emotional. Fly fishing usually happens in beautiful places — places where nature can soothe and nurture and, most importantly, instill hope.
Todd Desgrosseilliers, president & CEO of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, explains, “I was referred to PHWFF by my doctor as a form of physical therapy for my traumatic brain injury. As a participant and volunteer, I recognized the remarkable physical and emotional transformation that the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Program initiated for me and for my fellow male and female participants, and I decided that I wanted to join its exceptional team after my medical retirement from the military in 2016.”
In addition to the natural methods of relaxation and restoration offered by fly-fishing, the sport also requires dexterity, keen handeye coordination and intense concentration — which is challenging for even able-bodied anglers, much less those adjusting and adapting to their new abilities. But through these challenges come opportunities to learn, adapt and evolve through this exciting sport and to do so in beautiful surroundings that offer a rehabilitative outlet outside the traditional physical therapy room. Flyfishing restores hope and offers many the chance to both physically and emotionally rehabilitate and recover.
When it comes to that mysterious healing power and our responsibility to nature, Desgrosseilliers says that
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
“for many, the healing power of nature is the best therapy. Clean, healthy marine environments are a key component of that healing power. By learning the sport of flyfishing, disabled veterans immerse themselves in environmental education and stewardship of oceans, rivers and streams. Their exposure to and involvement with conservation and educational work plays a key role in their development as anglers while simultaneously furthering their journey to recovery.”
“I joined Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing in 2015 as a participant. This program gave me a place to focus my negative energy through fishing activities and, of course, our time in the outdoors. The thing that helps me most of all is being around other veterans as we can all relate to one another. I can truly say this program has saved my life. It pulled me from dark places and gave me an outlet. It surrounded me with people who have battled those dark places and won. They supported me and helped me to where I am today. I am now a volunteer and mentor to others like me.” — U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
To learn more about Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing visit ProjectHealingWaters.org. What all of these inspirational groups have in common is that they recognize and utilize the ocean as a tool for supporting the healing of some of the most complex and fragile health challenges. Many of the representatives from these organizations, I noticed, also refer to the “ocean” — not as an object or element but as if it were a person, a confidant, a mentor, a friend. That speaks volumes in itself.
Humans have an intrinsic desire to be connected to something bigger than themselves. The ocean is intimidating, humbling, inspiring, thrilling, soothing and challenging. It is innate, and many people can’t describe exactly what it is that draws them in and captivates them.
There is a je ne sais quoi that energizes the largest body of water on the planet with these incredible healing properties, and it doesn’t matter what it does for you on the water — whether it’s the smell, the feeling, the color, the movement or the activities you enjoy on its surface.
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