Veteran uses surf to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder

"I felt like I had no control over myself, and I was afraid of myself," Andrew said.

Because of that, he went sought professional help. However, it was only when he went surfing that he began to heal and feel more alive.

"I had my ass handed to me that day, but it was the first time I felt alive again. I could go out there and just turn off the world”, the founder recalled.

After that, the veteran moved to Folly Beach and started giving surf lessons. That led him to meet other veterans and have the idea for his nonprofit organisation: Warrior Surf.
Warrior Surf provides free surf camps for veterans and their families, with therapy sessions on the beach.

“The program’s wellness philosophy follows a positive psychology model. In accordance with that model, the following goals are identified to:

- Enhance emotional engagement through participation in enjoyable, rewarding, and challenging activities such as surfing, paddle boarding, and yoga;
- Provide opportunities for accomplishment and mastery of new skills through adaptive sports and alternative ways of thinking;
- Facilitate an increased sense of belonging and connection with others through group surf clinics and peer mentoring;
- Improve emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills through the practice of mindfulness inherent in surfing and yoga”, says on the official website.

Over 400 veterans have benefitted from this program.

Adapted from: https://cnn.it/33BuoWv

More info: https://www.warriorsurf.org/