There are a number of non-profits and military organizations that swear by sailing as an effective therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Much of the focus has been on helping combat veterans overcome the psychological scars of war.
Now we read about, or see video of, the thousands of families affected by flooding, wildfires, and regional conflicts around the world. Affected youngsters see their entire lives—and/or the lives of relatives and friends—upended, sometimes in just a few hours. So what do healthcare professionals say about “sailing therapy” as a psychological healing strategy when disaster strikes? Here’s an article abstract we found on the American Psychological Association website (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-45164-001):
Citation
Zabag, R., Deri, O., Gilboa-Schechtman, E., Richter-Levin, G., & Levy-Gigi, E. (2020). Cognitive flexibility in PTSD individuals following nature adventure intervention: Is it really that good? Stress: The International Journal on the Biology of Stress, 23(1), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2019.1645113
Abstract
Previous studies have found that PTSD is associated with hippocampal-related impairment in cognitive flexibility. However, little is known about this impairment following nature adventure interventions. The current ex post facto study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive flexibility, sailing-based intervention and PTSD symptoms. Thirty-nine individuals with PTSD diagnosis (17 who engaged in sailing and 22 who did not engage in sailing) and 38 healthy control (18 who engaged in sailing and 20 who did not engage in sailing) completed a performance-based reversal learning paradigm to assess cognitive flexibility and were evaluated for PTSD, depressive and anxiety symptoms. The results revealed significantly lower levels of PTSD and trait anxiety symptoms in the PTSD-sailing group, compared to the PTSD-no-sailing group [emphasis ours]. In addition, both PTSD groups showed selective, though different, impairments in reversal learning. Specifically, PTSD-no-sailing individuals showed a selective impairment in reversing the outcome of a negative stimulus- they struggled to learn that a previously negative stimulus was later associated with a positive outcome. PTSD-sailing individuals, on the other hand, displayed a selective impairment in reversing the outcome of a positive stimulus- they had difficulty learning that a previously positive stimulus was later associated with a negative outcome. The results may suggest that although individuals who participated in a sailing-based intervention had lower clinical symptoms, their hippocampal related cognitive flexibility was not improved, and the impairment exists in a different domain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
Copyright
Holder: Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Year: 2019
So there it is. Sailing is not just incredibly fun and educational, it’s also calming, centering, and life-propelling.