A foundation formed in 2015 continues to help veterans in a rather unconventional way – on surfboards.
The Foundation
The Warrior Surf Foundation (WSF), a nonprofit organization formed in South Carolina, assists veterans fighting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression by providing opportunities to hit the open water in a fun, exciting way. The foundation offers a free 12-week program that also includes yoga and wellness therapy.
“Jarbo,” a U.S. Army veteran, told WPRI.com in Rhode Island that he felt lost and isolated after leaving the military in 2008. The foundation helped him reconnect to activities he enjoyed.
“The Warrior Surf Foundation really kind of helped me transition back into the real life of what joy and happiness and love and all the things that are supposed to be good about this life that we have,” he said.
Along with fulfilling mental and physical needs, WSF brings together veterans dealing with the same struggles, providing a platform to commiserate together.
For Jarbo, it’s an opportunity to clear his mind and escape from stress. He said WSF has really helped with his transition from active duty to civilian.
“When you have a veteran that has barely come out of their house or they’re just not comfortable coming out, and you get them in the waves, you can legit see something in their eyes change,” Jarbo said.
The three-month-long program gives veterans a space free of distractions with the soothing sounds of waves crashing along the beach. It helps shift their minds to think more positively.
For Jarbo, surfing offers therapeutic healing.
“It’s literally just you, the nature around you, and the boards underneath your legs and the waves that you’re trying to catch,” Jarbo said.
Surfing Builds Confidence
Throughout the past decade, the foundation has grown, attracting more veterans to pick up surfboards.
WSF was founded by veterans who liked to surf in the small town of Folly Beach, South Carolina.
And veterans don’t have to be surfing pros to take part in the program. WSF provides group and individualized sessions to learn the basics of surfing. For veterans dealing with low self-esteem after leaving the service, learning a new skill and conquering a high wave can be a huge confidence-booster.
If they can tackle the challenge of a vast, unpredictable ocean, what’s stopping them from meeting the stressors of everyday life?
Physically, according to the National Library of Health Medicine, surfing can increase balance and improve stamina.
Serving Veterans
“We adapt to serve the veteran,” Stephanie Dasher, Warrior Surf Foundation executive director, told VA News. “We use a mixture of evolutionary psychology, positive psychology, and resiliency techniques to help people overcome PTSD and anxiety. We really want to equip them with the skills to positively deal with their experiences from their military service.”
The foundation also fosters a level of camaraderie many veterans crave after leaving the military. Along with curtailing stress, the program gives veterans self-awareness and mindfulness. Through wellness coaching and WSF events, veterans realize they are not alone in their mental health journeys and can form bonds that last years after the program ends.
For the past several years, as the VA has embraced its Whole Health Program, initiatives to build more evidence-based therapy programs like yoga have increased. According to VA News, “Yoga itself has been recommended by the VA as a first line treatment for acute and chronic lower back pains.”
Benefits Beyond Surfing
Dasher said the surfing program requires veterans to attend wellness coaching sessions as well.
“These sessions, accompanied by yoga exercises, help form a complete routine,” Dasher said. “Each section of the program mirrors the other, for example, you may fail at something during surf training and get frustrated, but you can fall back on your wellness and yoga exercises and learn to come back from that failure and frustration.”
In Charleston, South Carolina, the foundation has helped several hundred local veterans from the Ralph H. Johnson Health Care System’s Whole Health Program as an alternative to other forms of therapy.
“We freely encourage those who have graduated from our course to become a part of our community and pay it forward to other veterans who may still need help,” Dasher said. “Once you graduate, you’re obviously not just kicked to the curb. We love to have Veterans who keep participating with us. We love to see alumni vets at our Urban Surf and yoga classes. Becoming a peer mentor is also an option if someone would like to help other Veterans who could be going through the same issues they did.”
For the foundation to keep humming, it relies on the generosity of volunteers and donors. Besides monetary, the program offers opportunities to donate time, resources, and teaching skills.
“Our exercises are mental as well as physical,” Dasher said. “We help (veterans) get into a space where they can be alone in their thoughts, which for a lot of veterans can be difficult. Maintaining this calm is a skill, and with it brings a sort of presence and mindfulness that can have a positive impact on anyone’s daily life.”
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