Does surfing cure mental illness?
Not sure about a cure, but surfing is different from anything else out there. Playing amongst the waves may get certain neurons firing that haven’t been used in a while. I think I heard something about people with certain ailments getting therapeutic benefits from interacting with dolphins?
I have an autistic nephew who is at his happiest and calmest at the beach.it sure does me alot of good.
Endorphin(spelling?) rushes are said to help with depression.
I find I become mentally ill if I don’t surf for over a week. Not sure if that answers your question though S
Some of the most rewarding sessions of my life occurred in the presence of dolphins and whales. The excitement I feel when I’m around them can’t be explained. I’ve heard stories of dolphins swimming up to a woman and “drawing” circles with it’s snout pointed at the woman’s belly. The trainers recognized this as communication that the woman was pregnant and she didn’t even know it - of course, she found out later that she actually was! At therapy centers dealing with developmentally disabled kids, the dolphins seem to sense that the kids are special. Below is a link to one of several centers dealing with just that… http://www.pennekamp.com/dolphins-plus/therapy.htm
Not sure about a cure, but surfing is different from anything else out > there. Playing amongst the waves may get certain neurons firing that > haven’t been used in a while. I think I heard something about people with > certain ailments getting therapeutic benefits from interacting with > dolphins? Yes, sharing with one another is one of those first big steps… Our surfing subculture has traditionally provided a widely varied psychological geography for nearly all species of the mentally challenged to find a place of solace. And even though a surfer
s life is capable of providing abundant doses of both healing and torment, it
s reassuring to simply be accepted within the tribe as, well, sort of normal… especially when being tagged as a freak by the everyday world. Wave riding and all that it encompasses can be strong medicine or a potent fertilizer for those genetically or chemically sketchy souls looking for a groove in which to find personal camouflage and a prime directive, a way to focus upon an elemental force that is unimaginably greater than ones self, seeking a harmonious relationship with the mysterious powers of the sea. Ironically, one of the greatest challenges to surfing still comes from the same old direction that many of us originally ran to the water
s edge to escape: wannabe outsiders and sellout insiders who copy, sanitize and tweak the sights and sounds, the talk and walk of genuine surfing, then re-package and market it all back to us in ways that make a guy stop and wonder whats been missing... I
m more interested in the rules of the ocean than the ones that govern surf contests, far more concerned with consuming waves than whatever the the medias latest flavor might be, and way more passionate about the thoughtful, hard work of personal discovery and creation, rather than the mindless cycle of endlessly buying and discarding. And yes, ajl, I
m not ashamed to admit that I totally recommend Swaylocks.com to all my dolphin friends here at Ocean Sloughs Memorial Clinic. Hey, it`s working!
it sure cures my day to day ailements mental.emotional or physical. what i find interesting is those outsiders and everyday “responsible” working stiffs that tell me that surfing is itself an illness or a disease. If so,then I’ve got problems.However, I feel it is they who have the problem and certainly a great misunderstanding of what surfing is and does for people. And really,it has more to do with the healing forces of the ocean than the act of surfing.I feel when the time comes I can’t surf, I hope to be able to at least crawl into the ocean everyday for my spiritual healing.