Page 364 - Total War on PTSD

The science of swimming is important, but I what I most want to tell Veterans with PTSD is what’s truly possible in the water that can’t be measured by studies, markers, or milestones. When I read the book Blue Mind by Wallace Nichols, a study of the emotional, behavioral, psychological and physical connections between humans and this simple, life-giving compound, it affirmed my intuitive sense that water was a place of peace and happiness. He studies swim therapy and the neuroscience behind water’s profound effects on the human race, and explains why our bodies and souls are naturally drawn to water. Nichols’ research fascinated me, because I could finally understand why humans possess deep emotional ties to being in water. The instinctual and emotional responses that people experience in aquatic environments can be directly linked to a calmer and more successful lifestyle. Nichols references the work of many scientists who have examined the brain’s connection to water, and this research leads to a greater psychological understanding of how the human mind and emotions are shaped by interaction with the most prevalent substance on Earth.
Dr. Nichols writes, “Indeed, as a spiritual element of the natural world, there seems to be something particular about water that permeates humanity’s consciousness.”(235). The unique positioning of swimming as a PTSD therapy that works on a physical and spiritual way, while having a profound healing effect on the brain, cannot be ignored or dismissed. Water has long been revered in all major world religions as a source of creative power, a giver and sustainer of life, and force of cleansing and purity. The thread woven throughout is clear. Water has the power to transform.
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/swimmers/ health_benefits_water_exercise.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321496.php
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070320073101.htm [2] https://www.disabledsportsusa.org/sport/swimming/
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