Fly Fishing: Therapeutic Benefits Of Casting For Recovery

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Coupled with the sounds of the flowing river water along with the pristine natural environment that helps the mind escape, fly fishing holds many more benefits to the angler than just providing an evening meal by a camp fire. Many are turning to fly fishing as a hobby to combat the day to day stresses of the faster paced lives we now lead and the more advanced illnesses we now face. While some would argue the benefits of more advanced medicines to help ward off symptoms of both physical and mental illnesses, the therapeutic benefits of fly fishing are now being studied. Doctors, surgeons and health advisers all recognize the medicinal and psychological benefit to be gained by fishing. Fly fishing has been noted for its benefits of providing …show more content…

Support groups confined to a corner office or church sanctuary can be more depressing to a cancer patient that is still battling the illness. While hearing others tell their triumphs and defeats can help motivate someone to fight harder, taking the group atmosphere out to a river and couple it with fly fishing created an organization that is showing significant results. The concept of Casting for Recovery is unique. On a physical level, the gentle, rhythmic motion of fly casting is similar to exercises often prescribed after surgery or radiation to promote soft tissue stretching. On an emotional level, women are given the opportunity to experience a new activity in a safe environment amongst a supportive group of peers. The retreats provide resources to help address quality of life issues after a breast cancer diagnosis, and a new outlet – fly fishing – as a reprieve from the everyday stresses and challenges of their cancer (Perkins Bogart and Walton 2013). Casting for Recovery has been in existence since 1996 and …show more content…

And clinicians are taking serious notice (Copyright ©2014, EHC Enterprises, LLC). A debilitating condition, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), afflicts an estimated 7.7 million American adults, according to the National Institutes of Health. Amid this population are those who acquired the disorder in combat. PTSD is characterized by symptoms resulting from traumatic event experience. These symptoms include recurring and distressing memories of trauma, hyper arousal, and avoidance of stimuli that trigger traumatic memories (Leis Sci 2003). Due in part to this clustering of symptoms, PTSD has high comorbidities with anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, and sleep disturbances. Consequently, those with PTSD have been known to engage in avoidant coping strategies, such as alcohol and drug abuse, to ameliorate the symptomatology associated with the condition (NIH Medline Plus 2009; 4(1): 10–4). Participating in fly fishing has shown results for people battling PTSD including reduced outburst, better sleep habits and also less social withdrawal. The benefits of better quality of sleep assist in healing other parts of PTSD, these findings were from a study using two day three night trips. Attentiveness and positive mood states, coupled with significant and sustained reductions in negative mood states, anxiety,

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