Recreation therapy on Lake Michigan

Battle Creek VA’s recreation therapy service has partnered with West Michigan Sail for its third season of therapeutic sailing activities on Lake Michigan.

The goal of the aquatic adventure is to help provide Veterans experiencing the effects of PTSD, anxiety and depression a reprieve, as well as finding new ways to enjoy life with new activities.

“Introducing Veterans to leisurely activities is important because a lot of them that come through our program aren’t engaged in leisure and are very isolative, so a big thing we work on is expanding their engagement and creating a better quality of life,” said Heather Fleming, PTSD recreation therapist. “With West Michigan Sail, they are able to engage with sailing for free, and we help make it something accessible and to be able to bring back home with them even after they’ve been discharged.”

Calmly accepting one’s feelings

Research dating back to 2019—led by Dr. William Marchand, a Salt Lake City VA psychiatrist—began with 25 Veterans with mental health conditions or substance use disorder. It shows a positive affect with patients. The act of being engaged in sailing is a practice of mindfulness which involves focusing on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations.

People with PTSD can have several distressing and persistent symptoms, including re-experiencing trauma through flashbacks or nightmares and emotional numbness. They can also have sleep problems, difficulties in relationships, sudden anger, and drug and alcohol misuse.

“One thing I’ve noticed with the last few trips that we’ve done is that Veterans always talk about how calm they are after they get off the water and how they could spend all day out there because it’s decompressing and relaxing,” Fleming said.

For Army Veteran Brandon Akerman, the effect was felt very quickly and clearly.

“It’s a nice opportunity to relax your brain and decrease the stress because our lives are so busy. We’ve been trying to compensate for whatever’s going on that this lets us relax and remember that there’s other things out there to do and enjoy life with and take a break,” Akerman said.

The event that Akerman was part of involved a diverse group of five other Veterans. During their time on the 30 ft. sailboat, they were given hands-on training with line-handling, nautical terminology and were each given an opportunity to take the helm to steer the boat.

For many Veterans, getting together outside of a clinical environment as a group also offers a chance for conversation and comradery with others with similar experiences. This can also lend to recovery efforts that recreation therapy aims to deliver.

Recreational therapy is part of VA’s broad rehabilitation program, offering Veterans an opportunity to learn adaptive sports and recreational activities. Programs like this can also include surfing, adaptive fitness, kayaking, cycling, yoga and meditation, in addition to sailing.