Surf Therapy for Combat Veterans: A Conversation with VA Psychiatrist, Dr. John Straznickas

The emotional world and the ocean realm share many parallels. San Francisco VA Psychiatrist Dr. John Straznickas, cofounder of the Veterans Surf Alliance, takes small groups of combat veterans out to ride the waves on his own time. It marks an outside-the-box and humanistic approach to treatment. Many of these vets suffer from PTS — sans D as post-traumatic stress occurs on a spectrum and the symptoms are considered a normal response to abnormal circumstances.  Struggling at times with reintegration into civilian life, many of these veterans have gone from badass warriors to finding a visit to the supermarket overwhelming, and the repercussions in their personal lives can be devastating.  Advice for veterans coping with PTS symptoms translates well into surf metaphors:  "Don’t sweat the seaweed, read the wave, the ocean is big, if you get caught in a rip current just float, avoid conflict, swim away." Many of these veterans find peace, serenity, ocean wisdom and a sense of being a part of the Surf and Ocean community, including nature’s magnificent sea creatures: pods of dolphins, breaching whales, swooping pelicans, and curious seals swimming around them. The goal is to get these soldiers out on the water into the sights, sounds, feel, and smell of the ocean to ‘promote stokage’ for life.  Join us for a conversation between Paul and Doc Straz about how surfing and the entire Zeitgeist of the activity has a remarkable impact on combat veterans, while also helping to recharge the healthcare workers who can face burnout carrying the ‘limbic load’ of so much trauma.