Neue Water
Photography by Tom Preston
Words by Tom Donaldson
What would you think if your doctor told you that there was a treatment, a therapy, that lifts the symptoms of otherwise treatment resistant depression? That it reduces angst and increases calmness, confidence and communication? That this therapy has encouraged an individual with mutism to speak and that all of these effects described were sustained and significant? If your eyebrows have room to rise any further, consider this: the therapy, in given circumstances, is also free. A gift of the world. Just you, some companions, the ocean and a surfboard.
Surf therapy entered my life as an accident…or maybe it was there all along. I had a pretty blissful childhood. I grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in a house overlooking Bilgowla beach, a small rocky semi-hidden wedge of sand between Newport and Avalon. I was introduced to all the usual sports at the time, playing rugby union in winter, cricket in summer. But the waves I could see from my balcony and the distinct attitude of the local surfers captured my imagination. Adventure (what’s around the next headland?), bravado (who got the biggest wave today?), camaraderie (I saw that one!), status (sun-kissed hair, tanned, athletic and skilled), sheer bloody beauty (have you seen Australia’s coastline?). I didn’t stand a chance, but there was more to it than what was seen at surface level. And now, it seems, the rest of the UK and the medical community is noticing it as well.
The Wave Project is a UK charity that harnesses the power of social connection and the ocean to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable children between the ages of 8 and 18. It’s founder, Joe Taylor, admits to stumbling on the magic formula at the start, when it was an NHS-funded pilot project on the sands of Watergate Bay in Cornwall, back in 2010. Take a group of committed volunteers, mix them in 1:1 ratios with the young participants, add a surfboard and some waves, and watch for the results over the ensuing 6 weeks. The results were astounding: self-evaluation revealed that wellbeing rose across the group, calmness and feelings of self-efficacy rose, individuals felt more connected to each other and more socially confident, self-esteem and happiness had lifted. And the individual with selective mutism? He was on this pilot course, likely unaware at how his journey was a driving influence in Joe leading the Wave Project to continued growth into 2022. Today, the Wave Project is all over the UK with locations from Cornwall to Portrush in Northern Ireland, London (SUPs) to Bristol (Wave Pool), Scotland to the Isle of Wight. It was a founding member of the International Surf Therapy Organisation (ISTO), a body that includes member organisations from around the world that advocate for surf therapy as a physical and mental health intervention. ISTO nations include the Philippines, Spain, Netherlands, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Peru. Surf therapy is swelling worldwide.
As a geography high school teacher, I was looking forward to finally putting over 20 years of surfing commitment, bordering on the slavish, to the side. I was going to teach in the mean schools of London and finally kick this saltwater habit. But then someone ate a bat in China and all the schools in England shut before I could find a role. My Aunt in Poole opened her door and said I could stay as long as I needed. We had those groundhog days of warmth and sunshine in that first lockdown…and how could I go back up to London? The Dorset beaches on the doorstep, the Purbeck Hills over the way, the New Forest down the road. And so, surfing has a way of coming back into your life. My job alerts pinged one day but this wasn’t for a geography role. “The Wave Project – Dorset Project Coordinator”: in this role, you will be delivering surf therapy to young people between 8 and 18 years old (amongst other tasks). A permanent job: tick. Young people: tick. Surfing: TICK. But…therapy? Maybe my compulsion to surf over all these years hadn’t just been a hedonistic pursuit, a hand on my tiller that always took me back to the coast. Why do I love it so? What is it that makes parents say to me and our volunteers, “He is a different boy when he walks off the beach with you. The smile doesn’t leave his face”? A review of the academic literature was enlightening, to say the least.
Before you get a chance to dip your toe in the water or hear the lapping of the waves, your first impression of the sea is likely to be a view. Much like gazing into a campfire, the ocean’s waving, wobbling and rippling does a fine job at holding our attention. It’s almost…hypnotic, no? There’s some interesting research about why this is and why we feel better for having had the experience.
“Attentional Restoration Theory” (stay with me) suggests that the never-ending sights and sounds of urban environments (billboards, horns, jackhammers, cars, the madding crowds) force you to use your limited attention/energy to ignore this stimulus…eventually leading to mental fatigue. This barrage of attractions creates “hard fascination”.
Instead of hard fascination, natural environments can produce “soft fascination”, where the scene might capture your attention and bring on feelings of pleasure (the more picturesque, the better).
Importantly, the environment should promote a feeling of “being away” from the space where you feel stressed or energy-demanded; the “extent” (or size and vastness) of the environment, and a sense of connectedness with that environment (e.g. through interaction), will help to encourage these feelings.
Most interestingly, when an element of dynamism is included in the scene – say, the ever-changing sea surface – preference for that environment is significantly increased. As a result, your mental fuel (attention) is restored, or never exhausted in the first place.
Or consider immersion in this environment. What is it about cold water swimming (or surfing) that makes it so beneficial for our mental health, as anecdotes and research are increasingly recognising?
Scientists believe there could be a few mechanisms at play. Firstly, a sudden change to your immediate environment – dry and warm to wet and cold – is a shock, and potential danger, to your body. Accordingly, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode and releases a cascade of stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol) to deal with this. Importantly, your body also does this whenever it is faced with ANY stress - work, relationships, etc. Too much stress and cortisol over time is, of course, terrible for our well-being. This is where the “body-hack” comes in – by regularly jumping in cold water, your body adapts to the cold and by association, the stress response as well. Over time, your body is not responding as strongly to ANY stressors, not just cold water.
Secondly, when you immerse your face in cool water, the vagus nerve is stimulated (the vagus nerve is a nerve that runs from the brain to the heart, lungs and abdomen). Among other beneficial effects, vagus nerve stimulation also leads to a strong anti-inflammatory response…inflammation and its triggers being significantly associated with depression and poor wellbeing.
And then there are the studies on “flow”. When do we feel happy, a true sense of well-being in the moment? The influential studies of psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi suggest that the “flow state”, as he coined it, is when people are most creative, productive and happy. Interviewing musicians, artists and athletes, he wanted to discover the drivers of happiness and performance. His findings have since been observed across the vast range of human experience, from classrooms to climbing walls, surgery to the surf.
The flow state is when you experience a state of complete absorption, effortless concentration and full engagement in an activity. When this focus is particularly intense, the experience has been characterised as ecstasy, with total clarity on what you want to do from moment to moment. Sensations like timelessness, personal control over the situation and outcome, serenity and loss of self-consciousness are all features of pronounced flow states - how welcome such feelings must be for some of our vulnerable young surfers.
And it’s not just the mental state that is altered – a 2010 study on classical pianists revealed that musicians in a flow state showed deepened breathing and slower heart rates. Over time, regular attainment of flow state is associated with greater well-being, life satisfaction, better emotional regulation and general happiness.
So how can we reach it? All importantly, engage in meaningful activities that are challenging but perceived as achievable. Remove distractions and set a goal. Interestingly, the feelings are amplified when the activity is undertaken in a group…
Finally, it could be as simple as ABC: Activity, Belonging and Commitment drive better mental health.
Research has credited a lifestyle with plenty of activities outside work as fostering positive emotions and protecting our brains from decline. An active mind and body, particularly in the company of others, can be naturally rewarding and a healthy alternative to worrying, overthinking or engaging in substance use.
Studies have also has shown that our relationships with one another are fundamental to mental health in terms of providing a sense of identity, acting as a source of support, and being an important coping resource for dealing with pain, stress and difficult life events.
A sense of meaning and purpose is vital to our well-being and has been shown to help extend our lives and maintain a healthy brain. Committing to a hobby, a challenge, a good cause or helping others can all boost feelings of self-worth an protect against feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
And of particular relevance to our volunteers, social participation and contributing to the community can preserve brain function, promote thoughts of “making a difference” and reduce feelings which aren’t helpful for well-being, such as self-centredness.
Recent studies that followed a sample of adults in Ireland, observing whether they engaged in social and recreational activities, whether they stayed in touch with family and friends, and how frequently they engaged in activities (i.e. commitment), showed that higher levels of all three measures enhance quality of life, life satisfaction, and self-rated mental health, protect people against developing depression, anxiety and brain function decline, and lower the risk of people becoming dependent on alcohol.
At a time when the total number of antidepressant prescriptions drugs dispensed during 2020 had increased by four million items since 2019, costing NHS England £139 million more than in the previous year; and when the rates of adolescent mental illness increased from 1 in 9 in 2017 to 1 in 6 in 2021, it is evident that more efficient and effective interventions are needed to support the wellbeing of young people (and everyone). For those with the access to the coast – and increasingly those who don’t, thanks to Wave Pools - surf therapy is a step in that direction.
