You got yourself a good topic here. I don’t see why fly fishing can’t help those with PTSD. Fly fishing is ethereal, calming. And where you fish takes your mind away. It can help anyone not just those with war damage
Fly fishing and mindfulness
At the risk of sounding like a hippy, I'm just going to plunge into this...
I see a specialist at the VA to help me cope with long term effects from a blast injury/head injury from combat. One of the best techniques/aids I have found over the years is mindfulness meditation.
We were discussing the different ways mindfulness can be practiced other than just sitting down to meditate: mindfulness walking, mindfulness eating, etc...
For those unfamiliar, it's basic premise involves hyper focusing on a single task such as the movement of your breath in order to clear your mind of all other clutter and thoughts. This allows the mind to focus on the current moment in time. It brings your mind into the present and allows it to actually relax and heal itself.
I am new to fly fishing and just starting to learn to cast. It dawned on me today that I may be able to achieve similar effect of clearing my mind by focusing on technique and movement of casting.
I did a quick Google search and found several articles discussing similarities and connection between fly fishing and meditation. I'm sure many in this forum love fly fishing for all sorts of different reasons.
Any of you avid fly folks find any relation to this? Is it "hippy" nonsense? Or do some of you actually feel a palpable change in mood just from casting? Part of me thinks there is potential here, but also wonders if the frustration of learning a new complicated technique might run counter intuitive to the relaxing effect.
I see a specialist at the VA to help me cope with long term effects from a blast injury/head injury from combat. One of the best techniques/aids I have found over the years is mindfulness meditation.
We were discussing the different ways mindfulness can be practiced other than just sitting down to meditate: mindfulness walking, mindfulness eating, etc...
For those unfamiliar, it's basic premise involves hyper focusing on a single task such as the movement of your breath in order to clear your mind of all other clutter and thoughts. This allows the mind to focus on the current moment in time. It brings your mind into the present and allows it to actually relax and heal itself.
I am new to fly fishing and just starting to learn to cast. It dawned on me today that I may be able to achieve similar effect of clearing my mind by focusing on technique and movement of casting.
I did a quick Google search and found several articles discussing similarities and connection between fly fishing and meditation. I'm sure many in this forum love fly fishing for all sorts of different reasons.
Any of you avid fly folks find any relation to this? Is it "hippy" nonsense? Or do some of you actually feel a palpable change in mood just from casting? Part of me thinks there is potential here, but also wonders if the frustration of learning a new complicated technique might run counter intuitive to the relaxing effect.
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If you want guaranteed mindfulness while fly fishing, try Spey fishing. You rarely catch fish, you're usually surrounded by some amazing scenery, and you have the sounds of the river rushing around you. Sometimes I almost fall asleep!
I like that. I think fishing in general hones in your focus and lets you “disconnect”. The technical aspect of fly fishing would take that even further into a deeper state of concentration. Maybe we can get is classified as “therapy” so insurance helps with the expenses haha! Not trying to make fun here I really do believe fishing is a form of therapy. You are definitely on to something👍
I love catching fish. Early days of the Pandemic I was in 10k. Islands and EC 3-4 days a week fishing. Wife was furloughed and we both found ourselves without jobs. I sold the skiff and we packed up our lives and moved north to Tampa area. By the time I got my life together again and painfully waited a year and half for my Evo to be built, I had been off the water for almost 3 years. I didn't really miss the fish. I missed being out there. That's one of the things that moved me towards fly fishing. My friends kept telling me it enhances their experience on the water and interacting with nature and the fish. I was craving more of that.If you want guaranteed mindfulness while fly fishing, try Spey fishing. You rarely catch fish, you're usually surrounded by some amazing scenery, and you have the sounds of the river rushing around you. Sometimes I almost fall asleep!
Amishi Jha helped pioneer that mindfulness training for the military. She talks about it in her book Peak Mind. It's a bit of a tough read if you aren't big into research but the mindfulness exercises are very useful and have become part of my morning routine. She also did a podcast on the Joe Rogan Experience that gives you the cliffnotes.At the risk of sounding like a hippy, I'm just going to plunge into this...
I see a specialist at the VA to help me cope with long term effects from a blast injury/head injury from combat. One of the best techniques/aids I have found over the years is mindfulness meditation.
We were discussing the different ways mindfulness can be practiced other than just sitting down to meditate: mindfulness walking, mindfulness eating, etc...
For those unfamiliar, it's basic premise involves hyper focusing on a single task such as the movement of your breath in order to clear your mind of all other clutter and thoughts. This allows the mind to focus on the current moment in time. It brings your mind into the present and allows it to actually relax and heal itself.
I am new to fly fishing and just starting to learn to cast. It dawned on me today that I may be able to achieve similar effect of clearing my mind by focusing on technique and movement of casting.
I did a quick Google search and found several articles discussing similarities and connection between fly fishing and meditation. I'm sure many in this forum love fly fishing for all sorts of different reasons.
Any of you avid fly folks find any relation to this? Is it "hippy" nonsense? Or do some of you actually feel a palpable change in mood just from casting? Part of me thinks there is potential here, but also wonders if the frustration of learning a new complicated technique might run counter intuitive to the relaxing effect.
Mindfulness training is all about understanding when your attention leaves what you should be focused on, then being able to shift your attention back from distractions to the important things. I figure if being better with it helps me be more attentive throughout days with customers it would be 100% worth the cost and time reading the book. Using the ideas and techniques in mindfulness training for your job and/or hobbies will definitely help you improve what your working towards. Whether it be a fly cast, finding fish, tying knots, or just enjoying your day.
Ok so to preface I’m a Vet with PTSD. Deal with it everyday. Fly fishing is a great way to focus your mind on your cast, The surroundings the wilderness the sounds, the seclusion and that helps a lot. Especially when things are dialed rods are prepped and the fish are biting. But honestly sometimes fly fishing can become frustrating. Some days there’s a lot of retying, something breaks, you miss casts to fish you could have easily reached with spin gear. But that’s part of the challenge. But with PTSD those little inconveniences can ruin your whole day if you let it.. I have to be “in the mood” to fly fish.. there’s some people out there that would rather die then fish anything but fly gear but I think whatever gets you out there in the wild and experiencing nature is a win.
I think there is definitely a change in mood just from casting. I had a retention pond behind my house in a new community and knew the only fish in there were put there by me(caught from other ponds around the area), especially at first. Just being able to walk out to the backyard and knowingly casting at nothing was a great relaxation and I would absolutely classify it as therapy. There is nothing that feels as good as a good fly cast.
Small world. You just convinced me to buy the Tibor a few weeks back 😂. We have talked twice about getting together for casting help and you keep telling me to call the shop and set it up. After reading your post, you might be just the right person to help me progress further into this hobby.Amishi Jha helped pioneer that mindfulness training for the military. She talks about it in her book Peak Mind. It's a bit of a tough read if you aren't big into research but the mindfulness exercises are very useful and have become part of my morning routine. She also did a podcast on the Joe Rogan Experience that gives you the cliffnotes.
Mindfulness training is all about understanding when your attention leaves what you should be focused on, then being able to shift your attention back from distractions to the important things. I figure if being better with it helps me be more attentive throughout days with customers it would be 100% worth the cost and time reading the book. Using the ideas and techniques in mindfulness training for your job and/or hobbies will definitely help you improve what your working towards. Whether it be a fly cast, finding fish, tying knots, or just enjoying your day.
I have been using mindfulness now for a little over 10 years. Never really thought until now to apply it to fishing, but as you stated you can apply it to almost anything to focus on being in the moment.
@TarponBum I was thinking the same thing. I think initially I'd start small, such as instead of sitting down to meditate for 15 minutes, try transferring that to a short walk to the pond by my house and just practice casting and enjoy the casting for 15 min.
I know all too well how quick it can get frustrating. I still remember awkwardly trying to cast a fly rod solo from skiff for the first time with Tarpon all around me and tangling my line on EVERYTHING
I know all too well how quick it can get frustrating. I still remember awkwardly trying to cast a fly rod solo from skiff for the first time with Tarpon all around me and tangling my line on EVERYTHING
Well that won’t be the last time your tangled on everything and I’m not sure it’s more or less frustrating now 25 years later.@TarponBum I was thinking the same thing. I think initially I'd start small, such as instead of sitting down to meditate for 15 minutes, try transferring that to a short walk to the pond by my house and just practice casting and enjoy the casting for 15 min.
I know all too well how quick it can get frustrating. I still remember awkwardly trying to cast a fly rod solo from skiff for the first time with Tarpon all around me and tangling my line on EVERYTHING
I got the same thing from golf. Now mind you, I’m not an avid player by any stretch of the imagination and haven’t swung a club in over 5 years. But when I had my shop and was stressed out over typical day to day BS, I found golfing cleared my mind. It was something that required my full attention or I’d perform extremely poorly. These days my stress levels aren’t anywhere near those days, but there is definitely something therapeutic with fly fishing. However I do find, the more I focus on my casting and the more I think about it, the worse I do..😂😂
You certainly aren’t mistaken about the mindfulness effect of fly fishing and being out on the water. I’ve been in recovery from booze for over six years. I have a very busy mind, often impulsive in nature, look at my damn reel classifieds post….lol. Fly fishing has become one of few outlets that truly shuts my brain down and allows me to focus on one singular thing and just quiets the noise. I will say though that I have to be void of other major conflicts or disturbances in my life when I do fish though otherwise it becomes very difficult for me to find that calm spot where the rest of life melts away while I’m on the water. However, the tools I have from recovery allow me to have a life of less conflict and disturbances than before. I fished artificial on light spinning tackle prior to getting clean but fell in love with fly fishing about 1-2 years into my sobriety. The nature of my mind channeled a lot of that obsessive and impulsive nature into fly fishing - definitely some unhealthy spending that I’ve since identified and remedied - but the action of fly fishing itself became one of my most healthy outlets. Hope this helps.
Agree, check out PHW, great organization and lots of fellow vets attend that are dealing with PTSD.
I appreciate those of you that shared personal experiences and how fly fishing or fishing in general has helped. It feels better hearing it from real people on this forum vs. an article on the internet.
I might try reaching out to project healing waters again. I tried a few years ago and did not receive any responses for the point of contacts I found.
I might try reaching out to project healing waters again. I tried a few years ago and did not receive any responses for the point of contacts I found.
Having fished with veterans from groups like Healing Waters, I can tell you that a day out on the water is the perfect medicine. The concentration necessary for casting and fishing really helps relax the guys/gals. I’ve had soldiers with PTSD and TBI tell me at the end of the day that they never thought that they could do it and were grateful to discover fly fishing and fishing in general.
What Is a Flow State and What Are Its Benefits?
You may have experienced a flow state before — that sense of fluidity between your body and mind, where you are totally absorbed by and deeply focused on something, beyond the point of distraction.
The more you focus on a fundamentally sound casting stroke and get the basics on up to more advanced techniques and worry last about a fish. The more you will like fly fishing. It can’t be about the success (fish) or it can drive a person nuts imo.
Good lessons up front and fewer bad habits will pay huge dividends for you if you stick with the long rod.
Good lessons up front and fewer bad habits will pay huge dividends for you if you stick with the long rod.
Some may not want to admit it... but there's a little bit of "hippy" in most of fly fishers. Thank you for your service. Great post and good discussion.
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