{"id":7184,"date":"2025-08-01T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7184"},"modified":"2025-08-01T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T14:30:00","slug":"veterans-find-healing-waters-through-fly-fishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7184","title":{"rendered":"Veterans find healing waters through fly fishing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-08-01T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Being in rhythm with nature is often a life-changing experience for Veterans healing from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n

VA Salisbury Health Care<\/a> has partnered with Project Healing Waters (PHW) Fly Fishing<\/a>, a national nonprofit, to give Veterans a no-cost way to connect with nature and each other through fly fishing. Veterans take part in classes, local and regional trips, and hands-on activities like fly-tying and rod-building.<\/p>\n

Navy Veteran Rickie Woodson, 74, knows the healing power of this connection. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to talk about what took place, but we can still relate and give each other support,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s changed my life with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nature, camaraderie and community healing<\/h2>\n

The Whole Health team at VA Salisbury supports these efforts by partnering with PHW to offer classes and events in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, such as weekly fly-tying sessions and seasonal outings.<\/p>\n

Dr. Christina Vair, VA Salisbury clinical director of Whole Health, notes that research confirms the health benefits of community and nature-based activities. \u201cThis idea of community represents that outer ring of the Whole Health<\/a> circle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Army Veteran James Smith, who served in Vietnam, has participated for over 15 years. \u201cBefore joining the group, I stayed home a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cThe friendships and camaraderie have been priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Winston-Salem PHW chapter now includes about 40 Veterans and 30 volunteers, with hopes to grow.<\/p>\n

Air Force Veteran B.J. Farmer, who helped connect PHW with VA, sees it as a natural extension of care. \u201cSometimes with PTSD, [Veterans] need a way to escape. Nature calms you down, and the camaraderie helps in ways therapy alone can\u2019t,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Many VA medical centers nationwide now collaborate with PHW and other community organizations to support Veterans\u2019 mental health through recreational therapies<\/a>. Contact your local VA<\/a> to explore Whole Health opportunities near you.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veterans build friendships and camaraderie through recreational activities like fishing to help cope with Mental Health and find support and well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\nVeterans find healing waters through fly fishing - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Veterans build friendships and camaraderie through recreational activities like fishing to help cope with Mental Health and find support and well-being.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7184\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veterans find healing waters through fly fishing - 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