{"id":7900,"date":"2025-03-26T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7900"},"modified":"2025-03-26T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T14:30:00","slug":"mindfulness-and-the-challenge-of-climbing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7900","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness and the challenge of climbing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-03-26T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Veterans at St. Louis are learning firsthand the jargon and skills involved in rock climbing at Upper Limits while also applying mindfulness skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
Rock climber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The group sessions are sponsored by St. Louis VA<\/a>, courtesy of a grant through Adaptive Adventures, which supplies equipment and covers the fees to allow Veterans to attend without cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Belay\u2026 harness\u2026 figure eight\u2026 climbing\u2026 take\u2026 these are part of the jargon and essential climbing safety terms for the first-time climber and the seasoned pro.<\/p>\n

\u201cClimbing is inherently a mindful activity. Attention is focused in the present moment, and the mind and body are connected through breath and movement,\u201d said psychologist and avid climber Dr. Devorah Ginn. \u201cI can let go of all the thoughts that may be bothering me and just focus on climbing.\u00a0It is a highly emotional activity that is a great avenue for mental health intervention. My belief that Veterans could benefit from learning mindfulness skills in action while climbing brought me to develop Grounded in the Heights, and here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blending recreational therapy and mental health<\/h2>\n

Thanks to recreation therapist John Schmeink and the program he established in 2017, Veterans experience rock climbing by blending recreational therapy and mental health through a mindfulness-based, therapeutic rock-climbing program, which Ginn is developing a treatment protocol.<\/p>\n

Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Sedric Anderson tried the adaptive rig and made it to the top of the wall unassisted.\u00a0\u201cThat was great, but I\u2019m tired. It was harder than I thought it would be. Being a double amputee requires overcoming limits and a different way of doing things.\u00a0Since I can\u2019t use my legs, I need to work on things in the gym that will give me what I need to be successful in this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage Veterans of all abilities to join us and discover what we\u2019re all about,\u201d said Schmeink. \u201cWe have an amazing group of participants, including both young and old, as well as experienced climbers and beginners.\u201d<\/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 learn to combine mindfulness with the challenge of climbing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care","category-whole-health-wellness"],"yoast_head":"\nMindfulness and the challenge of climbing - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Veterans learn to combine mindfulness with the challenge of climbing.\" \/>\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=7900\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mindfulness and the challenge of climbing - 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