Research Findings

“I met other veterans around me going through similar things. When we go on these trips, you just instantly bond without knowing each other. They see me going through the same stuff as they are, and I think we help each other. That’s what it’s all about.”

Jose Jauregui

“If I can get through to one guy, it’s worth it. If you can get one guy out from his computer or his basement or out of a bottle or pills, it’s always worth it.”

Dan Laffin

Researchers

Dr. Gary Wynn

Dr. Gary Wynn, MD/PhD, Assistant Professor & Assistant Chair, Uniformed Services University

Dr. Wynn co-authored Complementary and Alternative Medicine for PTS, published by Oxford University Press. A West Point Graduate, Dr. Wynn completed a double residency in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He spent a year as the Division Psychiatrist for the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Casey, Korea. Dr. Wynn was the Assistant Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he worked with Service Members returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2009-2013, Dr. Wynn has been working as a research psychiatrist in the Military Psychiatry Branch of the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In July, 2013, Dr. Wynn joined the Uniformed Services University, Department of Psychiatry. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor and Assistant Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University; as well as a Scientist for the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress.

Keith Tidball, PhD, wearing a cornell hat, standing in a river holding a brown trout Keith Tidball, PhD, Senior Extension Associate, Cornell University & Assistant Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Dr. Tidball is a Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Natural Resources, and Assistant Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension for Natural Resources and Environment. He leads a focal area on Veterans, Military Families, and Disaster Education. He coordinates a suite of projects dealing with veterans and military families, and also serves as the Program Leader of the New York State Extension Disaster Education Network. Dr. Tidball conducts research, extension, and outreach activities in the area of ecological dimensions of human security. He is focused on natural resources management questions at the leading edge, “at the tip of the spear,” in places and time periods characterized by violence, conflict, disaster or war. This work includes vulnerability assessment, resilience analysis, risk management and adaptation strategies within linked human-environment systems, as well as cultural systems analysis within these contexts

“There are so many people who are hesitant to go on the trip. They’ve become a recluse, a homebody. I don’t think being reclusive is good for anyone, particularly young people these days. We had a guy who said this was the first time he didn’t need alcohol to fall asleep. Fly fishing is good for the mind and good for the body.”
Levi Crawford

Published Work

Outdoor Recreation and Our Military Family (Fishing)

Copyright 2020 Sagamore-Venture

Fly Fishing Chapter

Outdoor Recreation and Our Military Family (Hunting)

Copyright 2020 Sagamore-Venture

Hunting Chapter

War Narratives: Veteran Stories, PTS Effects, and Therapeutic Fly-Fishing

Therapeutic Recreation Journal

Abstract

War NarrativesAnalysis of 67 letters of veterans as they concluded their participation in a therapeutic fly-fishing program in Dutch John, UT along the Green River. The study systematically analyzed the stories to present a narrative and four themes that would inform and guide future empirical studies on the realities of veterans, program experiences, and perspective on treatment.

Participation in Outdoor Recreation Program Predicts Improved Psychosocial Well-being Among Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress

Military Medicine

Abstract

Military MedicineEvaluate the effectiveness of a 2-day, 3-night outdoor recreation intervention involving fly-fishing in reducing the psychological concomitants of stress among veterans with post-traumatic stress (PTS). Acute effects were observed for improvements in attentiveness and positive mood states, coupled with significant and sustained reductions in negative mood states, anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms of stress.

Veterans' Perceptions of Benefits and Important Program Components of a Therapeutic Fly-Fishing Program.

Therapeutic Recreation Journal

Veterans PerceptionsExamined the perceptions of veterans with combat-related disabilities and their significant others following participation in a therapeutic fly-fishing program. Six focus group discussions were conducted and the constant comparison method of analysis was used to discover the two primary themes of Perceived Benefits and Important Program Components.

Outcomes of a Therapeutic Fly-Fishing Program for Veterans with Combat-Related Disabilities: A Community-Based Rehabilitation Initiative

Community Mental Health Journal

Abstract

Community Based InitiativeA total of 40 veterans participated in the 4-day therapeutic fly-fishing program and this study. The results indicated significant decreases from the pretest to posttest for symptoms of PTSD, depression, perceived stress, and functional impairment, and an increase in leisure satisfaction from pretest to 3-month follow-up.