The day seemed cloudy and rainy, but in Praia de Carcavelos the sea was calm enough. paddleSurfers, a ritual performed by surfers, are in the water as they gather in a circle to celebrate World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated on Monday.
“Hey paddle It is an ancient and traditional ceremony used symbolically. People take their council and meet in the outside Which is beyond breaking waves,” he explains Clinical Psychologist Emma Shaw Evangelista For the audience as he finishes putting on his diving suit.
The president and co-founder of Wave by Wave – Portuguese Surfing for Good Association reveals that this is the second year they are organizing this event, Together with other organizations, Club Lombos Praia, and browse addicteda SurfArt and Surf Social plank. The main field of work of the association is to support children and young people living in care homes and families, children at risk or in need of psychological support, through surfing and contact with the sea.
file making idea paddle A year ago, from a challenge presented by the International Organization for Surf Therapy (known by the English acronym ISTO), to “identify and normalize the importance of mental health,” says the psychologist, on the sands of Cascalense Beach.
recipe for success
Before founding the association, in 2017, with surfer Jose Ferreira, national runner-up, Emma Shaw Evangelista said that she had never played the sport, and that it was a pilot project that, in the summer of 2016, brought her attention to the advantages. from the waves.
“It was that experience that set me apart, I realized that makes perfect sense. The sea is a catalyst for what it means to carry over the principles of group therapeutic intervention to shore.” Surfing seems to be a challenging activity, which works a lot on the issue of frustration, confidence and self-regulation, It is a recipe in which improvements are actually seen in many residents. These have already been investigated and published,” he adds.
This therapy for fragile children and young adults is an “out of the box” alternative, considering those who do not adhere to “the traditional answers of clinical psychology in the office or hospital environment.”
As the morning progresses, the number of participants arrives, they prepare actively, but quietly, inherent to those who play sports. Partner representatives of the associations, such as the President of the Diocese of the Confederation of the Diocese of Carcavelos and Parede, also joined.
Teresa Abracos, one of the pioneers of competitive surfing in Portugal, has now pulled out of major competitions, defying bad weather to take part in the event. “For us, that’s nothing,” clears the drama, to PÚBLICO, a surfer who represented the national women’s surfing team. “Challenging an element of nature is a small thing compared to the challenges participants usually face,” he justifies.
Being a volunteer with Surf Addict, an association dedicated to the practice of modified surfing for people with physical and mobility disabilities, is a way for Teresa Abraços to share her greatest passion with those facing the most difficulties. Thus, for a surfer, the presence of the assembly in paddle.
a wheel in the ocean
On the sand, before heading out to sea, participants, of all ages, gather in a circle and exchange words about the importance of the day and mental health.
At sea, they repeat the same composition as the previous one on land. In a circle, they beat the water forming foam, then shared what they took from this experience.
In all, about 40 people took part in this nautical activity, with the first edition numbers being preserved. For the psychologist, the wheel is a “symbol of unity, belonging and sharing” in what she considers her “second home,” the ocean.
Edited by Barbara Wong
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