A 2022 study found that fly fishing can treat people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Tony Parmenter, a licensed mental health professional who serves at Bellevue University as an adjunct professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, found that therapeutic fly fishing allowed him to counsel people with PTSD engagingly and more authentically.
While fly fishing, Parmenter observed that it shared similarities with EMDR or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. EMDR is a mental health treatment technique that helps patients heal from past traumatic experiences as the eyes move in specific directions.
During his investigation, Parmenter combined fly fishing with EMDR while documenting his own experiences. He realized that none of the existing therapeutic fly-fishing programs engaged the services of mental health professionals. Parmenter also noted that most literature focused on the therapeutic value of fly fishing saw it as an adjunctive activity for treating mental health issues and not as a treatment option in itself.
The Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health published Parmenter’s unique approach to treating PTSD.
