Freedom on Water through Stand-Up Paddling: A qualitative study on physical bodily experiences and their influence on mental health

Background: In Denmark mental disorders are the most prevalent disease, accounting for 25 % of the total burden of disease. This underlines the need of initiatives for prevention and treatment in which the role of physical activity and bodily experiences contains unexploited opportunities and obvious catches people’s attention.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences from people with mental disorders doing Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) and to explore if and how the experiences influenced their mental health.
Methods: Anthropological fieldwork including participant observation and qualitative interviews for three months in Denmark among eight people living with mental disorders, participating in a project called ‘Freedom on water’ including SUP. Empirical material was thematically analysed at first and secondly theoretically analysed with perspectives of Merleau-Ponty, Deci & Ryan and Csikszentmihalyi.
Results: Themes identified concerned social interaction, nature, mind-body connection, and experiences of success.
Conclusions: The participants’ mental health was affected positively. When fully concentrated, managing the (bodily) challenges on the SUP-board their rumination disappeared and they felt present in the moment. Forgetting oneself, flow, skills, coping mechanisms, self-confidence and positively social integration were strengthened. This study proves the value of including the physical body in initiatives for mental health.