Float Research Collective reposted this
Clinical Neuropsychologist | President and Director of the Float Research Collective | Trailblazing a new path forward for the treatment of anxiety and PTSD
Last year’s #WorldMentalHealthDay theme emphasized that mental health is a universal human right and I truly believe that we as a society need to do a much better job of making mental healthcare more accessible to the people who need it the most. The survivors of these horrific natural disasters endure a lifetime worth of stress and trauma over a very short period of time, leaving an indelible imprint on their nervous system. We desperately need to find better solutions for reducing stress in the immediate aftermath of a community trauma and I think the Maui Calm project (MauiCalm.org) provides a viable way forward. It took a lot of work to get to this point and none of this would have even been possible without the support of so many people and organizations that have helped my nonprofit this past year. In particular I would like to highlight Hawaii Community Foundation, the Goodfellow Bros., and the Maui YMCA. Because of their support we now have the incredible opportunity to provide FREE float therapy to all fire survivors, first responders, and frontline workers on Maui! Our goal is to prevent PTSD from spiraling into a chronic state and to reduce the high level of stress and anxiety that the people of Maui are currently experiencing. We will be measuring outcomes longitudinally and plan to publish our findings in a peer-reviewed medical journal. If it works, this could become a scaleable solution for addressing traumas and disasters in the real-world, from the moment they occur. And if it’s deployed quick enough, floatation therapy might even be able to prevent PTSD from forming in the first place. Does anyone at FEMA want to help me put this idea to the test? #MauiCalm #MauiStrong
On #WorldMentalHealthDay let’s not forget all the survivors, the millions who have been traumatized by this endless chain of natural disasters ravaging our planet. FRC President, Dr. Justin Feinstein, spoke this week with Russell Subiono on Hawaiʻi Public Radio to shine a light on Maui’s mental health crisis and the escalating rates of PTSD, suicide, and addiction. They also discuss the Maui Calm project (MauiCalm.org), an innovative emergency response that will provide free float therapy to everyone on Maui who has been impacted by the fires. Listen now at https://lnkd.in/gfRjdFid