An evaluation of the WAVE academy approach to reducing post traumatic stress disorder

The Wave Academy is a non-profit organization dedicated to communicating the physical and mental benefits of warm water therapy, and increasing the circle of individuals and communities that benefit from this therapy. The initial community on which their efforts are focused is the veterans who have returned from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).The Wave Academy implemented and developed a new testing protocol for the first time in 2013. This new testing protocol was evaluated at two consecutive time-points, 2013; 2014. This evaluation is intended to capture results of whether water therapy reduces the symptoms of PTSD in clinically diagnosed veterans, and inform program staff about the contextual variables surrounding full implementation of such an intervention. Twenty veterans from the Army, Navy and Marines who served in Iraq and were clinically diagnosed with PTSD participated in eight weeks of warm water therapy across two time points. To monitor changes in the level of PTSD symptoms, a panel of assessments were administered. Results indicate that warm water therapy may be linked to a reduction in symptoms associated with PTSD, for example better sleep, and pain reduction and lower levels of anxiety. It takes time, however, veterans, on average, did not see results until after four weeks of therapy.