Community Partner Spotlight Series: One Sea Wellness

One Sea Wellness is a trauma-informed, water-based healing project rooted in both the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and the river communities of Gunnison, Colorado. Founded by PJ, whose own healing journey led her to surf therapy, the program supports women, youth, and survivors in reconnecting with their bodies through water, movement, and community. Whether in ocean waves or flowing rivers, One Sea Wellness creates spaces where healing is grounded in belonging rather than performance. For PJ, water is medicine—and her vision is to expand access so more people can find safety, strength, and connection through it.

Healing Doesn’t Always Have Four Walls

Discover how Groundswell is expanding mental health recovery beyond the clinic, utilizing surf therapy and somatic practice to create safer spaces for healing in the waves.

Community Partner Spotlight Series: Groundswell Peru | Mujeres y Mar

Mujeres y Mar is a women-centered surf therapy project based in Huanchaco, on Peru’s northern coast. Founded by Patty after her own healing journey with the ocean, the program invites women to experience the sea as a place of transformation and belonging. Mujeres y Mar is growing a powerful sisterhood, normalizing conversations about mental health, and deepening care for the ocean. For Patty, the sea is resilience, balance, and transformation—and she dreams of expanding this work so more women in Peru can rise with the waves.

The Science of Surf Therapy: New Research on Chronic Pain Relief

A groundbreaking new study from the Pain Trauma Institute, in collaboration with USC and Groundswell Community Project, reveals that surf therapy can significantly reduce chronic pain and promote nervous system healing. Through guided sessions rooted in trauma-informed care, participants living with conditions like chronic pelvic pain, Lyme disease, and long COVID reported a 50% average decrease in pain intensity, as well as increased emotional vitality and deep brainwave shifts associated with rest and regulation. Beyond the data, the ocean offered something deeper — a sense of agency, awe, and belonging. Surf therapy reconnected participants not just to their bodies, but to the belief that healing is possible, even when medicine falls short. This research marks an early but powerful step toward integrating surf therapy into chronic pain care — not as a cure, but as a co-therapist.

When the Ocean Becomes Medicine: Understanding Surf Therapy

Surf therapy goes far beyond learning to surf — it’s where the ocean becomes a partner in healing. Unlike a traditional surf lesson focused on technique or performance, surf therapy combines the natural rhythm of the waves with mindfulness, somatic practices, and community connection to help participants feel safe, grounded, and alive in their bodies again. Rooted in both science and lived experience, it draws on the ocean’s proven ability to calm the nervous system, boost mood, and build resilience — reminding us that healing doesn’t happen in isolation, but in connection with nature, movement, and one another.

What if healing isn’t about getting “better,” but about getting closer — to ourselves, to each other, and to the ocean? In this deeply personal reflection, Groundswell surf therapy alum and retreat co-host Tracey shares her journey through chronic illness, medical trauma, and the unexpected connections that helped her heal. From ER visits to waves in Costa Rica, discover how community, surf, and somatic healing became lifelines — and how a new trauma-informed retreat is inviting others into the water.

Chelsea Almario reflects on her journey to joining the board of Groundswell. In this candid reflection, she shares how community, service, and the ocean have shaped her healing—through identity shifts, personal challenges, and the transformative power of showing up.

Board member Whitney Taylor shares her journey from discovering somatic therapy to finding a deep sense of belonging with Groundswell. In this heartfelt reflection, Whitney weaves together nature, healing, and legacy—exploring how the ocean, community, and personal connection have shaped her life and her vision for Groundswell’s impact.