Sail Beyond Horizons

The Evidence

The science behind sailing toward calm.

We don't overstate what the research shows — and we don't need to. The evidence for adventure, nature, and sailing-based approaches is real, growing, and pointed squarely at the two things that matter most: do people get better, and do they stay long enough to?

An open, calm ocean horizon under a clear sky

Adventure therapy works — and the effect lasts.

The largest review to date pooled 197 studies and found adventure therapy produced a moderate short-term benefit (Hedges' g = 0.47) — larger than alternative treatments (0.14) and roughly six times the change seen with no treatment (0.08). Crucially, those gains held steady at follow-up rather than fading.

Bowen & Neill, 2013

It measurably reduces anxiety.

A 2025 meta-analysis of 12 controlled studies covering more than 2,000 participants found adventure therapy produced a moderate reduction in anxiety symptoms (SMD = −0.56). For a program built around navigating everyday stress and anxiety, that's the headline.

McLain et al., 2025, Journal of Counseling & Development

Sailing, specifically, is safe and genuinely enjoyable.

In a VA study of therapeutic sailing with veterans — most with PTSD (82%), many with chronic pain — there were no injuries or accidents across 66 participant-sailing-hours. 100% of participants said nothing about the experience made them feel worried or nervous, 95% found it calm or relaxing, and 95% enjoyed it "a lot" or "very much."

Marchand et al.

It keeps people in treatment.

In that same study, 86% of veterans who added sailing completed their residential treatment program, compared with 55% of a matched group who didn't sail — a statistically significant difference (p = 0.02). Sailing participants also showed a significant increase in psychological flexibility.

Marchand et al.

It builds the skill we teach.

A companion study combining recreational sailing with brief mindfulness training found increases in both psychological flexibility and present-moment mindfulness, with participants rating the experience as genuinely pleasurable.

Marchand et al., Military Medicine, 2022

For trauma, sailing is linked to lower symptoms.

A study comparing people with PTSD who sailed against those who didn't found the sailing group reported significantly lower PTSD and trait-anxiety symptoms.

Levy-Gigi et al.

For severe mental illness, sailing improved functioning and quality of life.

A randomized controlled crossover trial of 40 patients found those who added sailing to rehabilitation showed significant improvements in clinical status, functioning, and quality of life versus standard rehabilitation.

Carta et al., 2014

Why this matters for the people we serve

The gap in mental health care isn't only about access — it's about engagement. Estimates suggest up to half of those who need care never start it or drop out early. An intervention people find calming, safe, and genuinely fun isn't a soft benefit. It's the thing that gets people through the door and keeps them coming back. That's what sailing does, and it's what we're built around.

A note on honesty: This research studies sailing- and adventure-based therapy broadly — much of it with veterans in group settings. It establishes why our approach is sound; it is not a clinical trial of the Sail Beyond Horizons program specifically. We present it as encouraging evidence, not a guarantee of individual results, and we remain a complement to professional mental health care, not a substitute for it.

Sources

  1. Bowen, D. J., & Neill, J. T. (2013). A meta-analysis of adventure therapy outcomes and moderators. The Open Psychology Journal, 6, 28–53.
  2. McLain, et al. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of adventure therapy in anxiety-related disorders: A meta-analysis. Journal of Counseling & Development.
  3. Marchand, W. R., et al. Safety and psychological impact of sailing adventure therapy among veterans with substance use disorders. Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
  4. Marchand, W. R., et al. (2022). Mindfulness-based therapeutic sailing for veterans with psychiatric and substance use disorders. Military Medicine, 187(3–4), e445–e452.
  5. Levy-Gigi, E., et al. Cognitive flexibility in PTSD individuals following nature adventure intervention.
  6. Carta, M. G., et al. (2014). Sailing for rehabilitation of patients with severe mental disorders. Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 10, 73–79 & 80–86.
  7. Berman, D., Davis-Berman, J., & Berman, N. D. (2015). Treating posttraumatic stress disorder with outdoor pursuits. Combat Stress.

[Developer note: link each source to its DOI or publisher page — clinicians will click.]

Wherever you are, there's a horizon worth sailing toward.

Book a sessionJoin as a therapist