REAL MEN, REEL THERAPY
Improving mental health with each cast By Kyle Kirves
I
n “A River Runs Through It,” perhaps the greatest novella ever written about fly-fishing, Norman Maclean, writing of his Presbyterian pastor father, says, “To him, all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation came by grace; and grace comes by art; and art does not come easy.” Substitute the phrase “mental health” for “eternal salvation” and you might be close to a succinct statement of the rationale behind Fishing the Good Fight. The non-profit headquartered in Colorado aims to bring men to better, more fulfilling lives through a thoughtful blend of flyfishing and therapeutic sessions. The group, founded in 2019 by Jennings Hester, seeks to aid the growing number of men combating anxiety, depression, isolation, and other conditions that affect their lives and the lives of those around them. Many of these men have no idea how to ask for help – or worse, see asking for help as a sign of weakness. The sense of community and the therapeutic aspect of nature itself intrinsic to fly-fishing helps break down those preconceptions. “We provide a very unique opportunity for men to really open up at our retreats and tell their stories and share their experiences in really vulnerable ways,” says Jim Flint, executive director of Fishing the Good Fight. “It goes a long way to helping men feel not so alone in getting help,” he says. “At our retreats, you can see the profound impact not just of men opening up about their struggles, but the listening that happens too. Everyone arrives at a feeling that we’re all in this together. Those are really powerful moments, and they’re what drive us in doing what we do.” Indeed, certain studies produce some alarming statistics. Nearly one out of every eight men – approximately 20 million Americans – report having experienced or are experiencing mental health struggles. And even though the suicide rate for men is three times higher than women, women therapy seekers outnumber men three-to-one. You don’t need a calculator to figure out the situation is out of balance. Fishing the Good Fight seeks to remedy that with activities that already appeal to men – fishing with a friend, being outdoors and getting deep. Scary concepts for some men? You bet. Thankfully, men’s mental health seems to be enjoying something of a rare spotlight moment, too. In ways that have historically been attributed to other aspects of fitness like hitting the gym or being a rec league athlete, therapy and opening up seem to be catching on. While quick to say that he himself is not a mental health expert (he leaves that to the members of Fishing the Good Fight’s board who are), Flint credits two things with the sudden awareness put on men’s mental health.
18 ThirstColorado.com March-April 2024