[ns8sl]

A treatment for PTSD, called EMDR, involves trying to enhance the right/left communication in the brain. This is done by eye tracking back and forth from left to right. I personally know two people that this was effective on, but there is a lack of hard data on whether this works or not in general.

However, the PTSD specialist that worked with these two individuals suggested that running (and walking) long distances can create the same effect since the person is continually scanning the environment. This would alleviate PTSD symptoms plus anxiety and depression in her patients.

[Alex3917]

If scanning the environment while walking or jogging works, then I'd recommend learning how to identify edible mushrooms. Whenever you're outside you go into 24/7 extreme scanning mode that is pretty much impossible to turn off.

Beginning mushroom hunters find mushrooms by seeing them. Expert mushroom hunters just see things in their peripheral vision that are consistent with a mushroom being there. (E.g. some leaves out of place, a pop of color where there shouldn't be, a wisp of smoke, etc.) By the time you actually consciously focus your eyes/attention on the area and get close enough to see whether or not there really is a mushroom, you're already pretty sure whether or not you've found something.

[astrange]

Why a wisp of smoke? Because they see something grey or are mushrooms out there starting forest fires?

[Alex3917]

If the mushrooms are older you can sometimes see the spores before seeing the actual mushroom. This obviously happens with puffballs, but I've also seen it with Honey Mushrooms and Maitake.

These are really bad for you to breathe in though, so if you see this happening then definitely go in the other direction.

[teddyh]

Maybe he’s thinking of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball

[darpa_escapee]

Visible evaporate == really good mushroom habitat, most of the time.

[fapjacks]

I like the suggestion here that one of the ways running could help is by the eye tracking back and forth. Going for a run works, full stop. You can search my comment history and see that I recommend four specific things to help immediately alleviate PTSD symptoms like depression and anxiety (take a shower and do some laundry, do some exercise and run, hydrate and eat some leafy greens, and make an appointment with your doc), in which "going for a run" is a central ingredient. I've helped a pretty big group of people over the last ten years (myself, former members of my unit, friends and family, etc), and it works. Incidentally, people always seem to have an opinion about this, even when they've never experienced the problems themselves. It's a bit surprising actually how many people rush to get a word in edgewise, when it concerns someone else's feelings. Anyway, this is a very interesting theory.

[zeroer]

What would you recommend for someone who used to love running but can't anymore because of knee and ankle problems?

[musha68k]

Swimming - hated it back in school, started to love it five years ago during a very stressful time in my life.

Peace and meditation is what it mostly does for me.

If you are interested do yourself a favor and check out the book "Total Immersion" by Terry Laughlin.

I wish had started to read it earlier - a total game changer for me, none of the "no-pain-no-gain" bullshit. I swear I've been having almost instant results, passing by most "better trained" swimmers with blissful ease, it really is unfair ;) Essentially it's about hacking swimming by seriously getting into the physics of the sport.

Highly recommended!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Immersion

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/936958.Total_Immersion

[fapjacks]

Swimming is a fantastic suggestion and I wholeheartedly agree with it. I'd also recommend weightlifting as a great companion regimen.