Sports play a significant role in post-trauma healing. Action encompasses all aspects of mind, body rehabilitation and rehabilitation. Participation in sporting activities after trauma can immensely help in restoring a person’s self-control, sense of purpose, and identity. Engaging in a sport or in an activity builds strong social connections and bonds that help in the formation of social shields or nets for the person suffering trauma, assisting in the overcoming of their trauma. Resilience is developed, and the symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression are lessened (Espinoza & Cho, 2024).
After a physical injury, the transitional mal-treatment (abuse) that comes with armed conflict, or the psychologically painful loss of a dear one, many people find a sport, or an organised system of outdoor education (like adventure education), an appropriate vehicle for empowerment, in a goal-directed manner, physically and psychologically.
Social interests, goals, routine and communities of support coming together to be actively engaged in movement become an emotional safety net. In findings from adaptive athletics, environmental awareness, or grassroots programs, movement becomes reclaiming portions of their life, not just therapy or treatment (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019).
How Physical Activity Heals Psychological Wounds
Physical exercise is a well-known tool to aid in the recovery of psychological wounds by helping to develop the mind–body connection. Physical activity promotes the release of endorphins and other neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, thus providing a biological and psychological basis for alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Biddle et al., 2019).
There is an increase in positive feelings (applied psychology) and a reduction in physical pain and stress. There is a difference in one’s neurochemistry that helps with the regulation of emotions, ruminative thought patterns, and intrusions. Also, the sport provides psychological rehabilitation of a fundamental control over one’s body, an important facet of recovery for someone who has undergone trauma, and feels like their body is an alien or an unsafe space. Exercise has a rhythmic and repetitive nature. Such composure is beneficial for inducing and facilitating mindfulness (Ley et al., 2018).
Over time, the achievement of a difficult physical goal can result in gaining a sense of self-efficacy and self-confidence that can also result in a sense of empowerment, strong emotion regulation and body awareness (Espinoza & Cho, 2024). Team sports provide social support and belonging, and are an additional benefit. When taken collectively, these effects mean exercise is a valuable and accessible adjunct to standard care for mental health (Vaile et al., 2022).
Read More: The Role of Exercise in Regulating Neurotransmitters and Mental Well-being
Teamwork and Belonging: Rebuilding Trust Through Group Sports
Team sports are unique in their ability to help with building trust and healing injuries to relationships following trauma. The structured, predictable setting of competitive team sports and fellow players, who also re-engage with teammates, serves as the ideal social setting to mitigate feelings of hypervigilance, isolation, and trauma-associated disconnection.
The players transform dynamic isolation to relational joy through shifting patterns in games, working together, and setting shared objectives reinforce trust, emotional safety, and constructive social interaction (Lewis et al., 2022). Positive relationships with teammates, along with rewarding interactions from coaches, help rebuild players’ confidence in their relational worth and unconditional acceptance in the possibilities of healing post-trauma disconnection.
Participating in a team also builds identity and community, and may reframe shame and loneliness. Trauma-informed programming allows for choice, empowerment and emotional attunement, which allows participants to build agency (Vaile et al., 2022). Team sports also allow individuals to collaboratively share in the process of learning and success to reconstruct action-based experiences, demonstrating through action that relationships can often have supportive rather than threatening contexts. Part of the regulation is repairing forms of attachment.
When coaches model behaviours of caring, consistency and respect, they demonstrate the process of healthy attachment. Engaging in leisure group activities along with ordered practices in leagues helps dismantle relational and social isolation with their consistent rhythm of practices and games. In the shifting pattern of isolating practices and deeply relational games, teammates recapture joy, relational willingness, and trust. Being part of a group serves to reawaken the loss of relational bond and trust in the closure of isolation (Lewis et al., 2022).
From Survivor to Athlete: Real-Life Stories of Transformation
Sports can assist the terminally ill in reclaiming their self-worth and redefining their identity. Blake Watson, on the other hand, found a new purpose and a strong community, which Blake described as a lifeline, as a Marine veteran who suffered an amputation during the Afghan war. Founded by former NFL player David Vobora, ATF helped Blake regain his strength and become a Marine again. In a parallel story, Vobora, who struggled with an opioid addiction after his NFL playing days, has created a form of therapy based on what he calls “sweat and psychology” that helps injured veterans rebuild their confidence and physical ability (Vobora, 2018).
Another example is the war survivors and torture survivors who are part of the Movi Genre program in Vienna, who survived the war using sport as their therapy and reported that as a result, their body awareness, emotional regulation, and ability to stay in the present were greatly improved (Ley et al., 2018). In Vobora’s words, one of the participants, who had been diagnosed with PTSD and depression, had found relief through structured physical activity, grounding exercises, and team dynamics. He demonstrated how one engages the mind and body again through movement. Each story of survival and recovery illustrates how powerful sports can be in reclaiming and regulating one’s life. For survivors of war, violence, or trauma, sport offers a unique chance to rebuild identity based on strength rather than victimisation.
Conclusion
Integrating exercise into one’s schedule promotes trauma healing through the integration of the bodily, social, and mental aspects of the individual. Movement helps regain mastery over the body and eases hyperarousal of PTSD, depressive and anxiety symptoms (Biddle et al., 2019). Athletics recovery and rehabilitation have been inspired by trauma survivors, veterans, and accident victims. Participation in sports helps the individual reclaim a sense of self by challenging the isolating and immobilising aspects of trauma (Lewis et al., 2022).
Sports, through repetitive movements, mental routines, and objective planning, offer a sense of control in the middle of disarray. Social bonds have the potential to enhance the needed emotional recovery. The order and concentration required in sports provide an effective antidote to the trauma and chaos of daily life, and participation helps a person to form a new identity, resilience, and control (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019).
FAQs
1. How does playing sports help in trauma recovery?
Sports can regulate stress hormones, improve sleep, and activate brain regions responsible for emotional balance. Physical activity also increases endorphin release, helping individuals manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, and hyperarousal common after trauma.
2. Can any sport help, or are some better than others for recovery?
Both team and individual sports can be beneficial. Team sports enhance social support and belonging, while individual sports like yoga, swimming, or running help with mindfulness and body awareness. The key is consistency and choosing an activity that feels safe and empowering.
3. Is it safe for trauma survivors to engage in competitive sports?
Yes, but with care. Competitive sports can build resilience and confidence, yet overly intense environments might trigger stress responses. Structured coaching, trauma-informed trainers, and a supportive community are crucial.
4. Can sports replace therapy for trauma?
No, sports are a complement, not a replacement, for therapy. They support emotional regulation and social reintegration, but professional counselling remains vital for processing traumatic memories. Many programs now combine both approaches for holistic recovery.
References +
Biddle, S. J. H., Ciaccioni, S., Thomas, G., & Vergeer, I. (2019). Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: An updated review of reviews and an analysis of causality. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 146–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.08.011
Espinoza, A., & Cho, S. (2024). Factors influencing psychological responses to athletic injury and rehabilitation. International Journal of Applied Sports Sciences, 36(2), 182–193.
Ley, C., Rato Barrio, M., & Koch, A. (2018). “In the sport I am here”: Therapeutic processes and health effects of sport and exercise on PTSD. Qualitative Health Research, 28(8), 1302–1314. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732317744533
Lewis, A., Vaile, J., & Thompson, K. (2022). More important than winning: Effects of participating in an adaptive sports program for wounded, injured, and ill Australian Defence Force veterans. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 30(3), 27–38.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2019). Adaptive sports for veterans with disabilities. NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554907
Vaile, J., Lewis, A., & Smith, C. (2022). Social support and post-injury depressive and anxiety symptoms among college-student athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6458. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116458
Vobora, D. (2018). Adaptive Training Foundation: Sweat and psychology approach to recovery. Adaptive Training Foundation Publications.
