South Florida veterans swap therapy for a race-car simulator to cope with stress
Jose Agurto spent 15 years in the Marine Corps. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 for the U.S.-led invasion that overturned Saddam Hussein’s government, and later found himself in Japan during the 2011 tsunami, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake killed nearly 20,000 people.
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By the time he retired 11 years ago as a gunnery sergeant, the Nicaragua native had seen a lot. What he couldn’t do, he said, was talk about it.
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It took him nine years to find something that worked: Race cars.
Agurto is one of 25 veterans who, over the past two years, have turned to a program that swaps a therapist’s couch for a racing simulator. Conducted at Nova Southeastern University, the program uses motorsports to teach veterans how to manage stress. Participants can complete the program in one, two, or three-day formats, either over the course of a week or spread out over a schedule that works for them.
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Read the full story at Sun-Sentinel.com.
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