How Surfing Helps Me Explore the Unconscious Mind

My local break. Kommetjie, South Africa.

The wind is blowing strongly from the South East. It’s 9:30 on a Tuesday morning. Most people are at work, but a small group drifts in the cold South Atlantic, waiting for the next set of waves to roll in. We don’t know each other, but there is camaraderie in our common purpose. I paddle towards an oncoming wave with a tinge of hesitation and fear. I dig my arms deep into the water to gain speed to catch…