An Interview with Matis Stebben, Founder of Beekeeping for Veterans
It might not seem that beekeeping could possibly be a calming, centering or soothing activity. I mean, after all, you’re putting your hands inside a box filled with tens of thousands of bees; each equipped with a stinger which it most definitely knows how to use.
But mention the idea to any beekeeper and they’ll confirm that beekeeping is actually calming. Because when you’re out there with the bees you can’t be thinking about anything else, you have to be present in what you’re doing at the moment.
So to learn more about how beekeeping can help people heal from trauma and PTSD I had a chat with Matis Stebben to get to know more about him and how Beekeeping for Veterans came about.
First, tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from?
I was born in California and I grew up in San Diego.
How long have you been a beekeeper, and how did you get started?
I have been a beekeeper for seven years now. I got started because I heard that the bee population was in decline and I wanted to figure out if I could do something. I did some research on it, and figured, “yes, I can” and that’s how I started beekeeping.
What aspect of beekeeping fascinates you the most?
There are so many aspects of beekeeping that fascinate me. One thing about me is that I love to be in nature and I love to connect to nature. And beekeeping brings me both aspects – being in nature and connecting to nature through the bees. I love just watching the bees go in and out of the hive, seeing the various colors of pollen. I love doing inspections to see how the bees are acting inside of their hive. I also love just the great rush of adrenaline that happens to me when I beekeep and I open up the hive. And it’s amazing just to connect to an insect. I never thought that would be possible, but once I started beekeeping, you really connect to your hive.
How did you come up with the idea to start Beekeeping for Veterans?
The idea for Beekeeping for Veterans happened approximately three years ago when I started a beekeeping program at a drug rehabilitation facility in Toronto, Canada. Once a week I would go and beekeep with recovering addicts. We put a beehive on their property at the drug rehabilitation center, and people loved it. People reported back to us that they felt calm when they beekeeped.
I had a veteran who did three tours, and for the first time since he got back, he didn’t hear ringing in his ears when he was beekeeping and he could hear his thoughts as he beekeeped. He had a total breakthrough.
So, based on that I thought maybe I could do something with this on a much grander and greater scale to help the betterment of society. After a long contemplation I figured this is something I want to do to help veterans, and not just veterans but anyone suffering from trauma – that through beekeeping, using beekeeping as a tool to bring inner calmness and hopefully help with healing from trauma.
Can you share with us some of the results that you’ve seen so far? What are some of the changes that the veterans you’ve worked with have noticed as a result of working with bees?
So veterans that have begun beekeeping – they all say that they calm down. As a calming tool, they use the hive. It also helps with clarity. When they’re by the hive they have to be mentally clear in what they’re doing. And not only when they’re beekeeping. I’ve also had veterans tell me that just sitting next to their hive and watching the bees come in and out is highly soothing and calming as well.
Not only does it help the vet himself or herself, it also has a ripple effect on the whole family. Some veterans have told me that they now beekeep with their children or their spouse and that is a moment of bonding and family gathering around the hive. Also just with the emotional component, the mental health component, it also helps veterans with their personal lives and it helps better their lives and the loved ones around them as well.
How has this experience changed you?
Being a beekeeper and being close to the bees is a really humbling experience. There’s a lot of life lessons one can learn from the hive. Such as, the hive operates as a community. And sometimes I have to sit back and think “Am I serving my community? My nuclear community, meaning my family? And of course the general good and how do I give back?”
Also bees go through different stages in their life and in the last stage they’re independent and they go out there and fly around collecting nectar for the hive. And so sometimes I think, “How am I independent?” And, again my independence is there for the greater good.
I see this also in a soldier and a veteran who’s served their country. They’ve gone out there and now they’re coming back to the hive. And now it’s up to the hive, meaning the community, the country, to give back and help the veterans for their service
A Healthy and Relaxing Experience
Whether it’s the actual practice of working with the bees, or just watching the flow of their movements, beekeeping can be a very centering and calming activity. You don’t even have to put the suit on or risk being stung to enjoy the relaxing benefits.
We know that bees are important for the ecosystem, the food we eat, and the health of our planet, but the impact goes even further. Beekeeping actually allows us to improve our personal well-being while at the same time being part of something that is much bigger and greater than ourselves. What appears on the surface to be a dangerous and intimidating activity is actually inspiring, encouraging, and gives us a chance to find peace and purpose.
Laura Markus
Laura Markus is a blogger and beekeeper based in Italy, but originally from the U.S. She is fascinated by all things bees, but mostly by how they communicate. When she’s not hanging out at the hives she is also an English Teacher and Fluency Coach for non-native English speakers.
Hi,
I’m James a retired Army pilot who had went through a life transformation and suffers from PTSD. A friend of ours wrote a book about bees called the Song of Increase ( https://backyardhive.com/products/song-of-increase-bee-book-by-jacqueline-freemanand ) After reading the book I have been looking into bee keeping for a few years and never was in a place to be able to accommodate it.
Now we finally are settling and it would be nice to get involved with this program.
James
Artlifecycle.com
Hi James – thanks so much for the comment! We would love to have you become part of the program. Song of Increase looks like a very insightful book – thanks for the link. I’m sure lots of people will appreciate it. We’ll be in touch to give you the setails about getting involved.