Is hypnosis worth a try?

[hopeful diver]

Try as I might I cannot rid myself of the thought of all the water above me when diving. I really want to dive - I get all the mags, the books etc and am really enthusiastic but when it comes to being horizontal under the water I start to feel uncomfortable. I guess some of this is due to feeling a bit 'unbalanced' but in the meantime is hypnosis worth a try? I really really want to go and dive but this is my big stumbling block.

 

[RocketMan]

Those Jedi minds games don't work on me....These aren't the droids we're looking for.

Personally I think the more you dive, the more comfortable you'll become.

 

[dpbishop]

Hypnosis can be a useful tool in overcoming mental hangups, but I would be cautious about using it to overcome a fear of diving. The effects of hypnotherapy very from person to person and are not always lasting; you would not want the uncomfortableness to return in a situation where panic could insue.

Have you tried taking an introductory course that includes a pool dive? For many people, the realization that they are breathing while sitting on the bottom of a pool under 6 feet of water instantly dispells any trepidation they might have felt before. Contact your LDS and see if this sort of experience is available.

Good Luck.

 

[Lisa0825]

So have you actually BEEN horizontal under water, or is it the thought of it that scares you?

What about some meditation or the like? Be in the water, thinking calming thoughts, etc. Gradually desensitize yourself as you feel more at ease.

 

[Kevfin]

That's a tough call. You could certainly try hypnosis and see if it works for you. Everybody is different (so they tell me) and what works for you may not work for others and visa versa.
My guess is your anxiety is a bigger issue. Similar to ruminating about large crowds, driving a car, going into tall buildings, and elevators. You can't let go of that one thought about the amount of water above you and every time you think of how wonderful diving is, that thought creeps in and takes over.

I don't know you, so I'm guessing here from my past experience dealing with people with similar issues. Logic does not play into this, it's purely emotions, so no amount of reasoning will help --plus you probably already know that amount of water above your head doesn't cause problems for 99.9 % of divers.

So, I say, try hypnosis or as RocketMan said, the more you dive the more comfortable you’ll get. Find a good and understanding instructor that will work with you.

I hope you find the answer and wish you good luck.

 

[lisa_j]

Hopeful Diver- you sound JUST like me 8 months ago. I would lay awake at night just THINKING about all that water above me and my heart would race. It wasn't that I was afraid something bad would happen, it was just all that...space! Terrified me.
For some reason, I finally said yes to try scuba and I was SO nervous up until our first class in the pool. After that first night, I was so hooked and now I don't know how I ever went so long without being underwater!! All of my fears are gone and they're replaced with excitement and awe!
I highly recommend a 'scuba experience' session. For me it was getting in there and just doing it that got me over my intense anxiety!
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Tavi]

Hypnosis only works, if you believe it does.
My first dive was 12-15 feet deep in clear warm water (100' vis), I could look up and see the surface. I thought this isn't so bad, the surface is right there. My next dive was 45' deep. I looked up and thought this doesn't seem that deep. Several dives later I was at 100' looking up and that didn't seem that deep either. STOP!! this is when that kind of thinking is getting dangerous!! Dive within your training, progress slowly, and you'll be fine!!

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

Personally, I'd try actually going under water in a pool with an Instructor before I would try hypnosis. After all, you don't know that you actually have a problem with being under water. You just have a problem with your idea of being under water as it stands now, having never done it.

If you continue with diving, this won't be the first issue that is different in the doing than it is in the anticipating...at least that's my experience. A great many things about diving are very different from what you picture in your head.

Good luck!

 

[jessecurry]

Not sure if it helps at all, but if you ever did get into a situation in which your tank went empty without you noticing and your buddy was nowhere in sight you can still make it to the surface with a full breath of air. Also, if you get into a class they'll turn your tank off underwater for you so you can experience first hand what a low air situation feels like. They'll also teach you how to never have to face that.
If it's actually just the amount of water over you that bothers you, why not start snorkeling until you get comfortable being underwater on your own breath. Then start diving, but keep to shallower areas. A lot of great diving can be found in very shallow waters. Eventually you'll become comfortable with you surroundings, it just might take a while.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I know how you feel. I described in another thread, what my first cert. dive felt like, when I went over a small plateau that was 40' down, and felt like I was staring into the Abyss. Once we were about 100' down, I became conscious (and just a little apprehensive) about all of the water and rock that was overhead. The apprehension quickly passed, and I suspect that it will for you too, once you've been in the pool a few times, then been a little deeper, and once you find that being 20' down isn't much different than being 40, 80, or 100' down, the apprehension will vanish. As others have said, start out in the pool with your instructor, (you will anyway, when you take your class), share your apprehensions with your instructor, and chances are, you'll progress just fine from there. Good fortune to you.

-Frank