Shaking off anxiety after bad experience. Need advice.

[annlaur]

Hi everyone

I had a "traumatic" experience while diving the Red Sea last January. I've already posted about it in other threads. To make a long story short, I did a trust-me dive, overexerted myself and was on the verge of a panic attac. The DM calmed me down quickly and I was able to finish the dive, but haven't felt well in the water since.

I went diving for a week in Marseille with an instructor a month ago and had the hardest time doing basic skills (mask removal and clearing) that I would do without a problem when I first got OW certified.

I love diving, it's so beautiful down there and I totally love that flying sensation, but ever since that bad experience I can never completely relax, as I'm always afraid that something may go wrong and I might start to panic. I wanted to do lots of drills when in Marseille, even if it meant spending my week of diving in the very shallow end of the sea and doing mask removals, but the instructor said what I needed was to start enjoying myself again underwater and took me on slow leisure dives.

Now I'm back in Paris and wondering what my next step should be : taking another dive vacation with an instructor in a nice environment ? Signing up with a local dive club to practice in the pool ? Go see a shrink ?

Has anyone had a similar experience ? How did you deal with it ? Any instructor out there to give me some advice ? Will I ever be able to get over that "trauma" ?

Thanks for your advice. Good dives to all.

Anne-Laure

PS : I can't practice in a bathtup, all I have is a shower.

 

[DiveMaven]

I'm not an instructor, but what I would do is go back to a pool. Gear up, blow some bubbles in the pool, get comfortable, then do some drills. Do them at your own pace with another diver that you trust. Have them touch you while you do the drills (on the arm or shoulder) to give you support until you feel more comfortable. Then have them stay near you while you continue to do drills until you're comfortable. Then practice on your own without them right there. It may take more than one pool session, but don't push, let things happen at their own pace.

 

[michaelb51]

annlaur,

I bet there are things you do which you consider as risky, or riskier than diving.

A good start might be to list a few of those for us. Have you other experiences producing results similar to your anxieties during and after the dive in question?

Don't forget the obvious choices: driving in rush hour, flying commercially, speaking in public, disarming roadside bombs, etc...

Is anything more dangerous than diving is, in your life?

 

[ScubaCatgirl]

Hi annluar! I did panic underwater! Or maybe I should say I had a panic attack. The first thing I wanted to do was get that regulator out of my mouth & rush to the surface. Instead I remembered my training, located the DM & indicated I was going up. I got to the surface & still couldn't go into full blown panice cuz I couldn't get my mouth above water, but as soon as I reached the boat I let loose.

Because I did have a panic attack, I realized why I had all that training! I was thankful & to this day feel more confident diving cause even though I was in full panic attack mode, I kept my cool in order to reach the surface safely! See your training does pay! I should also let you know that at that time I was only an OW diver w/18 dives under my belt.

Needless to say, because of that experience I realized that no matter what happens there are safety measures for us in case something does go wrong. You can always surface, you can always grab your buddies Octo, etc. (which I have had to grab octo's twice now, <didn't phase me a bit cuz I knew I had the training & no harm would come to me>).

Take the advice of the instructor, go on some really enjoyable shallow dives as well as brush up on your skills. Once you realize you have the skills to get yourself out of dangerous situations, you will gain back your confidence!

Good luck to you!

 

[mania]

Anne
For the start pool would be a good choice. Go there and practice some skills.
Mania

 

[Don Wray]

I do not know what your usual level of activity is or the specifics about your "overexertion." I had similiar difficulties while taking my OW. I was out of shape, overweight couch potato who really wanted to dive. The scenerio of the event was: I was tired, on the 4th OW class of the day, 4 to 5 ft. waves, surge, current etc., had to remove my bc at the surface and put it back on. I was very overweighted and as soon as I started removing my bc, the weight belt slipped to my ankles, a wave smashes into me, knocks the reg from my mouth and away goes the bc. I can't reach the weight belt and can't kick it off because of the fins. Extremely scared at this point and almost on the verge of panic. My very calm instructor pulled me to the surface and carried me to the bc, helped me into it and then had me relax and rescue towed me to the beach, against the surge I might add.

I decided that diving was something I really want to do and if it was something I was going to pursue, I would treat diving as it is, a physical sport. I started a regular exercise program, lost 33 lbs., (so far with more to go,) took AOW and joined the local dive club. Oh, and started reading Scuba Board every day.

Well, the very first trip I make with the new dive club, the trip leader tells me on the way out that due to the size of the dive boat, we'll suit up and toss our bc's in the water and don them at the surface. The old anxiety rears it's ugly head and I almost called the dive before I ever got started. We arrive at the dive site, and toss the bc in the water, I dive in, bounce to the surface, grab the bc slide it right on and hey that wasn't bad at all. I no longer have the fear of donning the bc at the surface or underwater. My confidence in my ability to exert myself and not get exhausted has increased threefold. Now, when I'm not diving, I think about diving, read all I can read about diving. In essence, face the problem that created the anxiety and overcome it.

 

[halocline]

If you diving last month was your first time back in the water after having a traumatic experience, and you were able to at least get through the dives, that's a big step in the right direction. What you have to do is gradually de-sensitize your self to the situations that make you uneasy. I'd definitely spend time in a pool; lots of short sessions on a regular basis to help you diffuse the fear response while dealing with the skills. It's as simple as becoming more comfortable through positive experience. As far as using an instructor, I think you have to be the judge of what makes you feel confident. A good instructor, meaning one who has guided many students through fearful situations, could be very helpful.

 

[Summer06]

Hi Anne-Laure,

I'm afraid there is no other way of getting around your anxiety. I think you pretty much have to do what you are already doing and that is to white-knuckle it and keep going. I admire you for valiantly trying to face your fear head on. Keep it up sister. I think because of this, you will probably evolved to becoming a very good, competent diver. Maybe, just a tiny, little bit of a controlled anxiety is not necessarily a bad thing. It means you are staying alert.

 

[tankboygreg]

Get back to fundamentals and try to become very comfortable in the water without the scuba gear. Swim a lot, make it part of a fitness routine. Instead of scuba diving get out and snorkel and skin dive. If you can, get a private diving lesson to work on your basic scuba diving skills in the pool. Take an Advance Open Water class. Read as much as you can about diving. Keep learning. Find a good partner you can depend and who will be patient as you work through your anxiety. Visualize positive diving experiences. As you progress your confidence should increase and your anxiety should decrease.

 

[BiggDawg]

Get back to fundamentals and try to become very comfortable in the water without the scuba gear. Swim a lot, make it part of a fitness routine. Instead of scuba diving get out and snorkel and skin dive. If you can, get a private diving lesson to work on your basic scuba diving skills in the pool.

Better than a private lesson, find a friend who is very experienced, and buddy with him or her. Let the friend know exactly what is on your mind.

When I took my original OW, it was a really bad experience doing the open water dives. Bad conditions, bad visibility, instructor was sick and had no patience, etc. I passed, but once I had I decided that this stuff wasn't for me and I was going to permanently hang up the fins.

I explained this to a close friend, who also happened to be a DM. He took me to a quarry, and this time walked me through step by step the same skills. And he stayed with me until I was comfortable.

I owe him the fact that I did not hang up the fins, and obviously have stayed with it a long time since. I think that was 100% better than hiring a mercenary...