The Padi No Fear Diving Specialty Course

[Differenttherapy.com]

@ScubaSteve


there is no such a list of distinctive specialties even in the Pro log in ... or at least I was not able to find it ..
and &I also think it´s ...let´s say.... not very good for the marketing of such courses...

soon there will be a new webpage about the course ... with padi logo ...ect........


Here is a little list of fears related to the ocean & to diving:

Hydrophobia - fear of water Ichthyophobia - fear of fish (or, more precisely, the fear of sharks, elasmophobia) Nyctophobia - fear of the dark
claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces
Barophobia - fear of getting crushed by preassure
Pnigophobia fear - fear of the inability to breathe or suffocate
Phagophobia - afraid of being eaten alive
Bathophobia - fear of the depth or sinking
Thanatophobia - a fear of dying

In sum: Thalassophobia - an irrational fear of the sea.


Through my experience as a PADI Instructor and as a therapist .... I am sure that there is a need for a course like PADI NO FEAR Diving .....

But do not mix....
The PADI NO FEAR DIVING course is not a therapy ... but it can be part of one ... like ever other PADI course ...
please have a look under http://differenttherapy.com

This PADI- No Fear Diving specialty course will help Divers you to cope individual stressors and will enable them to enjoy dives in a new & personal way. ... maybe not for "every" diver in two days.... cause fears ... are very individual and personal ....

[h=4]Personally, Individually and customer-centricity are the attributes of the No Fear Diving course.[/h]

 

[Jim Lapenta]

How would one get a copy of the course outline? I see parts of this as being beneficial. I have no argument with using scuba as therapy for a number things. I even wrote an article on it as it applied to myself in dealing with grief and loss. I'd like to see the details and specific exercises.

My initial reaction to this was one of extreme skepticism, to say the least. And sorry of this offends anyone, but I realize that was because it was marketed as a disitinctive specialty for an agency that IMO has a bunch of these of questionable value. And seem designed to just separate people from their money.

This was on my mind last night and on my way home this morning. And I want to apologize to the OP for any out of line comments.

I am not a therapist but have used them, know a few personally, and am very familiar with the methods they use and the good they do. This is what has caused me to rethink my position on this and want to know more about the nuts and bolts of the program.

PM me or shoot me an email through my website or use the email in my signature line.

Thanks.

 

[Peter_C]

Here is a little list of fears related to the ocean & to diving:

Hydrophobia - fear of water Ichthyophobia - fear of fish (or, more precisely, the fear of sharks, elasmophobia) Nyctophobia - fear of the dark
claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces
Barophobia - fear of getting crushed by preassure
Pnigophobia fear - fear of the inability to breathe or suffocate
Phagophobia - afraid of being eaten alive
Bathophobia - fear of the depth or sinking
Thanatophobia - a fear of dying

In sum: Thalassophobia - an irrational fear of the sea.

You left one out:
Sharkophobia - a fear of being eaten ALIVE by a shark

In sum: Sharkbitephobia - a rational fear in the Northern California sea.

Can the PADI NO FEAR class help?

 

[Diver0001]

This is what has caused me to rethink my position ...snip....

Funny you mentioned that because I started having a similar reaction after first writing it off as a solution to a problem that shouldn't exist.

I still firmly believe that someone who initially certifies a student who is actively suffering from a debilitating fear that could cause them to panic during diving is doing something terribly wrong. However, that's not the case here.

Olivier has developed a course on a foundation of other skills he has in order to "mop up the mess", as it were. I think we should be more respectful of that and to acknowledge that some students who are a danger to themselves do get certified.

Moreover, and this is the thing that really started making me rethink my position, someone who didn't *initially* have problems with fears when they were certified can develop them later in life due to events that happen after certification. A trauma, a change that causes an adjustment disorder, a death, an addiction etc etc etc. Occupational therapists often counsel people who have *developed* problems so they can re-engage in activities that they previously undertook without issue.

I should have known this... I've seen an occupational therapist myself (sorry, that's all the details you're getting) and I should have been able to see it from that perspective.

Summary: I also wish to retract what I initially said about this topic.

R..

 

[ScubaSteve]

I hope the most critical point in this course is to disclose the "condition" before every dive to every diver. Even after your reprogramming. It would be nothing short of negligent to get in the water with someone and not tell them of the condition. No amount of your reprogramming can guarantee no relapses to panic so the foundation of the course should be "communication" and nothing else.

I like the idea that you are trying to help but I think what you are doing is bordering on murder (I am sure a lot of people will get caught up on this word......don't.......replace it with whatever you want). What is someone panics at 150' with significant deco obligation and they are only there because you convinced them they would not panic anymore? I know that is the theoretical extreme but I hope you see my point.

 

[Tigerman]

"Pnigophobia fear - fear of the inability to breathe or suffocate"

I think that sounds like a healthy attitude. I wouldnt want to do anything that makes me unable to breathe either

 

[Diver0001]

I wouldnt want to do anything that makes me unable to breathe either

Well nobody would. But that's not what a phobia is. A phobia is an *irrational* fear. Someone with this particular phobia, for example, may avoid wrapping up in a blanket because they're afraid it might smother them.

R..

 

[Tigerman]

I know, it was just the way it was written that triggered me

 

[SeaHorse81]

I hope the most critical point in this course is to disclose the "condition" before every dive to every diver. Even after your reprogramming. It would be nothing short of negligent to get in the water with someone and not tell them of the condition. No amount of your reprogramming can guarantee no relapses to panic so the foundation of the course should be "communication" and nothing else.

I like the idea that you are trying to help but I think what you are doing is bordering on murder (I am sure a lot of people will get caught up on this word......don't.......replace it with whatever you want). What is someone panics at 150' with significant deco obligation and they are only there because you convinced them they would not panic anymore? I know that is the theoretical extreme but I hope you see my point.

Oh my. I don't think you understand what work with phobias is about. It's not about "convincing" someone that they don't have the fear any more. It's a combination of actually reducing physical/emotional reactivity to the fear, and learning very specific tools for self-management that will help the person to know his limits and to be able to function well within them.

In any event, if you're worried that some phobic diver will somehow cause you a problem someday, you're worried about the wrong thing because there can't be that many of them and the odds of one of them ending up around you are negligible.

A far greater risk in the diving world is under-educated or simply novice or out-of-practice divers who are not phobic, but who panic when they get into a situation that is beyond their ability to cope. You can find those pretty easily and they don't come with disclaimer labels prominently displayed on them.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Oh my. I don't think you understand what work with phobias is about. It's not about "convincing" someone that they don't have the fear any more. It's a combination of actually reducing physical/emotional reactivity to the fear, and learning very specific tools for self-management that will help the person to know his limits and to be able to function well within them.

In any event, if you're worried that some phobic diver will somehow cause you a problem someday, you're worried about the wrong thing because there can't be that many of them and the odds of one of them ending up around you are negligible.

A far greater risk in the diving world is under-educated or simply novice or out-of-practice divers who are not phobic, but who panic when they get into a situation that is beyond their ability to cope. You can find those pretty easily and they don't come with disclaimer labels prominently displayed on them.

Agreed however I still do not want to be buddies with someone who does not disclose the fact that they have a fear of water or that has been "convinced" that they are not afraid. If they disclose it, then I can plan accordingly. I expect the same full disclosure of any diver re: their experience, theirs comfort etc.. I simply do not believe that someone can have a true phobia of water, get convinced they actually don't, and still perform safely underwater if it hits the fan.