Page 413 - Total War on PTSD

time, they are now slightly distracted from doing something they are afraid of — letting go and letting the water support the body.
We take short breaks between activities as necessary. It is not a quick and easy process to face fears. Sometimes I start with floating without kicking, it just really depends on the spirit of the lesson. While kicking and holding on to the steps, or wall, I can now have my client quickly let go for a blink-of-an-eye moment and quickly return to holding on. “Wait! What! Oh, wow, did you feel that?” “How did that feel?” We repeat that with increasing the number of blinks per moment.
After this, we work on submerging. Some people think it’s impossible to force themselves to submerge, and that’s when they learn that the more force you exert on the water, the more force the water is going to exert on you. This pushes you up and keeps you afloat. Ideally, it raises your hips to the surface. This works best when your muscles are relaxed.
Having eliminated the fear and the reason for the fear, we move onto kicking, balanced on the water while breathing through the nose. I hold onto their hands the entire time until they are ready to let go. In just one lesson with this approach, I’ve taken clients from having intense fear of being in the water, to breathing, balancing, and kicking 25 yards across the pool, with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen.
OUR ORGANIZATION
It’s important to note that at One with the Water, we are swimming experts. We teach the best and most efficient approach to the most pertinent skills of swimming: breathing, balance, kicking and pulling. We break it down to simple achievable goals to help everyone succeed. We get to know you as a person — your fears and your strengths. Instead of wasting time focused on your weaknesses, we work with your
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