Could you be holding onto a block … a feeling of something distressing, challenging or outright traumatic that seems to pop out of nowhere? Maybe you know that it is linked to an accident or other problematic diving experience, or perhaps you have no idea why it happens, just that you feel stressed by a specific scuba skill or situation. These mental blocks can really … Continue reading Removing mental blocks to diving with a new approach
Are there any scuba diving skills you struggle with, or feel nervous about? It’s natural to find ways to try to avoid the anxiety, but moving away from an emotion tends to increase its hold, and can lead to blockages in the learning process. On the Psychology for Scuba Divers course, there is a place to reflect on what we need to learn effectively. One … Continue reading Building comfort with scuba mask skills with psychology
Why am I excited to share my first article on diving psychology in DAN Europe (Divers Alert Network Europe) Alert Diver magazine?!I’ve been thinking/talking/writing about Diving Psychology for over a decade now .. but it was around 2015 I really started looking for what was already out there. Turns out, not very much at all! But one of the few places I found useful articles … Continue reading First article in Alert Diver
You may have noticed a few changes on scubapsyche.com in the last few days. I want to let you in on what is going on. The major change is that I’ve officially set up a company to be the place I offer services and courses for divers: FIT TO DIVE LTD. I want to make that a space that divers can find information, create inspiration … Continue reading FIT TO DIVE: Time to let you know what is going on!
The neutral buoyancy teaching debate focuses on how skills are introduced. Do you start your students off by kneeling on the floor of a pool and gradually work towards neutral skills? Would having them lie prone on the bottom be a better start? Or should we go the other way and start from the surface and work our way down, learning everything without touching the … Continue reading Turning teaching scuba divers inside out
Yesterday I was teaching PADI Psychological Diver, on a Zoom call, with six divers from around the world. The course encourages sharing of experiences, fascinating discussions and inspiration. This course was no different, and one of the ideas hit with such force, it has to be shared. Towards the end of the classroom session we look at diver stress and how panic develops. Experiences of … Continue reading How isn’t there a dive signal for panic?
Knowing (or rather not knowing) the risks around Covid 19 and it’s potential implications for scuba diving, like a lot of divers I’ve been pretty cautious about going out for a dive. So, following all the advice to stay home and protect each other, I focused on my work and offering PADI Psychological Diver online. This has been an incredible experience and I’ve very much … Continue reading The first post-lockdown dives of summer 2020
“Are you a scuba diver? Fancy a brew?” was essentially the message I got from Andy. He’d noticed my Instagram name was laura_scubapsychologist and thought we might be interested in talking about the same things. The focus of Andy’s podcast is mental resilience and wellbeing in scuba diving – whether that’s how diving helps us with that, or how we can work on ourselves to … Continue reading First podcast interview about dive psychology
Have you been affected by things other divers do? Or forget to do! Do you make mistakes when diving? I’d be very surprised if you said no. I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a diver, I don’t know a diver who hasn’t! In reality, most of the time we are lucky. Whether it’s jumping in with the wrong weight belt, descending while breathing … Continue reading “If Only … “
Today this certificate arrived! The course is well within my qualification as a Clinical Psychologist so, having seen the course, I applied direct to teach it. My experience is in working with mental health in the NHS and private practice, e.g. anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, bipolar and psychosis. But I’ve tended to avoid offering services to support mental and emotional wellbeing for divers, choosing to … Continue reading Officially qualified as EFR Mental Health Awareness Instructor
