Tag: scuba divers

Approaches to support divers following an incident in scuba diving, Psychological impact of accidents and incidents, TRAUMA, Uncategorized

Scuba diving PTSD: how common is it, why does it matter and what may be done?

Experiencing some lingering distress , mental or emotional issues after a traumatic experience is relatively common. Mostly, the person heals and the problem resolves naturally. However, for a proportion of people this reaction may develop into psychological stress injury or post-traumatic stress (disorder, i.e. PTSD). Divers do occasionally face challenging incidents or circumstances, such as decompression illness, barotrauma, entrapment/entanglement, lost gas events and rapid ascents. … Continue reading Scuba diving PTSD: how common is it, why does it matter and what may be done?

Dr Laura Walton
Approaches to support divers following an incident in scuba diving, NEWS, Personal reflections and guest posts, Psychological impact of accidents and incidents, TRAUMA, Uncategorized

Review of 2022

In December 2021 I asked: …is it okay if we talk about what happens when dives go wrong? Is that something you would talk about with your buddies, or instructors?  The rest of the newsletter read: Diving Psychology can help scuba divers in all sorts of ways, but there’s only one of me so next year I’m focusing on psychological trauma in diving.  That’s stress injuries, or post-traumatic stress … Continue reading Review of 2022

Dr Laura Walton
Standing outside DDRC
Events, NEWS

Presenting at the British Hyperbaric Association Annual Conference 2022

This month I was honored to be invited to the British Hyperbaric Association (BHA) annual meeting, and conference hosted by DDRC Healthcare (was Diving Diseases Research Centre). I was delighted to have the opportunity to talk about my work and share the ways that Diving Psychology can help divers. I presented a recent case, where the diver was helped to recover from a distressing diving experience … Continue reading Presenting at the British Hyperbaric Association Annual Conference 2022

Dr Laura Walton
Approaches to support divers following an incident in scuba diving, NEWS, TRAUMA

New page to inform divers of support and self-help when a dive goes badly wrong

Do you think there is enough information and support for scuba divers after diving goes wrong? Not the immediate rescue, aftermath and medical assistance, but resources for mental and emotional impact. What about when there was no need for rescue and support, yet the diver is struggling to make sense of what happened or experiencing post-trauma issues. Would you be aware of options in this … Continue reading New page to inform divers of support and self-help when a dive goes badly wrong

Dr Laura Walton
PRO

Turning teaching scuba divers inside out

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

Dr Laura Walton
EXTRA, PADI Blog, Psychological skills for scuba divers, SKILLS, Uncategorized

Improve scuba skills from your sofa

If you are looking for a way to improve your scuba skills, consider learning effective techniques to mentally rehearse any skills. You can read our brief introduction on the PADI blog below. If you would like to learn this skill more deeply, and be aware of how to avoid the pitfalls, please check out our course. The course guides you through this accessible way to … Continue reading Improve scuba skills from your sofa

Dr Laura Walton
Approaches to support divers following an incident in scuba diving, Diver panic and anxiety

The Dive Psychology Iceberg

It’s the beginning of a new year and a new decade. I’ve had the iceberg metaphor in mind since the end of December. Fueled by the excitement of what is there to explore and the frustration of communicating it sometimes. This post is simply a wander through some of that and a reflection on dive psychology. The iceberg dive How deep does it go? Where … Continue reading The Dive Psychology Iceberg

Dr Laura Walton
Psychological skills for scuba divers, SKILLS, Uncategorized

Mental Rehearsal for Scuba Diving

When we do something new, we often benefit from rehearsing the skills and getting familiar with the situation. To actually do this, we need to be in the real-life situation. In scuba diving that usually means underwater, with all of our kit and people to dive with. But we don’t have to be! We can also practice skills using mental rehearsal for scuba diving. What … Continue reading Mental Rehearsal for Scuba Diving

Dr Laura Walton
ASK, Being okay with basic scuba skills using psychological tips, SKILLS

How can I use less air when scuba diving?

Six areas you can change to help use less air when scuba diving Below are six areas that influence what you do, and your experience as a diver. Click on the area to read more about changes you can make to use less air when scuba diving. .. your thinking Thinking about air consumption on a dive?  Don’t! It increases stress a little. Heart & breathing increase, so you use a little more air.  Accept your air consumption for what it is;  it WILL improve. … the situation Consider what can be changed.   Dive sites that are shallower? Less affected by strong current?  Or change your kit, proper weighting & trim can reduce how much air you use. … … Continue reading How can I use less air when scuba diving?

Dr Laura Walton
ASK

Nervous before scuba diving, what should I do?

It is not unusual to be nervous before scuba diving, especially if you are new or just learning. It can also happen if you’ve had a break or are taking on a new challenge. Being excited, nervous or apprehensive about a dive can sometimes feel a bit much, and you just want to calm yourself and get in the right mindset to enjoy the dive, … Continue reading Nervous before scuba diving, what should I do?

Dr Laura Walton