Fearful adults always have a good reason...acknowledge it, and there is always a way through...
The not commonly acknowledged truth of people with fear is that there is almost always a good reason! I work with people of all ages to free themselves from fear in the water, the first step is deciphering the reason the fear exists.
An adult might have witnessed a drowning as a child, or their mother had fear and put it deep inside their body as a child to keep them safe.
Sometimes they can't figure out why they can't "get it" and always in those cases there is an undiagnosed functional difference that hinders them from accomplishing a key skill. These challenges are always solveable through identification, and then teaching them step by step until the body memorizes the process or through modifying to allow for the challenge to just exist.
And even when the logical mind acknowledges they are safe, their bodies still hold onto the fear with tightness (which makes you lower in the water), subconscious reactive tendencies that bring up fear at the simplest of movements, or a lack of the body being able to receive feedback to balance in the ungrounded sense that is the water when you are afloat as a few examples.
We acknowledge and respect the fear inside the body, and are experts at helping you have tiny comfort zone pushes that serve to teach the body through the challenges. Until we can teach the body it's safe, trying to add skills just doesn't work.
For example a brave woman committed to accomplishing swimming had a huge "jerk" response when just hanging on a noodle, as her body gently bounced up and down with the water. Every time the noodle moved, she gasped, tightened, and they got scared. Even though she knew I was 1/4" away and holding her, her body still had fear response!
The way through (and there is always a way) is two fold. We spend time, precious time on the noodle NOT thinking about it. We talk about something else, share a story, and just let the body/brain synapse connect such that the fear response dissipates. The body's balancing system gains skill and the mind is otherwise engaged. Suddenly the swimmer realizes mentally that she is no longer having a jerk response, and that the fear on that particular skill is gone. In 10 minutes we have conquered a fear attached to a non skill that has existed for a lifetime!
Like a delicious layer cake, getting over fear is just layer upon layer of releasing trauma both in the mind and body, and THEN layering on skill by skill until before you know it, and rather quickly, you have overcome a lifetime of fear and limitation!
Anything you want is just waiting to happen. Join us and not only learn to swim but beam with the accomplishment of pushing through limitation. It will seep into many areas of your life way beyond the pool!
