There are two kinds of divers.
The ones who dive to lose themselves, and the ones who want to find themselves.
I suffer from PTSD from various events, I have OCD, I had an inferiority complex, and I was prone to addictions. Now I am just addicted to diving. In my almost 20 years of career in the industry, I’ve been diving with people who suffered from dramatic losses, veterans with service-related PTSD, and others who are affected by chronic stress and depression.
These individuals and I are the living proof that scuba diving, like any other intense activity that requires focus and commitment, can help you heal from trauma, and give meaning to your life.
I am not a psychologist; I am just a diver.
What I am about to share is my life experience and not a diagnosis or a prescription for a cure!
THE TWO KINDS OF DIVERS
I met divers with tragic stories, who lost interest in living. They dive to disconnect from their reality and lose themselves for a few hours.
If this is you, you probably do only easy dives, where you don’t need to focus too much.
You just want to enjoy a little moment and forget about the rest.
It is possible to dive in this condition, but with limitations. In case of an emergency, you might become a liability for the divers around you. You should only dive supervised by an instructor who is aware of how you feel. It takes courage to talk about your situation, but you must be fair to the people who plan to spend time with you underwater.
You are running away from your problems, which means you focus on them all the time. They will follow you underwater and decrease your tolerance to stress.
The level of focus you can afford is comparable to watching a movie on the couch, where if you get distracted, nothing bad happens…. Except, you are not on the couch; you are underwater!
In some cases, it may be safer not to dive at all… at least for now.
There are other sports you can do, until you are ready to be an asset for your buddies. Be fair!
Other people, like myself, are looking for something that allows them to express their potential.
We want to find out who we are and what we are capable of doing with our body and mind.
Diving to connect with yourself can lead to great success in recovering from a trauma, as we visualize ourselves in the future and not in the past. We decide to leave the problems behind. Our life can be hell or heaven under the same circumstances. We decide to focus on opportunities instead of losses.
This level of focus is similar to playing video games, where you have to give your best at any moment, or you lose.
When I am diving, I have no name, no friends, no family, no past and no future. I just exist, one fin kick at a time. I don’t need to stay focused, I already am!
HOW TO MAKE THE SHIFT
We all experienced traumatic events. We can let them determine how we feel, or we can use them to grow.
Diving is just one of the ways through which we can direct our energy.
If we are looking for a temporary distraction, it’s because we are afraid of facing our problems.
As for stress management, accepting the past and what you cannot change is more useful than understanding the causes. We all have good reasons to be stressed and traumatized… life itself is the main one!
The second part is deciding that we are worth the effort of pushing through and create a future for ourselves.
After all, what else do you have to do that is more important than that?!
I am just a guy on the internet, not a guru. There are more qualified people to help us!
I’ve been treated for PTSD by a psychologist as a kid, and it changed my life.
DIVING HELPED ME HEAL FROM TRAUMA
Diving gave me a purpose: exploring the planet beneath the surface and admiring the marine life!
Diving gave a second chance: I can move, think, and act freely in this different environment, where my complexes are not a limitation anymore, because I left them at the surface.
Diving brought me back to the surface: The self-confidence gained by doing what I love emerged with me from the water. I felt better about myself and my future, as I managed to leave my past experiences behind me, ready to face any challenge that comes.
Everything started from accepting the truth. My life sucked because of my procrastination, and I had to do what I always wanted… at all costs! I had to become a diving instructor!
Losing yourself can be dangerous, and hard to recover from.
Finding yourself is extremely hard, but meaningful and rewarding.
