Fear of Deep Water

QUESTION:

I am wondering if you are able to help me overcome a fear of deep water. I am 55 years old and decided to overcome a life-long fear and have started swimming lessons. I have been in the deep end of the pool with my trainer several times now, and altho I am learning with each lesson and feeling better about it all, I still panic! Right in the middle of treading water, I get short of breath and want to scramble to the edge for safety! I know it's silly. My wonderful trainer is working diligently with me and I told her I was going to explore this and she encourages it. What are your thoughts? I have a very vivid memory of nearly drowning as a child. My older sister remembers the incident but my Mom has always denied it happened.

ANSWER:

How persistent you are! You've come through a lot, and it takes courage to do that. So it's within you to learn to swim without anxiety.  Hypnotic work helps you to tap into those resources when you are swimming. Also, it is possible to release the hold over you from that past experience of near-drowning.  It's a lot easier than you might think. The age you were when you had that negative experience is still within you having that same experience again and again, as if locked in time.  In other words, your panic is that little girl’s panic.  She doesn’t know that you have become an adult and can now handle yourself differently.  A good hypnotherapist knows how to help that child part of you understand that time has changed and that she no longer needs to be afraid.  The therapist can than give suggestions that make it very easy to swim. A good imaage for you would be a "become" a dolphin, whale, or other fish that finds water a comfortable place to be.