The Healing Power of Scuba Diving
As many as 800 000 Australians suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at any given time, making it the second most common mental health disorder.
Scuba for Veterans & PTSD sufferers
The Scuba Gym Australia is passionate about bringing the joy and proven healing power of scuba to people with disabilities. We change the lives of people with PTSD, autism, paraplegia, quadriplegia, traumatic brain injury and other disabilities. We give disabled divers access to a physical activity that brings them joy, freedom from pain, and something they can enjoy with friends and family.
Scuba diving provides a unique environment with many therapeutic effects that can’t be replicated on land. If I can breathe underwater, what else is possible? This is huge for all divers and especially those with PTSD or, amputees with the will to do more than ever.
Our divers also tell us the mental benefits of scuba, the silent world gives them a chance to focus and just breathe. The weightlessness of being underwater can relieve physical pain. There is ample worldwide research backing the benefits of scuba diving for people with PTSD, amputees and disabled.
We believe that “together we are stronger” and surround disabled divers with a team or support system. PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder is a major cause of suicide for veterans – one Australian veteran loses their battle almost every day. Feeling very isolated and have trouble communicating what they’re going through, or engaging the community. Through our program, disabled divers meet people with similar problems and work through them together. We also provide training to get loved-ones involved, as divers, gear handlers, or whatever role they want to play.
“The strongest people are not those who show their strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.”
Adaptive Scuba Diving is the name given to scuba diving courses for people with disabilities. Amputees, paraplegics and quadriplegics are included in this form of scuba diving where we train you and your buddy to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable scuba diving experience and you go on to explore the oceans with your dive buddy.
For our PTSD divers, you may or may not require an “Adaptive Scuba Diving Course” depending on the diagnosis you present. You may be able to go straight into an Open Water Scuba Class, one that is specifically tailored to ensure you gain the skills to ensure you benefit from scuba diving and take on the world with new vigor and gusto. The first step for all our divers is to sign up for an Experience Scuba Dive also known as a Try Dive. Actually, we don’t like to try anything – we just prefer to do it.
The benefits of Scuba Diving are massive and have been researched and well documented all over the world – especially for pain and PTSD sufferers.
For our Veterans we offer you an opportunity to dive in and get qualified, then explore our local beaches looking for new dive sites that offer new challenges and use your time underwater to the advantage both yourself and the ocean too. Here’s an example of what veterans are doing in the USA to overcome addictions after returning from combat…
