Why Aquatic Therapy & Swim Lessons are Important for Trauma

Discover how important life skills can be nurtured, as we explore the multiple benefits of choosing aquatic therapy or swim lessons for individuals who have experienced Trauma.

Traumatic experiences can have an impact on arousal, anxiety levels, processing, and behavior. This can make it challenging to participate in traditional therapy and activities. However, aquatic therapy and swim lessons offer a unique and effective way to accommodate and alleviate anxiety in individuals who have experienced trauma.

Trauma & Water Safety

What is Trauma?

Trauma results from exposure to an incident that is emotionally disturbing and causes lasting effects on an individual’s mental, physical, social, and emotional functioning and well-being. A traumatic water related event has the potential to create a relationship built on fear between the child and the water, which can lead to difficulty with learning to swim through traditional methods.

Statistics Relating to Water Safety for Children With Trauma

  • Parents who never learn to swim are more likely to raise children who also don’t know how to swim, yet these parents are expected to supervise their children in, near, and around water. This creates a very dangerous situation. Over 20% of adults who cannot swim have reported experiencing water-related traumas, often as a result of someone forcefully trying to teach them how to swim. One in four children experience a potentially traumatic event before the age of 16 so it is important to understand that these individuals may learn differently, and the instructors or therapists teaching these individuals may need to adapt to better suit their needs.

How Adaptive Swim Lessons and Aquatic Therapy Contribute to Water Safety

Part of our mission at Swim Angelfish is to help improve water safety for children of all abilities and create a supportive, understanding environment where water safety skills can flourish. Aquatic therapy can help satiate a child’s sensory needs as well as improve their strength, coordination, and motor planning so that they are able to function safely in an aquatic environment. For children who have experienced trauma, aquatic therapy is also beneficial for helping to relieve stress and anxiety through a variety of relaxation techniques. Swim lessons additionally help children develop a crucial sense of awareness for water safety and independent movement, while fostering a positive and functional relationship between the child and the water.

Adaptive Swim Lessons for Trauma

Learning to swim is an important life skill for all children, but it can be especially beneficial for children who have undergone trauma. Swimming is a great way for children who have experienced a water trauma to anxiety to practice confronting a situation that may initially evoke negative emotions, and practice conquering fear in a supportive structured environment, to build confidence and decrease fear.

The best way to build confidence is to practice doing things that make you uncomfortable. Learning to swim following a water-trauma is a perfect example of doing exactly that. Children who have experienced trauma may also experience increased stress as well as impaired sleep patterns. Swimming has been shown to lower stress levels and improve sleep patterns through the release of endorphins. The hydrostatic pressure of the water also helps release neurochemicals that result in a feeling of calmness which can be extremely beneficial for children with anxiety as a result of trauma.

When dealing with anxiety, breathing exercises are commonly introduced as a coping mechanism for anxious episodes. Being in the water creates ample opportunities to practice breath control and mindfulness, which also helps children feel more relaxed and at ease. These skills that are practiced in the water can also translate to improved breath control on land.

Benefits of Swim Lessons for Trauma

  • Builds confidence.
  • Decreases stress and improves sleep patterns.
  • Improved breath control and mindfulness.

Aquatic Therapy for Trauma

Aquatic therapy can be extremely beneficial for children who have experienced trauma. Many techniques utilized during aquatic therapy are designed to decrease stress, improve muscle tension, and relieve pain. Children with intense anxiety as a result of trauma may experience somatic symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, or altered pain perception.

Watsu is an example of an aquatic therapy technique that can be used to decrease pain, improve joint mobility, and decrease anxiety. Aquatic therapy can also help improve thoracic and rib cage mobility through a variety of interventions. Improved thoracic expansion leads to improved depth and efficiency of breathing.

Children with anxiety tend to struggle with their breathing patterns, resulting in small shallow breaths when nervous. Using aquatic therapy techniques to improve rib cage expansion with inhalation will help these children improve their efficiency of breathing by learning to take deeper diaphragmatic breaths, which helps to decrease anxiety and regulate their rate of breathing.

Children who struggle with PTSD or who have experienced trauma may also experience symptoms of sensory overload. In these situations, it can be difficult to focus and regulate one’s emotions. Aquatic therapy utilizes a variety of sensory integration techniques to improve self-regulation and lead to decreased symptoms of sensory overload, commonly experienced by individuals with PTSD or trauma.

Benefits of Aquatic Therapy for Trauma

  • Improved relaxation and decreased muscle tension/pain.
  • Improved breathing patterns.
  • Improved self-regulation and decreased symptoms of sensory overload.

Tips for Children With Trauma That Will Make a BIG Difference

Our Swim Whisperers® Adaptive Aquatics Training Program is the only Adaptive Aquatics Training program that uses a therapeutic approach to assess, identify, and overcome the roadblocks that are present in children with special needs while learning to swim.

Here are some great tips when working with individuals who have Trauma:

  • Be gentle
    These children may not respond well to high pitches or more aggressive handling techniques. Speak calmly and be gentle when handling these children to decrease their anxiety.
  • Explain what you are going to do before you touch them so that they can anticipate your touch and not be alarmed
    Many of these children may feel anxious or frightened by an unanticipated touch. By letting them know where you are going to hold them and why you are touching them, they can better prepare for the sensation and be less nervous when it comes.
  • Focus on building confidence and creating a positive relationship between the child and the water
    Have fun with these kids! Show them all of the amazing things that they can do in the water. Help them see that they are capable and teach them that water isn’t something to fear, but something to appreciate.

Trauma Swim Lessons and Aquatic Therapy Near Me

We can help you find a qualified instructor or aquatic therapist to help your child with Trauma become safer and more independent in the water.

We have highly skilled instructors certified in the Swim Whisperers® program who will work with your child to identify and address any underlying obstacles that they are experiencing with learning to swim.

We also have licensed aquatic physical, occupational and recreational therapists who will use a fun, innovative multi-sensory approach to reach specific therapy goals. We offer private, semi-private and small group sessions across multiple locations in CT, MA, NH and NY.

Interested in Learning How to Teach Swimmers with Trauma?

You can advance your swim instructor skills today! When you get certified through the Swim Whisperers® Adaptive Aquatics Training Program, you will have access to proven and time-tested course material, strategies and techniques that will help to make life-changing differences in your swim lessons.

Featured Trauma and Swimming Blogs

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene is a pediatric Physical Therapist with more than 25 years of experience treating a variety of diagnoses, both in and out of the water. She is NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) trained in pediatrics and is trained in DIR/Floortime. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. Ailene brings all of her Physical Therapy expertise into the water, where she helps children of all abilities feel safe, confident, and independent. She combines her passion and skill for working with children with special needs with the therapeutic properties of the water to achieve amazing results. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by educating other Aquatic Professionals so that they can also make a significant impact on the lives of swimmers with special needs.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy is a recreational therapist and an Occupational therapist. After working for ten years as a recreational therapist in a variety of settings, she pursued a Master’s degree in OT. Her career as an OT includes specialty training in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. As a swimmer and national champion diver, Her love of the water combined with her education and work experience created them an opportunity for Swim Angelfish to become a reality! “Our mission is to create an aquatic community of trained instructors so that together we can decrease the alarming statistic of drowning being the leading cause of death for children with special needs.”