Fear of Swimming

'I recently took part in a one kilometre open water swim across the bay of Lyme Regis. It was really exciting and I felt safe and calm throughout and glad to [have] RLNI lifeguards on hand in case I needed rescuing for whatever reason. I completed the race in 19 minutes, I was 70th out of 75, and I was so very proud of myself. It wasn’t until about two hours after the race that I realised I had completed the swim without once thinking about what was under the murky brown coloured water – this had been a long held fear of mine lasting for over thirty years that had deterred me from ever swimming out of my depth in the sea. I had just finished a short course of hypnotherapy with Fiona Robinson to help me cope with the fear of the unknown under the water and I know it got me through the race and a lifetime’s personal achievement.'