Q&A: Strategies for overcoming the fear of water

For those with a fear of the water, summer is the season of avoidance.

But adults can get over aquaphobia — and subsequently reduce their risk of drowning, says Jeff Krieger, creator of a program called S.O.A.P. (Strategies for Overcoming Aquatic Phobias), based at the Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco and The Whitehall Club in Riverdale. Krieger, an aquatic therapist who runs a company called Water Phobias, will speak in October at the World Aquatic Health Conference in Portland, Ore., where a documentary featuring his work, "Taking the Plunge," will make its debut.

What makes people afraid of the water?

Fear is a very important part of our survival mode. Without fear, we would be doing stupid things like sticking our hands in fire and jumping off buildings. But when fear becomes exaggerated, it is an abnormal reaction to normal circumstances: an adult stands in waist-deep water and feels as if they're going to pass out or are in imminent danger of dying. The majority of phobic swimmers have no idea where the phobia came from. Some people have witnessed or experienced a near-drowning. near drowning. And there are people who never learned how to swim, due to health issues, financial issues or living in a landlocked area where pools weren't around the corner. What you end up having is a fear of the fear. You might be the next Michael Phelps and you'll never know it because you've never been in a pool.

What motivates people to work with you?

There are parents who don't know how to swim, and don't want to pass that on to their children. The larger group are grandparents who want to be able to take their grandchildren into the water, and they want their focus to be on that child and not on their fear. And then there's the fitness factor: How do I stay in shape at 50, 60, 70?

How do you encourage aquaphobic people to get into the pool?

I try to learn about the fear, and about them in general. Do they have any other phobias, and if so, have they received treatment? What was their childhood like? Did they have opportunities to swim and, because of the fear, chose not to? When I started the program, one of my clients was a retired Marine. He said, "I went to Korea and Vietnam, I watched people die, but nothing scares me more than knowing at some point I'm going into that pool." Even if every fiber of their body is telling them, "I'm going to die, I can't breathe, I'm going to drown," the phrase I constantly use is, "Just give me five seconds of your life to prove that you're capable of doing what you never thought you'd be doing." I reassure them that if they listen to what I ask them to do, they will be successful. I will never put them in a position of danger.

Before putting their faces in the water, they have to learn how to hold their breath, right?

The breathing process is the foundation. We don't move on until they learn how to breathe: when to inhale and when to exhale. This is done holding onto the side of the pool, or holding onto me.

What happens in the next sessions?

There are three degrees of separation: separation from holding onto the side of the pool, getting your feet off the bottom of the pool and letting go of any flotation device, and letting go of me. Then we start to go into the feeling of them being under water. I ask them to sit on the bottom of the pool (in shallow water), and then we move on to the front and back float. Before I put them in water that's over their head, I teach them how to tread water and how to do a kind of backstroke so they can get themselves to the side of the pool if they feel uncomfortable. And all of a sudden, the light bulb goes off: "Wait a minute, I'm in deep water." I can't tell you how many times I've had to let the clients cry it out because it was such an emotional relief to them. At that point, I begin to introduce the technical aspects of learning how to swim and learning how to feel comfortable in seven, eight, nine feet of water.

What precautions precuations should people take when they go swimming in a natural body of water?

Never, ever swim alone. You have to use caution every time you're in the water. Always swim where there's a lifeguard, or with someone you know is a strong swimmer. The visibility in a lake, on a river, or in the ocean is bad. The drownings you see in movies or on television are not what happens. Once you've gone under, it's a silent killer.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Twitter: @LindaLombroso

About Jeff Krieger

Jeff Krieger has a master's degree in guidance and counseling, and has worked as a swim and water-safety instructor for more than 30 years. He currently sees clients all over the region. You can reach him at 727-741-3088. Learn more at http://www.waterphobias.com