Over the years I have had a few people who simply could not cope with the thought of putting their face into the water, this caused a big problem because my swimming techniques, which solely focus on balance, demand that the face had to go into the water.

I really understand what it is like to be frightened of the water and want to pass on my life changing experience of being so comfortable in the water to everyone that I teach.

This has given me a new challenge, to help a person to get to like the water without that dread of immersing the head. In all of my articles I stress how important it is to get a balance and , of course this means being horizontal on the water.

What needs to be done is for a person to be comfortable in the water, this can take some time, so a 9 intensive course is too much for the very phobic person.

For £210.00 I offer a 6 hour very much relaxed tuition over 2 days including two treatments from my hair and beauty, massage salon. The 6 hour relaxed tuition will involve being in the water under different circumstances.

If the student does not want to put their head in the water, that is not a problem, the most important thing is that they are comfortable.

The time in the water will be completely down to the individual.

JANE

When Jane came for her therapy for the phobia of being any where near water, 20 minutes was all she could take at first.

Prior to that we had a relaxed discussion about her feelings and why she was frightened, all in all we were together for about 1 hour the first time.

As she had booked up for a back massage with Natalie the beauty therapist, Jane was able to relax after her first encounter with the water.

When Jane was ready we went back into the pool, this time I had candles and soft music in the pool area to give her the feeling of being in a cocoon. She was able to walk about unaided, balance by sitting in the water, all the time understanding how the water reacted to her body.

At a later time she had a manicure by Natalie.

Jane chose the times she wanted to be in the water which is a very different approach to the set times I offer.

So the 6 hours would involve plenty of talking, understanding of the water, wonderful beauty therapy , of which a person can have a choice of 2 treatments.

Although Jane could not swim when she left she most certainly was not scared of the water. Her intention is to come back again and try for the 9 hour intensive, in fact she has already booked for her next course and has already been into her local pool with her friend.

PAUL

When Paul came for his super relaxed 6 hours he was in a very tense state.

We sat talking with a coffee for some time and he explained to me that he nearly drowned owing to a bad experience with a friend in his local pool. In fact he was taken to hospital after the paramedics resuscitated him.

There was no way at this time he was able to put his head in the water because this would have given him a claustrophobic feeling.

My aim was to help him to understand that the water was not the enemy and that it re-acts to what a person does. He was so enthralled by this that he stayed in the water for 2 hours, but without putting his face in.

After that Natalie gave him a back massage. He then had lunch and relaxed for a while and when he was ready we continued in the pool with me ( a bit difficult to give him the soft music and candle treatment!) but nevertheless I counselled him regarding how he could put his fears in the right place.

The whole idea of this 6 hours over 2 days is to give a person the taste of learning how to relax in the water without the stress of doing the thing you fear most.

Paul was able to get his face in the water and balance, but this was done in a very slow way because the whole idea of the 2 days was not necessarily to learn how to swim.

Paul chose to have his hair styled by Karen.

The 2 days has given him the start he needed to be confident in the water and he said he most definitely will come back for the 9 hour intensive.