He found calm where you’d least expect it: deep underwater

• A French divemaster developed an underwater mindfulness protocol after finding scuba diving helped his panic attacks.
• Research suggests that immersion in water, particularly through scuba diving, can reduce anxiety and PTSD symptoms.
• The practice of scuba diving forces a focus on slow, deep breathing, which can have a calming effect on the body and mind.

Vincent Meurice hasn't had a panic attack in nearly 20 years. His treatment wasn't a medical pill nor a new therapist. He attributes the change to scuba diving.

For about six years, since he was 19, Meurice suffered from these sudden onsets of anxiety and fear, and was trying to manage them through sophrology, a mindfulness practice that focuses on the mind-body connection well-known throughout Europe. A 2020 study from Spain had patients with moderate to high levels of anxiety go through a four-week program of sophrology techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing. They showed significant improvements compared to a control group.

Meurice, 50, began to realize one of the only times he never had one was when he was diving. Originally from northern France, Meurice has been scuba diving since he was 11, and is now a divemaster based on the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.

"Each time I'm underwater, I'm able to concentrate and stay where I am in the present moment," Meurice told USA TODAY. "I'm not going into some huge stuff and saying, OK, that mess, what I'm going to do, and stuff like this."

He started intentionally meditating during dives, saying it was easier and quieter when removed from his stresses on land. Then, he combined training in sophrology with scuba diving to develop an underwater protocol to improve mental health. Mindfulness techniques are assisted by the sensory experience of scuba diving, like deep breathing through the regulator and watching the trail of bubbles, even just hearing each breath.

Using water as a force of healing isn't entirely new. Ancient societies have long regarded the element as a form of holistic medicine for their well-being, as seen in Roman thermal baths and Japanese onsens. Today, we know it as hydrotherapy, such as those sensory deprivation tanks.

Now, modern research is backing it up. Meurice's work is part of the emerging research that supports the restorative powers of water, more specifically, what happens when we totally immerse ourselves in it through scuba diving.

As more people discover how diving and mental health are intertwined, the aquatic activity could see itself as the new frontier in aiding therapy.

How water heals

Going to the beach or for a dip in the ocean can feel rejuvenating. And it is. Salt water contains healing minerals and the sensation of immersing yourself in water has been found to be relaxing. Even just looking at blue spaces – bodies of water like coasts or lakes – can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, according to a small peer-reviewed 2021 study by theUniversity of California, Davis.

Scuba diving goes even deeper, with both mental and physical benefits.

Scuba divers explore the aquatic world by breathing air from a tank strapped to their bodies and entering a weightless state of "neutral buoyancy," which feels like floating through the water.

Many divers, myself included, can attest to a sense of calm and awe as they drift among the vibrant coral reefs and marine life. When I'm underwater, I am forced to be present and aware of my breathing – I'm in a completely different environment from what I'm used to.

"To have your dive last as long as it possibly can, divers need to slow down, take their deep breaths, be as conservative with their air supply as possible," said Kristin Valette-Wirth, the chief brand and membership officer for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. "What that does is it's a whole calming force for your body and soul. It's like underwater yoga in a way."

In 2011, PADI teamed up with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the Kennedy Krieger Institute to conduct a study on how scuba diving could help veterans with physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the end of the six-week study, the veterans showed improved sensory responsiveness and muscle movement.

Subsequent research supports these results. In creating his own program, Meurice also ran four clinical trials from 2017 through 2019, finding that diving in tandem with his sophrologic techniques was effective in stress management and reducing PTSD symptoms in French military members.

Thanks to adaptive equipment, people of various abilities can benefit from scuba diving. Another PADI study from 2016, organized by the Cody Unser First Step Foundation that included 10 wheelchair-dependent scuba divers, discovered diving helped with depression, motor control and muscle spasticity. The sense of accomplishment with diving can also improve their confidence, the study found.

The future of dive therapy

Building on this research, scuba diving is becoming a burgeoning means of supporting mental health. More PADI dive centers around the world are credentialed adaptive facilities and eco centers with citizen science programs, like the new shark and ray conservation certification. Giving back, such as through these conservation-focused dives, has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels.

Meurice's protocol, called Bathysmed, is meant to give people the tools to help reduce anxiety or depression, but is not a cure-all to replace psychological treatment. "We're not going to resolve problems," he said. "Just face the problem better, go faster and find skills – pretty much the same thing that you do when doing meditation, actually."

Specially trained scuba diving instructors take clients out on meditative dives that incorporate breathing techniques, body sensations and movement, and visualizations – all of which are heightened in the water to make the mind-body connection easier. Since you can't speak underwater, he also came up with new hand signals to prompt the mindfulness skills.

"It's a mindful movement that we work in the water," said Meurice. "It makes more sense because there's no stimuli in the water. You don't have any phone notifications, and beeps, and alarms, and stuff like this. It's just you and your breathing."

An act as simple as breathing becomes a full-body sensation underwater. When divers inhale, they rise, and when they exhale, they sink. "The brain registers the sensation, once again, even better when you do that at the surface because you're really heavier and you're really lighter," he said.

Meurice has trained around 150 instructors in the protocol across Australia, Canada, France, Switzerland and Malaysia. He also runs 10-day retreats that are split up into focusing on the body, mind and then both.

There's still a long way to go in uncovering what scuba diving can do for people's well-being. "I feel like we're just scratching the surface on the opportunities here because there are groups that (PADI is) starting to work with that go pretty deep into this space," said Valette-Wirth.

In the meantime, sliding on a pair of fins and exploring under the water's surface is a worthwhile way to temporarily escape your daily stresses, get away from doom scrolling and connect with the beauty of nature.

This story was updated to refresh headlines.