PTSD Statistics

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 In 2011, Johns Hopkins University and the Cody Unser First Step Foundation completed a scuba research study on ten paralyzed Veterans suffering from PTSD by having them complete their Open Water Diver scuba course certification. Over the four-day course, the Veterans completed several dives and noticed an 80% reduction in their PTSD symptoms. Additionally, they reported an average 15 percent reduction in muscle spasticity, an average 10 percent increase in sensitivity to light touch and five percent increase to pinprick. In some individuals the improvement in tone, sensation or motor function was between 20 and 30 percent. All of these results lasted from weeks to months. They also found a decrease of 15 percent in obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms in the disabled divers, a similar decrease in signs of depression, and an overall decrease in mental problems using a validated psychological assessment.

Beyond the typical symptoms of PTSD, scuba diving has been proven as a form of therapy for many reasons and for many divers. The weightlessness resulting from immersion in water allows participants a respite from chronic pain. The low auditory sound experience underwater reduces the humming anxiety which is often relentless on the surface.  Scuba diving is also a confidence booster. It can be hard for those who are physically active to suddenly be missing a limb or two. Then, they discover they can dive just as well as anyone else. Lastly, the dive community instills core values of inclusiveness, including the ‘buddy system’ to help Veterans overcome feelings of social detachment.