When facilitating cold water sessions, I touch on the science very briefly. “Endorphins and dopamine”, I explain. “That’s why a dip always makes you feel better than you did before.” I also reference our biological reflex which slows down our heart rate and brings stillness, hence calming any anxiety or overwhelm. I keep it simple, suggest some further reading if they’re interested.

Having guided at least 100 people with problematic mental health issues through cold water immersion over the last four years, I know that it’s the lessons which ‘dipping’ delivers that are most helpful.

That’s what people resonate with the most.

“How are you with sitting through discomfort?” I may ask when someone shows up for their session.

“Pretty good,” they might reply. “I’ve got a high pain threshold!”

“What about emotional discomfort?”

“Ah,” they say. “That’s another thing entirely. I’m really bad at that.”

This is just one example of me posing a question which relates to the hardship of sitting in cold water. There are many others. I may find an opening to talk about their fear of failure or vulnerability; their lack of trust in themselves; their tendency to fight against things they cannot control; the difficulty they have in letting go.

“The ice bath has become a metaphor for becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable,” someone once said, and I remember nodding wholeheartedly. Cold water is full of metaphors and analogies and meaning. Most people who I’ve worked with are capable of deciphering what cold water is saying to them. They just need a little guidance. Aside from keeping them safe in the water, that’s all I do – guide.

Self-disclosure is something which counsellors are careful with. Our time with clients is not about us. Before sharing something personal, I ask myself – why? How will this benefit my client? Is it necessary? In the content of cold water, I do feel it’s helpful to mention how much it has helped me navigate the ups-and-downs of life. After all, I am inviting clients to take on a big challenge. A milestone for many. One which they are apprehensive and uncertain about. Allowing an insight into my own journey builds trust. There’s a saying we use in counselling, that we are very much ‘walking alongside the client’. I want people to feel that I am sitting with them in the water. They are not alone.

Yes, cold water has got me through all sorts of uncomfortable moments. The unsettling feeling of not being enough. The hot, restless burn of anger. The flat, insipidness of low mood. The head-spinning flood of overwhelm. More specifically, I recall a party I once attended out of duty to a good friend. I knew nobody. We had to play a silly, forced team game in the garden, a bit like charades and my version of pure, undiluted awkward-ness. All the outgoing attendees were splashing spirits into their glasses as I comfortingly cradled my lemonade. I found myself watching the clock, counting the minutes until I could slip away. It was then that the principles of cold water popped into my mind. ‘Just breathe,’ I reminded myself. ‘This will pass.’

And it did.

I believe that the way I approach cold water immersion is different to other practitioners. Because I am a qualified therapist, these sessions are very much a therapeutic process. They are definitely not about sitting in cold water and seeing how ‘tough’ we are, nor a revolutionary science lesson. They are about you. Together we explore what is going on for you right now in your life with the intention of making things easier. Your response in the water will instigate self-discovery and awareness and that, more than anything, is key to making changes. Big ones, small ones. They all count.     

These sessions take around 90 minutes, although the maximum amount of time you’ll spend in cold water is five minutes. They take place in a secluded, private rural setting. Just you and I.

If you are going through something difficult and are looking for an unconventional and liberating way of to explore your feelings and start to heal, do get in touch. There are no silly questions. 

Thank you for reading. I’ll leave you with a few testimonials…

“This has been an amazing lesson in standing up to that pesky little voice in my head which says I can’t do things. I’ve proved it wrong! Thank you for guiding me through this. Really impactful.”

“Honestly, this was my idea of hell…but I was buzzing afterwards! My endorphins were flying. I can see how helpful ice baths could be in lifting me out of low mood.”

“This froze my mind – in a positive way! I have a really busy brain but

my mind went blank in the water. All those niggly, intrusive thoughts went away. Thank you for a surprising and exciting experience.”

“I struggle with intense anxiety which manifests itself in the pit of my stomach. The cold water helped release this pressure. Such a relief. The process has been literally life changing.”

“This has been an amazing lesson in self-control. I’ve learned to stand up to that pesky little voice in my head which says I can’t do things. I’ve proved it wrong! Thank you for guiding me through this.”

“This experience has shown me what happens to my breathing when I’m under stress. Thank you for showing me how to take control of stressful situations and calm down. It’ll really help me in day-to-day life.”