Cold water immersion therapy

The unsuspecting relationship of cold water and mental wellbeing...

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a qualified expert. This little blog of mine was created for informational purposes only and is not to be perceived as professional medical advice in regards to health or any other field. Discuss the risks with your doctor and make sure it’s safe for you to immerse yourself in cold water before you try it.

I first came across the concept of cold water therapy or cold water immersion therapy watching a little snippet of the 'Iceman' Wim Hof method, I didn’t really connect with the idea at first. Listening to the stories of peoples first experience with cold water immersion therapy was pretty powerful, I could see the potential for healing was definitely there… but I couldn’t bring myself to try it out.

There was one story in particular that really resonated with me, a young mother who had a very busy lifestyle working full time and a small child at home. She described herself as a nervous wreck, riddled with anxiety and worry and would have regular panic attacks where her body would go into shaking fits. I resonated with her story a lot, my anxiety and panic attacks were a super prominent part of my life at this time.

To summarise this young mums story ~ after spending a day or so with Wim Hof himself with a group of other willing participants, going through his breathing techniques and yoga exercises, the group were faced with their first cold water immersion which was jumping into into Lake Tahoe on a cold wintery day, snow surrounding the lake and the mountains around them and the water temperature at just 3° celsius."Really cold" as described by Wim Hof himself. For this woman, it was completely transformational experience, after just one immersion she observed that she had not experienced a panic attack since.

So this story stayed with me, simmered in my mind for quite sometime. Whenever I would have bad flare-ups with my anxiety I would consider the cold water immersion therapy, but I never followed through, I didn’t know where to start and ~ to be honest ~ I just straight up didn’t want to be uncomfortable... so it felt a little out of reach, I would continue to take comfort in yoga and meditation for now.

Fast forward to the winter of 2021, I am living in a 60’s viscount caravan in Mount Beauty right by a beautiful, healthy, strong flowing river ~ the Kiewa river ~ Mount Beauty is a small town

at the base of alpine mountains like Mt Bogong and Falls Creek and through the winter as it rains and snows, fresh alpine water trickles down the mountains, cascading down waterfalls and flowing into many rivers and lakes, one of those rivers being Kiewa river right at our doorstep.

So an opportunity presented itself, I had access to such a beautiful and scenic river, I felt drawn to it. we had an unseasonably warm day in the middle of winter, we could feel the warmth from the sun and the river water would sparkle where the sunlight hit. Everything has aligned ~ the setting, the sunshine and my mind was willing.

The water was freeeeeezing, and for some context I am always down for a swim, but this was ~cold~ cold. I thought my body would go into shock, I couldn’t catch my breath - but it did force me to take deep breaths, I stayed with the breath and encouraged myself to go deeper, walked into the waist and then the shoulders and finally the head. I stayed in the river for around a minute the first time with the water level up to my shoulders, focusing on my breath feeling my body go numb, keeping my mindset positive by reassuring myself that this is good for me (right!?!?)

Coming out of the water is a relief, as you can imagine - but not as much of a relief as my mind was telling me it would be when I was in that freezing cold water. It was nice to feel the warmth of the sun and my body temperature begin to regulate but I was more focused on how refreshed and re-energised I felt. I noticed my skin was red from the cold water and there was some kind of sensation in the skin as it was warming up again. It really didn’t worry me though, I felt so alive and so accomplished! I did something crazy! Something most people wouldn’t do, but I did it and nothing bad happened and I actually kinda enjoyed it :)

I kept coming back to the water in the morning, even on cooler mornings when the sun wasn’t shining and it became a beautiful morning ritual for myself, my boyfriend and friends in the caravan park. Some days, it was a cold shower rather than the river but I still felt that had the same after effects for me, even though I could definitely withstand a cold shower longer than I could stay submerged in the river, I still never exceed longer than 2 minutes though - that is enough for me.

Cold water immersions have become a daily ritual for me, to always end my shower with a burst of cold water over my head and body. I have noticed a big change in how I deal with my panic attacks. I would love to tell you that I have been cured and have never had a problem since, but to tell you the truth I have still had panic attacks, they feel as real as ever, but I have so much more confidence in myself to get through that moment and to know it will pass. I believe this can be directly related to the cold water immersion therapy, the shock of the cold water on the body is so similar to the shock to my nervous system when I start to feel a panic attack come on, and in the water, I simply breathing through the shock. Of course we are taught to breath through anxiety and panic attacks but I could never connect to the breath the way I knew I needed to when I was in the midst of it all, but teaching my body to breathe when in a state of shock, it’s like I have built up the muscle memory, or strengthened that connection. My body knows what to do now and so my mind doesn’t feed into it as much. I am so so glad I gave it a go, it’s something I will continue to do as it is continuing to help me, there are sooo many other great benefits too:

• Boost our immune systems

• Improve circulation

• Get better and deeper sleep

• Boost energy levels

• Reduce inflammation

• Improve metabolic function

• Improve mood

It’s a little discomfort for a lot of gain. If you are already aware of Wim Hof and his teachings, I'd love to hear your experience too!

Medical disclaimer: Talk to your doctor first if you have any underlying health issues that are of concern, especially any related to blood pressure, heart health and circulation before undertaking any of the below activities. Discuss the risks with your doctor and make sure it’s safe for you to immerse yourself in cold water before you try it.

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