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.
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"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."
