Author: ALFC Team
Every freediver spends countless hours improving technique, refining equalization, increasing flexibility, building CO₂ tolerance, and developing physical conditioning. Yet when it comes to performance, one factor consistently separates divers with similar physical abilities: psychology.
The ability to remain calm before a deep dive. The confidence to trust your training. The focus to execute a dive exactly as planned. The resilience to return stronger after an unsuccessful session. These are not personality traits that only a fortunate few possess. They are psychological skills that can be learned, trained, and systematically developed.
This August, Alchemy Freediving Center is introducing a unique educational opportunity designed specifically for freedivers who want to strengthen this often overlooked aspect of performance.
From 11 to 13 August 2026, we are hosting a three day Psychological Skills Training Workshop led by one of the most qualified professionals in both sports psychology and freediving.
Meet Agata Bogusz
Few professionals combine clinical psychology and elite athletic performance as naturally as Agata Bogusz.
Agata is a licensed psychologist, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) psychotherapist, EMDR therapist, sports psychologist, multiple Polish freediving record holder, Instructor Trainer, and one of the few specialists whose professional life bridges clinical psychology and extreme underwater performance.
Her journey began with a fascination for freediving and the psychological processes that allow people to perform in environments that naturally trigger stress and uncertainty. This interest led to academic research on psychological resilience in freedivers before evolving into a comprehensive clinical career.
Today, through her company Bluego, Agata works with clients experiencing mood disorders, personality disorders, crisis situations, nervous system dysregulation, and performance challenges. At the same time, her own athletic achievements, including a 101 meter Constant Weight dive, allow her to understand firsthand the psychological demands of deep freediving.
Rather than teaching theory from a classroom, Agata teaches from both clinical expertise and personal experience.
A Workshop Designed Specifically For Freedivers
This is not a generic motivation seminar.
It is not a mindfulness retreat.
It is not about simply thinking positively.
The workshop introduces practical psychological tools that can be integrated directly into freediving training and competition.
Across three consecutive days, participants will complete two hour sessions each day, progressively building a toolbox of performance psychology techniques specifically tailored to underwater performance.
The program is suitable for recreational freedivers, instructors, competitive athletes, and anyone interested in improving their mental approach to training.
No previous knowledge of psychology is required.
Day One: Understanding Your Mental Performance
The workshop begins by establishing the foundations of Psychological Skills Training.
Participants will explore what mental skills actually are, how they influence performance, and how they interact with technical training.
One of the first exercises involves performance profiling, helping divers identify both their physical strengths and their psychological strengths, while highlighting areas that deserve further attention.
Rather than assuming confidence or concentration are fixed personality traits, participants begin measuring them as trainable skills.
Another important topic is arousal regulation.
Freediving requires an unusual balance between relaxation and alertness. Too much activation increases oxygen consumption and muscle tension. Too little activation can reduce focus and decision making.
Understanding your own optimal performance state is one of the most valuable skills a diver can develop.
The first day also introduces techniques for creating a personal safe place and enhancing relaxation using bilateral stimulation methods that support nervous system regulation.
Day 1
- Welcome and creating a safe environment
- Introduction to the workshop
- Introduction of the participants and their expectations
- The fundamentals of Psychological Skills Training and an overview of key mental skills
- Performance profiling, including both general performance skills and sport specific mental skills
- Identifying your optimal level of arousal for freediving performance
- Safe Place exercise and Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) enhancement techniques
Day Two: Building Confidence Through Goals And Overcoming Mental Blocks
Many divers believe motivation alone drives improvement.
In reality, structured goal setting is considerably more effective.
Participants will learn how to develop meaningful long term goals while breaking them into realistic short term objectives that support consistent progress.
The workshop examines SMART goals alongside the distinction between outcome goals, performance goals, and process goals.
For freedivers, this distinction is particularly important.
Obsessing over reaching a certain depth often creates unnecessary pressure. Focusing instead on executing a technically excellent dive frequently produces better results while reducing anxiety.
The second day also addresses one of the most common psychological challenges in freediving.
Almost every diver eventually experiences an unsuccessful dive that leaves a lasting emotional impression.
Perhaps equalization failed unexpectedly.
Perhaps contractions arrived much earlier than expected.
Perhaps a competition did not go according to plan.
Sometimes these experiences create mental blocks that continue influencing future dives long after the original event.
Participants will explore how EMDR based approaches can help reduce the emotional impact of these experiences and restore confidence moving forward.
Day 2
- Goal setting skills, SMART, long term, short term, how to set goals for competition (process goals, performance goals and outcome goals)
- Mental block evoked by previous bad experience and how to overcome it with EMDR help
Day Three: Long Term Mental Development
The final day shifts focus toward sustainable psychological development.
Motivation is explored beyond simple enthusiasm.
Participants examine intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, personal values, and how these influence consistency over months and years of training.
The workshop also introduces Resource Development and Installation, an EMDR based method for strengthening positive psychological states such as confidence, calmness, focus, and emotional stability.
Finally, participants learn how psychological training can be periodized alongside physical training, allowing mental preparation to become a structured component of an annual training plan rather than something addressed only before competitions.
Day 3
- Motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, values
- Resource Development and Installation with EMDR
- Psychological skills training periodization
What Is EMDR And Why Is It Included?
One aspect that makes this workshop particularly unique is the introduction of selected EMDR based tools.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Originally developed as a therapeutic method, EMDR is now widely recognised as an evidence based approach for helping the brain process stressful experiences and reduce the emotional intensity associated with them.
Within sports psychology, carefully selected EMDR techniques can help athletes reduce performance anxiety, overcome mental blocks created by previous failures, strengthen confidence, improve focus, and mentally rehearse future performances in a calm and controlled state.
It is important to understand what EMDR is not.
It is not hypnosis.
Participants remain fully awake, aware, and in control throughout the process.
The objective is not to remove competitive drive or emotion, but to reduce unnecessary psychological interference so that training and preparation can be expressed more consistently during performance.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop has been designed for freedivers across every level of experience.
Whether you recently completed your first certification or regularly compete internationally, psychological skills remain relevant.
Beginners often gain confidence, reduce unnecessary anxiety, and establish healthy training habits from the beginning.
Intermediate divers frequently discover why their physical improvements are not always reflected in depth performance.
Advanced athletes can integrate structured mental training into competition preparation while learning practical tools for managing pressure and recovering from setbacks.
Instructors also benefit by developing a deeper understanding of the psychological processes affecting their students throughout the learning journey.
Why ALFC Is Hosting This Workshop
At Alchemy Freediving Center, we believe freediving education should extend beyond teaching technique.
Modern freediving requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Technical coaching, safety systems, physiology, equipment knowledge, and psychology all contribute to long term development.
Just as athletes invest in improving equalization, finning efficiency, and physical conditioning, they should also invest in developing the psychological skills that allow those abilities to be expressed consistently.
This workshop represents another step in our commitment to providing educational experiences that go beyond traditional certification courses.
Workshop Information
Psychological Skills Training Workshop For Freedivers
Instructor: Agata Bogusz, Psychotherapist, Sports Psychologist, EMDR Therapist, Instructor Trainer and Multiple Polish Freediving Record Holder
Dates: 11 to 13 August 2026
Duration: Three days, two hours per day
Location: Alchemy Freediving Center, Kalamata, Greece
Level: Suitable for all levels of freediving performance
If you would like to participate or have any questions about the program, prerequisites, or accommodation options, please contact us at ops@alfc.gr
Psychological Skills Training Workshop At ALFC
Author: ALFC Team
Every freediver spends countless hours improving technique, refining equalization, increasing flexibility, building CO₂ tolerance, and developing physical conditioning. Yet when it comes to performance, one factor consistently separates divers with similar physical abilities: psychology.
The ability to remain calm before a deep dive. The confidence to trust your training. The focus to execute a dive exactly as planned. The resilience to return stronger after an unsuccessful session. These are not personality traits that only a fortunate few possess. They are psychological skills that can be learned, trained, and systematically developed.
This August, Alchemy Freediving Center is introducing a unique educational opportunity designed specifically for freedivers who want to strengthen this often overlooked aspect of performance.
From 11 to 13 August 2026, we are hosting a three day Psychological Skills Training Workshop led by one of the most qualified professionals in both sports psychology and freediving.
Meet Agata Bogusz
Few professionals combine clinical psychology and elite athletic performance as naturally as Agata Bogusz.
Agata is a licensed psychologist, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) psychotherapist, EMDR therapist, sports psychologist, multiple Polish freediving record holder, Instructor Trainer, and one of the few specialists whose professional life bridges clinical psychology and extreme underwater performance.
Her journey began with a fascination for freediving and the psychological processes that allow people to perform in environments that naturally trigger stress and uncertainty. This interest led to academic research on psychological resilience in freedivers before evolving into a comprehensive clinical career.
Today, through her company Bluego, Agata works with clients experiencing mood disorders, personality disorders, crisis situations, nervous system dysregulation, and performance challenges. At the same time, her own athletic achievements, including a 101 meter Constant Weight dive, allow her to understand firsthand the psychological demands of deep freediving.
Rather than teaching theory from a classroom, Agata teaches from both clinical expertise and personal experience.
A Workshop Designed Specifically For Freedivers
This is not a generic motivation seminar.
It is not a mindfulness retreat.
It is not about simply thinking positively.
The workshop introduces practical psychological tools that can be integrated directly into freediving training and competition.
Across three consecutive days, participants will complete two hour sessions each day, progressively building a toolbox of performance psychology techniques specifically tailored to underwater performance.
The program is suitable for recreational freedivers, instructors, competitive athletes, and anyone interested in improving their mental approach to training.
No previous knowledge of psychology is required.
Day One: Understanding Your Mental Performance
The workshop begins by establishing the foundations of Psychological Skills Training.
Participants will explore what mental skills actually are, how they influence performance, and how they interact with technical training.
One of the first exercises involves performance profiling, helping divers identify both their physical strengths and their psychological strengths, while highlighting areas that deserve further attention.
Rather than assuming confidence or concentration are fixed personality traits, participants begin measuring them as trainable skills.
Another important topic is arousal regulation.
Freediving requires an unusual balance between relaxation and alertness. Too much activation increases oxygen consumption and muscle tension. Too little activation can reduce focus and decision making.
Understanding your own optimal performance state is one of the most valuable skills a diver can develop.
The first day also introduces techniques for creating a personal safe place and enhancing relaxation using bilateral stimulation methods that support nervous system regulation.
Day 1
- Welcome and creating a safe environment
- Introduction to the workshop
- Introduction of the participants and their expectations
- The fundamentals of Psychological Skills Training and an overview of key mental skills
- Performance profiling, including both general performance skills and sport specific mental skills
- Identifying your optimal level of arousal for freediving performance
- Safe Place exercise and Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) enhancement techniques
Day Two: Building Confidence Through Goals And Overcoming Mental Blocks
Many divers believe motivation alone drives improvement.
In reality, structured goal setting is considerably more effective.
Participants will learn how to develop meaningful long term goals while breaking them into realistic short term objectives that support consistent progress.
The workshop examines SMART goals alongside the distinction between outcome goals, performance goals, and process goals.
For freedivers, this distinction is particularly important.
Obsessing over reaching a certain depth often creates unnecessary pressure. Focusing instead on executing a technically excellent dive frequently produces better results while reducing anxiety.
The second day also addresses one of the most common psychological challenges in freediving.
Almost every diver eventually experiences an unsuccessful dive that leaves a lasting emotional impression.
Perhaps equalization failed unexpectedly.
Perhaps contractions arrived much earlier than expected.
Perhaps a competition did not go according to plan.
Sometimes these experiences create mental blocks that continue influencing future dives long after the original event.
Participants will explore how EMDR based approaches can help reduce the emotional impact of these experiences and restore confidence moving forward.
Day 2
- Goal setting skills, SMART, long term, short term, how to set goals for competition (process goals, performance goals and outcome goals)
- Mental block evoked by previous bad experience and how to overcome it with EMDR help
Day Three: Long Term Mental Development
The final day shifts focus toward sustainable psychological development.
Motivation is explored beyond simple enthusiasm.
Participants examine intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, personal values, and how these influence consistency over months and years of training.
The workshop also introduces Resource Development and Installation, an EMDR based method for strengthening positive psychological states such as confidence, calmness, focus, and emotional stability.
Finally, participants learn how psychological training can be periodized alongside physical training, allowing mental preparation to become a structured component of an annual training plan rather than something addressed only before competitions.
Day 3
- Motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, values
- Resource Development and Installation with EMDR
- Psychological skills training periodization
What Is EMDR And Why Is It Included?
One aspect that makes this workshop particularly unique is the introduction of selected EMDR based tools.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Originally developed as a therapeutic method, EMDR is now widely recognised as an evidence based approach for helping the brain process stressful experiences and reduce the emotional intensity associated with them.
Within sports psychology, carefully selected EMDR techniques can help athletes reduce performance anxiety, overcome mental blocks created by previous failures, strengthen confidence, improve focus, and mentally rehearse future performances in a calm and controlled state.
It is important to understand what EMDR is not.
It is not hypnosis.
Participants remain fully awake, aware, and in control throughout the process.
The objective is not to remove competitive drive or emotion, but to reduce unnecessary psychological interference so that training and preparation can be expressed more consistently during performance.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop has been designed for freedivers across every level of experience.
Whether you recently completed your first certification or regularly compete internationally, psychological skills remain relevant.
Beginners often gain confidence, reduce unnecessary anxiety, and establish healthy training habits from the beginning.
Intermediate divers frequently discover why their physical improvements are not always reflected in depth performance.
Advanced athletes can integrate structured mental training into competition preparation while learning practical tools for managing pressure and recovering from setbacks.
Instructors also benefit by developing a deeper understanding of the psychological processes affecting their students throughout the learning journey.
Why ALFC Is Hosting This Workshop
At Alchemy Freediving Center, we believe freediving education should extend beyond teaching technique.
Modern freediving requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Technical coaching, safety systems, physiology, equipment knowledge, and psychology all contribute to long term development.
Just as athletes invest in improving equalization, finning efficiency, and physical conditioning, they should also invest in developing the psychological skills that allow those abilities to be expressed consistently.
This workshop represents another step in our commitment to providing educational experiences that go beyond traditional certification courses.
Workshop Information
Psychological Skills Training Workshop For Freedivers
Instructor: Agata Bogusz, Psychotherapist, Sports Psychologist, EMDR Therapist, Instructor Trainer and Multiple Polish Freediving Record Holder
Dates: 11 to 13 August 2026
Duration: Three days, two hours per day
Location: Alchemy Freediving Center, Kalamata, Greece
Level: Suitable for all levels of freediving performance
If you would like to participate or have any questions about the program, prerequisites, or accommodation options, please contact us at ops@alfc.gr