AQUA PRESENCE for TRAUMA
A specialized training in trauma-informed aquatic bodywork, developing presence, nervous system awareness, and therapeutic support in warm water.
Aqua Presence & Trauma is an immersive training designed for aquatic bodywork practitioners and therapists who wish to develop a safe, sensitive, and conscious presence when working with people who may carry experiences of trauma.
In warm water, the body enters a state of deep relaxation and heightened perception. This sensitivity makes aquatic work profoundly powerful, but it also requires a high level of awareness, discernment, and responsibility from the practitioner.
Through practices on land and in warm water, demonstrations, guided explorations, and group dialogue, this training offers a deeper understanding of how trauma lives in the body and how to support the body’s natural processes of regulation and healing.
The course emphasizes the creation of a safe therapeutic container, the quality of relational presence, and the practitioner’s ability to remain grounded, attentive, and fully present.
AQUA PRESENCE & TRAUMA
Working with trauma requires more than technique. It requires a quality of presence that can create genuine safety.
In warm water, the nervous system naturally slows down and the body becomes more receptive. This openness can allow deep states of release and integration to occur, but it can also bring forward stored memories or emotions.
Aqua Presence & Trauma offers an approach rooted in nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, and relational presence.
Participants learn to recognize subtle signs of activation, overwhelm, or dissociation, and how to respond with simple, supportive tools that restore safety and stability.
A central aspect of the training is learning how to create a safe container a clear and supportive relational field in which the receiver can explore their bodily experience without pressure or expectation.
In this approach, the practitioner does not attempt to provoke emotional processes. Instead, they learn to support the body’s natural wisdom by gently accompanying movements of regulation, resourcing, and release.
Warm water becomes a powerful therapeutic ally, supporting the body, slowing the rhythm, and allowing the nervous system to rediscover its natural balance.
08- 10 OCTOBER
Intensive full-day training
POLYNESIA WATSU CENTER
Moorea – French Polynesia
Course Fee: 45,000 XPF
(including pool entry)
3-Day Course
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Retreat Package: 10,800 XPF
This package includes :
● Lunch
● Snacks and water
Note: The retreat package is optional and not included in the course fee.
Diane Tegtmeier
Aquatic Bodywork Teacher • Author • Healing Relationship Specialist
Diane Tegtmeier has devoted her life to exploring how healing unfolds through relationship. Her work brings together science, psychology, bodywork, energy healing, and spiritual practice into an integrative approach to therapeutic presence.
Her professional journey began in biochemistry research and environmental activism, where she developed a deep fascination for the intelligence of living systems. This systemic understanding later shaped her view that healing is fundamentally relational.
After raising two children, Diane pursued graduate studies in social work, drawn to the ecological perspective that sees individuals within the networks of relationships that shape their lives. During her years working in hospital settings, she accompanied people through vulnerability, crisis, and profound transitions, deepening her understanding of the healing power of human connection.
Seeking a more embodied dimension of healing, she trained in energy healing and gradually integrated talk therapy and touch-based practices into her private work. Yet it was through aquatic bodywork that she discovered the practice that truly unified her path.
Experiencing Watsu®, Healing Dance®, and Waterdance revealed a new way of working where science, somatic awareness, and relational presence came together. Holding clients in warm water while attuning to breath, tissue, and subtle energetic shifts allowed Diane to support healing in a uniquely profound way.
Since 2000, she has lived and practiced at Harbin Hot Springs in California, one of the pioneering centers for aquatic bodywork. There she has worked with thousands of clients and students, developing a deeply integrative approach grounded in somatic awareness, energetic sensitivity, and ethical clarity.
Diane is also an ordained minister in the Hearth Consciousness Church and trained in Reconnective Healing®, expanding her understanding of healing as a process that unfolds naturally when the right relational conditions are present.
She is the author of Relationships that Heal: Skillful Practice within Nature’s Web, a book that explores how principles observed in nature — especially cellular biology — can guide practitioners toward healthier and more ethical therapeutic relationships. These insights form the foundation of the course Trust in Touch.
Today Diane teaches internationally, sharing a synthesis of science, somatic awareness, relational ethics, and spiritual presence. Her teaching invites practitioners to move beyond rules and cultivate an embodied understanding of ethical relationship rooted in awareness, compassion, and respect for the intelligence of life.
Inika Spence-Whaley
Senior instructor, teaching all the classes of Healing Dance
I am a senior instructor, teaching all the classes of Healing Dance®. I also teach WATSU® I and II and Aquatic Contact Dance. I have been an aquatic body worker since 1996, working at Harbin Hot Springs as a WATSU, WaterDance and Healing Dance Practitioner.
I have over 2800 hours of training and over 4500 hours teaching aquatic bodywork. I have been teaching WATSU and Healing Dance since 1999. I studied Somatic Experiencing, a body-based trauma therapy, in 2007. It has informed my aquatic bodywork, creating a safe environment for traumas to be revealed and possibly let go. With colleague, Diane Tegtmeier, we teach AquaPresence for Trauma, an introduction to trauma-informed aquatic bodywork. Healing Dance is a major part of that class.
During my 20 years at Harbin Hot Springs, I became the Director of the Harbin School of Healing Arts, a massage school that featured aquatic bodywork.
When Harbin burned in 2015 I moved, with my husband, to the Big Island of Hawaii where I teach and give sessions.
Water has been my element since as a small child building sandcastles and playing in the waves in Florida where I lived. I have a degree in Marine Biology and learned to scuba dive way back in 1971.
I worked as a dolphin communication researcher, teaching and being taught by 2 bottle-nosed dolphins. When a friend told me to go to Harbin Hot Springs and get “swished around” in the water I got hooked! I spent 20 years there playing, learning and experimenting with aquatic bodywork in the “Mother” warm pool where aquatic bodywork was birthed.
I live on the Big Island of Hawaii near a 20×27 foot pool where I give sessions and teach. I also teach in the Western United States (including Harbin and other pools), I have taught in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.
I love to free dive in the crystal waters of the Big Island. My favorite is to explore caves and nooks and crannies of the coral reefs; searching for octopus and identifying marine life. When I need to dry out, I hike and bird watch. I have also found an alternate passion: abstract art. Sunsets at the beach, with my husband and friends, are always a treat.
Healing Dance has been my preferred modality in my sessions. After taking one class of Healing Dance from Alexander in 1996, I learned so much about the water, fluidity and flowing transitions. After that class of Healing Dance, I knew Healing Dance would be “my” modality. I influenced the work through the years, bringing more therapy and presence. Relating and Mirroring is the core of the work and allows me to listen, follow and be with my client in a way that brings healing through movement and stillness. My classes are informed by my extensive work as a therapist and therefore bring a grounded and practical aspect to my teaching. I bring grace to the water and convey that grace to my students through my knowledge of movement and experience in yoga, tai chi, dance and meditation. I am excited about the future of Healing Dance and the team we are building!
POLYNESIA WATSU CENTER
Moorea Island (French Polynesia)
Located on the mystical island of Moorea, the Polynesian Watsu Center is nestled by the serene natural lake of Temae, within a nationally protected area rich in unique flora and fauna.
In 2022, we completed the construction of a 10-meter by 3.5-meter infinity pool, seamlessly integrated into the natural environment. This saltwater therapeutic pool serves as a dedicated space for various aquatic therapy practices, including educational programs and private sessions. The water temperature is maintained at approximately 33°C, creating the perfect setting for water-based therapies.
Our center is situated in the Temae area of Moorea, just five minutes from the iconic Temae Beach, near the golf club and the airport.
We also offer a spacious terrace of over 100 square meters, designed for land-based therapeutic activities and courses. Surrounding our center, you will find more than 100 different plant species, which we nurture with love and passion, ensuring harmony with the natural environment.
AquaPresence & Trauma
Program course
Aqua Presence & Trauma – Professional Immersive Training
A Core Training in Therapeutic Presence and Nervous System Regulation for Aquatic Bodywork Practitioners
A 3-Day Immersion in Therapeutic Presence
This training offers a dynamic balance between teaching, practice, and integration.
Participants alternate between land explorations and warm water practices, allowing them to directly experience the principles being taught.
Through demonstrations, guided exercises, and group reflection, participants develop a deeper understanding of how the practitioner’s presence directly influences safety and the quality of the receiver’s experience.
Course Objectives
During this training, participants will learn to:
Creating a safe container and the essential elements of a secure therapeutic environment
The inner qualities required of practitioners when supporting trauma healing
Fundamental principles of nervous system regulation
Observing breath, tone, and subtle body signals of the receiver
Practices of resourcing and pendulation applied to aquatic bodywork
Introduction and application of the SMART process within sessions
Exercises for developing somatic listening and intuitive presence
Energetic practices and multi-hand explorations
SCHEDULE
● Day 1: 10:00 – 18:00
● Days 2 to 3: 09:00 – 18:00
(Each day includes a 1.5-hour break)
● Recreational Activities: Lagoon Tour & More
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who is this course for?
Aqua Presence & Trauma is designed for aquatic bodywork practitioners, somatic therapists, and wellness professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of trauma and expand their therapeutic presence in the water.
This course is particularly valuable for practitioners of Healing Dance®, Watsu®, and other aquatic bodywork modalities who want to integrate trauma-informed awareness into their sessions.
It is also suitable for practitioners interested in developing a deeper relational and somatic dimension within their work.
Do I need any previous experience to participate?
This course is intended for practitioners who already have training in aquatic bodywork or therapeutic bodywork.
Previous experience in aquatic modalities such as Healing Dance® or Watsu® is recommended so participants can fully integrate the tools and practices presented.
Participants should be comfortable working in water and familiar with basic aquatic bodywork principles.
How are the activities structured during the course?
The training alternates between land-based practices and sessions in warm water.
Participants engage in guided meditations, somatic exercises, demonstrations, and partner practices.
Moments of reflection and group discussion support the integration of personal experiences and deepen the understanding of relational dynamics.
This combination of theory, direct experience, and integration allows for a deep and embodied learning process.
What can I take home after the seminar?
After completing this training, you will leave with a deeper understanding of trauma and its impact on the body and nervous system.
You will gain practical tools for creating safer, more conscious, and more supportive aquatic sessions.
You will also develop a stronger quality of presence — one that allows you to accompany processes of release and regulation with sensitivity, clarity, and confidence.
Beyond techniques, this training strengthens your ability to create a therapeutic space that feels genuinely safe and supportive for the people you work with.
Can I work professionally after this course?
Aqua Presence & Trauma is a specialization training designed to deepen the skills of practitioners already engaged in therapeutic or aquatic bodywork practices.
It does not provide an independent professional certification but rather complements an existing training pathway.
The course strengthens relational awareness, ethical presence, and the practical skills needed to support clients safely and responsibly within aquatic therapy sessions.