Phil Jones had set himself up in business to help others. But it was while doing that he realised he needed help himself, haunted as he was by his experiences in the Royal Marines. He served as a Royal Marines Commando for over a decade, having signed up at the age of 19, inspired by the path of his parents, both of whom are former RAF. Serving with his brother Gareth, he went on operational tours around the world, including in Afghanistan. In 2013 he decided, after 11 years, to leave the forces, returning home to Swansea. The former Pentrehafod School pupil created his own business, So Fit Group Limited, a health and wellbeing company whose mission statement is to create high performers in the corporate space by optimising their wellbeing. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here. But the 42-year-old explained that, ten years after leaving the Royal Marines, and focusing his work on the wellbeing of others, he realised something was not right. He said: "I had a very fulfilling career, with some exciting and adrenaline-filled experiences, but obviously, there was also some challenging and difficult situations. "I got to a point where I felt I had achieved pretty much all that I could and decided to leave in 2013. Just earning the coveted green beret was my highlight. The marines are an elite fighting force, well respected across the globe. I also played squash for the Marines and Navy during which I went on a tour of America. "I own a health and wellbeing company, and I have helped dozens of veterans and the general public, so when I was diagnosed (with PTSD - post-traumatic stress disorder) it was a difficult situation where, I was supposed to be helping people, and it was myself that actually needed support and help. "I have been in conflict situations with the enemy, and some of the challenges with PTSD is not what you've seen or witnessed, it was the feeling afterwards of 'what if' and how could I have done things differently to change the outcomes. The effects of combat are there as well. I've seen and done things which most have not. They are triggers, and when I went through therapy, it was a realisation that I had constantly been beating myself up. That was the challenge. "I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2023. It was little things to start off with. I've got two young boys, and it was a case of, for instance, my little one was going through toilet training, and had a habit of slamming down the seat, and that bang would trigger me. My eldest boy is into Nerf guns, and I could not engage or handle the Nerf bullets being fired off or anything like that." According to PTSD UK, one in 10 people in the UK is expected to experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Yet, despite its prevalence, there has been limited research undertaken into the condition in the UK. Speaking of the moment he realised he needed help, Mr Jones said: "From giving wellbeing talks and workshops with my company I am normally at ease speaking in public to a large scale audience, however, on this occasion, the previous talker before me showed a clip of someone they had helped with their PTSD, showing footage. My palms were sweating, I couldn't speak, I couldn't even stand up, it was a real turning point where I thought this wasn't right." Mr Jones engaged with services and began therapy. Aware that there was a large drop out among veterans who had attempted therapy in the past, the dad-of-two decided to try cold water immersion to keep him engaged. And he helped initiate a ground-breaking Swansea University study where scientists are examining whether cold water immersion (CWI) therapy can alleviate PTSD. The study involves 16 members of the Veterans RV Swansea Community group, which Mr Jones supports, who have PTSD, and are taking part in cold-water dipping and swimming sessions at Caswell Bay in Gower. To date, no scientific study has been conducted anywhere in the world that explicitly examines the impact of CWI on PTSD symptoms. Before the observation period, study participants began self-administering saliva samples four times a day over two days to measure cortisol levels – an indicator of stress. After each weekly cold water immersion session, participants complete three post-dip questionnaires assessing their levels of wellbeing, depression, and PTSD symptoms. Throughout the study, participants periodically repeat the saliva sampling process to track changes in cortisol levels and overall symptomology. Initial findings from the study show that cold water immersion is positively impacting a number of the PTSD symptoms across the participant group. Lead researcher and associate professor of applied sport psychology at Swansea University, Dr Denise Hill, said: “With at least eight percent of UK veterans diagnosed with PTSD annually, the condition presents significant economic, personal, and social challenges. While other studies have highlighted the benefits of cold water therapy, ours seeks to establish whether regular cold-water immersion can reduce PTSD symptoms specifically, and serve as an accessible and acceptable supplement to traditional mental health treatments. “This study represents an important first step in understanding whether CWI can serve as a complementary therapy for veterans diagnosed with PTSD. If successful, the findings should pave the way for further research, and if cold water immersion is deemed to be effective, the development of new, accessible treatment pathways for those with the condition. Given the accessibility and appeal of cold water immersion among veterans, we hope our research will provide valuable insights into its potential as a therapeutic option.” Discussing his own journey with cold water immersion, Mr Jones said: "I discovered it just before lockdown. Because we couldn't do a lot of the traditional workshops, fitness and things like that, because of the restrictions, I decided to look at new holistic approaches to wellbeing, and one of those was cold water immersion, breath work and things like that. I thought to myself, 'there's something in this'. "It was really calming from all the stresses of Covid, having a new family, and it was really helping to support my day-to-day wellbeing during the start of my symptoms. It was my go-to and the thing I was really at peace with, and it calmed all the chaos which comes with PTSD. It also helped me stay engaged with therapy. "The study we're doing now is focusing on PTSD and managing the symptoms that produces, but from a general wellbeing aspect, it has been known to help depression, anxiety, releases lots of good hormones, dopamine, adrenaline, things like that. "Getting into the water is sometimes quite difficult, and you kind of go into that fight or flight zone, where you think, 'Oh my God, what am I doing?', which is normal and natural, but the fact that you can overcome that with your mind and your body, really calms your central nervous system. If you've got stresses in the day, whether that's e-mails, pressures at work, pressures at home, I find you're able to cope with that a lot better and have a lot more resilience, focus, and a sense of calm. It is a bold statement, but I think it kept me from going into a dark place." He added: "With my company, we do it for corporate staff, and companies who want to improve the wellbeing and productivity of staff. We facilitate workshops and sessions for that, and really, it's a fantastic way to improve your mental health and wellbeing. "We've got a group of veterans who have been part of the study, and the early data is very, very promising. It has shown that when people dip, they are in a better mood and their symptoms are a lot less severe. The early data shows the more you dip, the better that is. This study is a world first and it's much-needed, there's hundreds of thousands across the country who say 'I dip and I feel great', but there isn't actually a great deal of research and evidence to support that, so it is subjective. We need the evidence to back it up so we can help the other thousands of veterans and other members of the general public that suffer with mental health disorders. "I just want to help as many veterans who have been in the same place as me, and if we can demonstrate that cold water immersion can be a supplementary supportive activity for guys and girls with PTSD. I'm proud to be involved in this research, but it is the first step of many to be where we want to be." If you wish to get in contact with Veterans RV Swansea, you can do so by contacting the group via its Facebook page by clicking here. Get Swansea news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.