How did the near death experience affect William Douglas mentally?

It is pertinent to note that his near-death experience at the YMCA pool in Yakima affected William Douglas greatly. This was more so after he had been able to overcome his fear of water much later in life. He had nearly drowned to death in the swimming pool in Yakima and it was a miracle that he survived! The experience would have a deep meaning for him. He had seen death at close hand and survived it. 

In the words of Roosevelt, "All we have to fear is fear itself", and Douglas realised that it was easy enough to submit to what was in store for him. When he stopped fighting for life in the swimming pool in Yakima, Douglas slipped into 'oblivion', it was peaceful. It is so easy to let go, stop fighting for survival because it is so peaceful. One runs away from one's fears because it seems to be so convenient. But then to stand and fight requires some effort, and so when Douglas finally achieved success in overcoming his fear of water, the will to live grew in intensity.

Douglas learned to respect life even more after he had managed to conquer his fear of water especially when taken in the context of his past experience of near-death in the YMCA swimming pool. His ability to shake off his fear made him feel 'released', he felt free to enjoy walking the trails and to climb the peaks without his childhood fear of drowning.