Fear of big water. Fear of water is a phobia called. Water related fears

Psychiatrists call the pathological fear of water bodies hydrophobia or aquaphobia.

A person experiencing such a fear fears that water can get into his lungs, and he will choke due to lack of oxygen. Often, hydrophobia acts as one of the symptoms of rabies.

At the same time, the patient is afraid not only of open reservoirs, but even drops of liquid on his own skin. With rabies, a person experiences severe spasm when trying to swallow water. This makes it possible to distinguish rabies from hydrophobia, which is of a psychological nature.

Causes of aquaphobia

Most often, the main contribution to the development of this disorder is made by experiences experienced in the early years. The child could both get into a dangerous situation, when he risked drowning, or be frightened by the stories of his parents about the merman or drowned people.

It is worth noting that aquaphobia can also develop in adults, for example, after experiencing a shipwreck, flood or tsunami. In addition, the fear of water can be caused by the sight of a drowned man or even a disaster movie. Of course, such factors can provoke the development of a phobia only in very impressionable, vulnerable people.

Aquaphobia can appear in a person who cannot swim when he bathes in a natural or artificial body of water. In this case, fears are due to a completely natural instinct for self-preservation.

Fear of water manifests itself with varying intensity, from mild anxiety to a state resembling a panic attack, accompanied by a loss of self-control and the ability to make rational decisions.

The most common symptoms of hydrophobia are:

No need to force the child to bathe: just water him from a watering can when he is standing on the shore.
Hydrophobia is often expressed in the fear of liquid getting on the face. Therefore, it is worth training to lower your face under water. Prove to the child that he does not risk his life and cannot choke. After the baby stops panicking, teach him to hold his breath.
This can be done by watering the head from a mug or bucket. Of course, all this must be done in a playful way: forcing a child to do what he is afraid of by force, you risk aggravating his neurotic experiences. As soon as you understand that the child has ceased to experience fear, you can go to the beach with him.
Talk to your child about their fears more often. Perhaps he is experiencing something hidden from the eyes of adults. It is advisable to consult with a child psychologist who will teach you how to talk to your baby in the right way and gain his complete trust.

Most often, children who do not experience the slightest fear of open water bodies drown. Many parents try to scare their children by telling them stories about drowned children who didn't listen to mom and dad.

At the same time, a child can “get infected” with parental anxiety, as a result of which a phobia develops that can greatly ruin life in adulthood.

Therefore, psychologists advise to abandon attempts to intimidate a child. Why? It's very simple: a phobia can cause drowning even in a shallow pond. Indeed, because of his fear, a person loses the ability to think rationally, and the body ceases to obey him in the literal sense of the word.

It is better to enroll the child in the pool, teach him to swim and explain where it is worth diving, and where it is better to refuse it.

Baby in the pool

You can start training with an exercise called "Float". Go to a depth where the water will reach the child to the chest. Ask him to take a deep breath and tuck his legs in. If after that you lean slightly, then it is impossible to drown: the air in the lungs will keep you on the water.

The fact is that the density of the human body is less than the density of water. Drowning occurs due to a loss of self-control: a phobia provokes panic, as a result of which you can drown. Keeping on the water does not require any physical effort or special skills.

Only people who are afraid to take a sip of water can get tired quickly. They try to raise their heads as high as possible, as a result of which the center of gravity shifts and the body sinks.

In order not to feel tired and get rid of the horror of water, you should learn to dive. After that, you can proceed to the next step: master the skill of swimming under water. Children under one year old, who do not yet experience fears of water, do this quite easily.

Phobias related to water

There is a classification of water-related phobias based on objects that cause a person to feel fear. Often, fear is not associated with the reservoir itself, but with some of its inherent characteristics:

Lymnophobia. This term refers to the horror of lakes, swamps and ponds. At the same time, the individual is afraid of what can hide under the water surface.
Term "potamophobia" derived from the Greek word "potamos", which can be translated as "stream". A person is afraid of moving water, whirlpools and waterfalls, feeling his own weakness in front of the stormy elements.
Thalassophobia represents fear of the seas and oceans.
bathophobia denotes fear of depth. It occurs in cases where a person cannot understand what distance separates him from the bottom of the reservoir.
Antlophobia- fear of the possibility of flooding. Typically, this fear is experienced by people who survived the flood or faced those who suffered from the elements.
Chionophobia denotes the fear of being caught in the snow. In this case, a person experiences a pathological aversion to snow.
Ombrophobia- a term derived from the Greek word "ombros", meaning rain. Naturally, people suffering from ombrophobia are terrified of rain. Often this phobia is associated with a fear of moisture, which can cause increased reproduction of pathogens, such as mold.
ablutophobia- fear of any contact with water. A person who suffers from such a phobia can not only refuse to swim in natural reservoirs, but also postpone the necessary hygiene procedures.

Treatment of hydrophobia

There are two ways to deal with obsessive fear. You can resort to the help of a psychotherapist or try to get rid of hydrophobia on your own.

Dealing with a phobia on your own

These tips will help you deal with your fear:

Learn to swim. Find a good coach and under his guidance, try to "build a relationship" with the waters. You should not follow the advice of those who recommend jumping into the water, overcoming your fear, and trying to swim out on your own: a phobia can provoke a panic attack.
Choose the most comfortable place for yourself where you will fight fear. It can be a pool, a river or a picturesque lake. The main thing is that you feel inner peace and feel safe. First, take a walk along the shore, then try to enter the water.
Try art therapy. Start drawing the seas and oceans, as well as other bodies of water that cause you horror. Let the pictures be bright and optimistic. Write poems and stories about water: this will also help overcome inner fear.
Try to make the water evoke pleasant associations. Take a walk with friends near the pond, ride a boat or catamaran, go to the river to have a picnic.
These methods will gradually reduce hydrophobia and help you get real pleasure from bathing. It is worth preparing for the fact that it will take some time to overcome the phobia. No need to despair: efforts will certainly give their result.

Psychotherapy

If a person is not able to cope with fear on his own, he may need the help of a psychologist.

There are many methods to quickly overcome any phobia:

art therapy;
behavioral therapy;
cognitive therapy.

Often a specialist has to look for the root cause of fear: in this case, regressive hypnosis and psychoanalysis can help.

We wrote that the obsessive fear of water can have different causes and manifestations and manifest itself with symptoms of varying degrees of intensity. In this article, we will take a closer look at various obsessive fears associated with water: limnophobia, potamophobia and thalassophobia, bathophobia, anthlophobia, chionophobia, ombrophobia and ablutophobia.

Phobias named after bodies of water: limnophobia, potamophobia, and thalassophobia

All three phobias, which will be discussed below, were named in honor of objects-reservoirs that cause fear. But not only the reservoirs themselves are the cause of the listed phobias, but also their inherent properties.

Limnophobia

Estuary in Greek means harbor, bay, that is, it is a reservoir with a calm surface of water, and we have already translated the word "phobia" as fear. Lymnophobia- this is the fear of lakes and what lurks under the surface of the water. Limnophobia also includes fear of swamps and ponds. Those suffering from limnophobia experience fear of swimming and being in the water of a lake or pond, in some cases, contemplation of these reservoirs and the prospect of relaxing on their shores cause panic. The surface of the water seems deceptively treacherous, and the dark depths of the lake are fraught with invisible dangers. Those suffering from limnophobia are much more suitable for shallow pools with crystal clear water and a bottom lined with beautiful multi-colored tiles. Unfortunately, Baikal or the lakes of Finland are not the places where such people should go.

The causes of limnophobia are usually "buried" in childhood: swallowed water and almost drowned in a village lake; capsized in the boat and got scared; one of the friends joked unsuccessfully, unexpectedly grabbing his legs and pulling him to the bottom; saw the drowned man. I heard a lot of horror stories about evil spirits from the swamp or reviewed horror films about monsters living in dark waters. People who experience even mild limnophobia, once in lake water, are subject to excessive anxiety and disorientation. Accordingly, the stronger the phobia, the brighter and stronger its manifestations are.

Potamophobia

Word potamophobia comes from the Greek potamos - a stream and denotes a state of fear that occurs when contemplating the swift moving water, the rapid flow of the river, whirlpools, stormy waterfalls.

Once having fallen into a turbulent stream, current or whirlpool, frightened of his helplessness, a person will remember this experience for a long time. The muddy waters of the river also contribute to anxiety, because you can’t say for sure what they are fraught with and what’s under them at the bottom. In some tropical countries with untouched nature, crocodiles still live in muddy waters. Awareness of the danger posed by turbulent streams and muddy waters is inherent in any person with a healthy instinct for self-preservation, but a traumatic experience or excessive susceptibility can just contribute to the emergence of a phobia.

Thalassophobia

Thalassa means "sea" in Greek. Thalassophobia- an obsessive fear of swimming and swimming in the sea or ocean, to carry out sea voyages. An irrational fear of the sea prevents those suffering from thalassophobia from enjoying sea holidays and sea cruises, such a person will probably roast the entire vacation on the beach if there is no pool nearby. Even among people who know how to swim well, there are those who do not seek to test their strength gracefully swimming among the waves. Some consider the fear of huge water masses to be a completely natural manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation, someone, on the contrary, fearlessly rushes into the endless waters. The degree of development of the instinct of self-preservation (as well as the degree of stupidity) is a slightly different question, but the panicky irrational fear of the sea is already a phobia.

As with other phobias, thalassophobia is usually caused by a traumatic experience and the negative emotions associated with it, from bad bathing with strong salt water in the nose and eyes to shipwrecks and shark attacks.

Bathophobia - "deep" fear

An obsessive fear of depth is called bathophobia(from the Greek bathos - depth). This fear usually arises when a person feels an endless abyss of water under him, especially when the distance to the bottom is not clear. Intense fear and a panic attack can cause you to lose control of your body and drown. Panic fear of depth can be connected both with the fact that a person once almost drowned himself or saw how such a misfortune happened to someone, and with the fact that an unprecedented monster lives in the dark depths.

Bathophobia goes well with limnophobia, potamophobia and thalassophobia. Like thalassophobia, bathophobia can occur in people who are good swimmers. Some panic only when the bottom is not visible or it is very far away. It is recommended to treat bathophobia for people working on water. As for the usual (that is, not panic, not paralyzing) fear of depth, this is a completely natural mechanism of self-preservation. And poorly swimming people generally have nothing to do at depth.

Antlophobia - fear of floods

Antlophobia called the obsessive fear of flooding (from the Greek word antlia - pump). Most often, this phobia affects people who themselves have suffered from floods or who personally know the survivors of the flood. Such a person is afraid of the destructive power of the flood, the material damage caused by it, and possible loss of life. A person suffering from anthlophobia may also be afraid of heavy rains and prolonged rains, avoid bodies of water during the rainy season and spring floods. Antlophobia can become a serious obstacle in the life and work of a person if he lives in regions where floods are possible or is forced to travel to such places on duty.

When precipitation is not a joy: chionophobia and ombrophobia

These two water phobias are related to the weather. Weather phobias most often develop from a traumatic weather-related event experienced in childhood. Most often, weather phobias manifest themselves in the form of insomnia, anxiety, diligent avoidance of places of residence where disturbing weather events often occur, not leaving the house during these weather events, the desire to hide, obsessive monitoring of the weather forecast. With a more strongly developed weather phobia, other symptoms characteristic of all phobias can be observed - nausea, trembling, dizziness, shortness of breath, palpitations, panic, disorientation. Water weather phobias include chionophobia and ombrophobia.

Chionophobia

Term chionophobia comes from the Greek word chion - snow and means an obsessive fear of snow and aversion to it. Chionophobes are afraid of snowfall, snowballs, getting stuck in a snowdrift, getting into a snowstorm, being "cut off from the world" due to the abundance of snow, driving a car on a snowy road, etc. Naturally, people prone to chionophobia and living in regions where there is snow do not like the winter months.

Ombrophobia

The Greek word "ombros" means rain. a ombrophobia- an irrational fear of getting caught in the rain and before the rain in general. The fear of rain can be associated with both anthlophobia (fear of floods) and aquaphobia (fear of water), and with the fear of moisture, which promotes the reproduction of pathogenic microbes. Prolonged rainy weather can plunge people prone to ombrophobia into a state of depression.

Ablutophobia - the enemy of hygiene

ablutophobia(from the Latin word abluere - to cleanse) is a phobia consisting in a constant irrational fear of contact with water: swimming in a pond, taking a shower, washing in a bath, washing. A person suffering from ablutophobia tries his best to postpone contact with water until the last moment, when further delay in hygiene procedures is no longer possible. The need to come into contact with water causes acute anxiety, trembling, dizziness, nausea, a sense of doom, heart palpitations. The peculiarity of ablutophobia also lies in the fact that this fear is very obsessive and at the same time not associated with a danger to life. Ablutophobia due to untimely hygiene can significantly worsen the quality of life, both socially and in terms of health.

According to statistics, women and children are more susceptible to this type of phobia. The onset of ablutophobia is usually associated with traumatic events from childhood. The treatment of this phobia is difficult, since it is difficult to eliminate contact with the irritant, even for a while. Adults are usually treated with psychotherapy in combination with anti-anxiety medications. If ablutophobia is associated with the misconception that washing away the natural products excreted by the body is tantamount to lowering the body's natural defenses, then raising awareness can greatly help in the fight against the disease.

So, there are quite a lot of phobias associated with the water element. But let's remember. that a phobia is an obsessive, logically inexplicable, irrational fear. Therefore, if you are simply afraid to swim to a depth or dive into a river with opaque water, do not rush to diagnose yourself with bathophobia or potamophobia. After all, the instinct of self-preservation is a healthy reaction of the psyche, which ensures the possibility of the existence of any kind.

One of the phobias is the fear of water. People can experience fear for years without enjoying the process of swimming. But this situation is quite easy to fix if you just take care of yourself. In psychology, there is an official name for this disease. What is the correct name for this hydrophobia and how to stop being afraid?

A phobia is a common pathology that can sometimes cause severe discomfort, as well as prevent you from living a normal life, enjoying all its charms. A striking example is hydrophobia (aquaphobia): a patient who suffers from this disease cannot take a dip in the water on a summer day. A phobia can manifest itself in early childhood and accompany the patient throughout life.

Today, psychologists call the panic fear of water several concepts. What is the correct name for this phenomenon - aquaphobia or hydrophobia? Both of these names have under themselves the same disease. It’s just that earlier the concept of “hydrophobia” was a symptom of rabies only. Today, both of these names can equally be used to refer to one ailment - a panic fear of water and everything connected with it.

Kinds

Today, several variations of this disease can be distinguished. Consider the most common of them.

Potamophobia is a fear that occurs in a person when looking at a fast flow of moving water, whirlpools, waterfalls for a long time.
Bathophobia is a panic fear of depth. With an attack of this phobia, a person has a sharp chill or thirst, inconsistent breathing, dry mouth, heartbeat quickens, it starts to tingle in the limbs, it starts to press and hurt in the temples, the skin turns red (due to increased pressure). In rare cases, the patient feels sick. This kind of fear will eventually disappear if the child first bathes in a pool with a shallow bottom, gradually increasing the volume of water;
Thalassophobia is the fear of swimming in the sea or ocean. It should be noted that thalassophobia or the fear of swimming is a very severe symptom that can haunt absolutely everyone: adults and small children. It's hard enough to overcome it. It can haunt a person for years, preventing him from living a peaceful life. How to overcome the fear of depth? Simple enough. First of all, you need to realize that at depth it’s not so scary. Next, you need to go into a shallow pool, gradually increasing the depth. Over time, the fear will disappear and you will be able to return to normal life again.
Lymnophobia is the fear of lakes, as well as everything that is hidden under the water surface. This also includes fear of ponds.
Antlophobia is the panicky fear of floods. As a rule, those who once experienced a flood or flood suffer from this phobia.
Chionophobia is a panic fear of snow. People suffering from this phobia are terribly afraid of snowstorms, as well as snowdrifts.
Ombrophobia is the fear of rain. Prolonged rain can turn into a long stay in depression for such people.
Ablutophobia (ablutophobia) is a panic fear of any contact with water, for example, washing in the shower, bathing, or even washing. Ablutophobia is characterized by obsession, which is not associated with a danger to human life. This phobia, as a rule, worries teenagers, although it can sometimes manifest itself in babies due to some situations that have arisen. Ablutophobia is manifested in a rapid heartbeat, the appearance of a feeling of horror, the occurrence of problems associated with breathing / vision. In addition, ablutophobia is characterized by the appearance of convulsions, as well as an indefinable feeling of fear. It is important to bear in mind that each case is rather difficult to endure. Ablutophobia is the constant fear of any contact with water. The peculiarity of this phobia is obsession. One of the methods of dealing with this disease is persuasion or hypnosis. The goal of therapy is to overcome fear. It is important to clearly explain to the ablutophobe that water is not scary, that it is good, and swimming is good for the body.

All of these species are a variation of the same disease - aquaphobia.

The reasons

In order to answer the question: "How to get rid of fear?" - first you need to understand the reason for its appearance. The reasons for the appearance of this condition may be different, however, they all, as a rule, come down to negative experiences in childhood. Among the large number of situations for stress, the most common are such as:

Any attempts by adults to teach their child to swim in a proven way - by throwing him into the sea so that he does not feel the bottom. In this case, quite often children begin to swim on an instinctive level. Of course, many children learned to swim this way, however, for some, this experience became too traumatic, as a result of which the child developed a fear of water;
Fear of water can also appear due to any situations that are associated with water, for example, suffered a fright when swimming to depth, a sharp fall from the pier;
Fright suffered while taking a bath. It is enough just to hear a frightening sound, lose balance, and in the future, any reminder of water will evoke negative memories;
Tales of a merman who can drag your child to the depths where evil monsters live - even a seemingly harmless statement can cause hydrophobia in the future.

However, fear of water can also appear in adults as a result of a shipwreck, flood, etc. Particularly impressionable people can earn a disease for themselves, even simply by witnessing the death of a person on the water.

Symptoms

As a rule, hydrophobia or aquaphobia does not cause any particular inconvenience to a person, but it certainly affects the quality of life. Walks near water bodies are not available to such people, they cannot be forced to go “swim” or ride a boat. For them, even fishing is something terrible. Sometimes the fear is so strong that even bathing in the bathroom can cause significant harm to health. The more developed this phobia, the more pronounced its symptoms.

The disease is characterized by symptoms such as:

Profuse perspiration;
Increased nervousness;
Chilliness and trembling all over the body;
Dizziness;
dilated pupils;
Shortness of breath or numbness of the limbs;
Cardiopalmus;
Preoboromochnoe state;
Loss of self-control;

In addition, a person suffering from hydrophobia is often tormented by muscle tension, as well as the appearance of nausea.

How is the treatment carried out?

If you are struggling with a particular phobia, then over time it will definitely recede. The main thing is not to give up.

How to overcome fear of water? Before answering this question, you should understand how to diagnose this disease? Hydrophobia is diagnosed quite easily. The doctor conducts a survey, according to the results of which he determines exactly what you are afraid of. After that, the person's reaction to the subject of fear looks. In addition, laboratory and instrumental studies may also be involved. All data received must be recorded.

It is almost impossible to get rid of a severe form of fear of water on your own. Moral support will be required not only from relatives, but also from a doctor. It should be understood that it is quite difficult to determine the primary cause of fear. Often doctors in this case resort to hypnosis. In order to effectively overcome the fear of water, there are many methods, so an individual approach is selected for each patient. Only then does the process of getting rid of the phobia begin.

Treatment will directly depend on the severity of the disease. Some people just accept and live with their disease for the rest of their lives. But there is a risk that over time the disease will begin to progress and it will be much harder to remove it. Therefore, it is especially important for such people to learn how to swim in order to understand that water is not an enemy.

You can often hear: “I'm afraid to swim, because. I have aquaphobia. Psychotherapy will help to overcome fear in this case. The duration of treatment is difficult to determine, because. each case is individual and requires its own course of therapy. However, almost all experts agree that the easiest and most effective way to overcome your fear is to face your fear personally. To do this, a person is first offered to lower his legs and arms into a small container of water, followed by a bath, a pool and an open pond. It is extremely important that at this moment there are close people nearby who can support. It gives strength and removes anxiety.

Another equally popular way is visualization. This is more like auto-training - the patient mentally imagines himself floating on the water surface, while he is not at all afraid.

What can you do yourself?

In order for your fear to go away forever, it must be understood. For this, methods such as:

As often as possible, think that water is something pleasant, soothing, and there is absolutely no danger in it;
Try not to avoid meeting friends on the beach. In addition, it will also be useful to mark an event on the beach so that only warm moments associated with water are stored in memory;
Think that water is not dangerous.

The above methods can only be used if the disease has not progressed.

On the Internet, you can find reviews from girls who indicate that when using these techniques, they were able to get rid of their phobia.

What if the child is sick?

If suddenly you began to notice that your child is terribly afraid of water, then in no case should you panic. It is enough to follow some tips:

In no case do not force your child to climb into the water (it is quite enough to water it, for example, from a watering can while on the shore);
Teach your child to dive underwater while holding their breath.

Only after you understand that your child is no longer afraid, he can be released into open water.

It is important to understand that if the disease is not treated in a timely manner, then over time it may begin to progress. And in the future, the recovery process will be much harder.

Fear of water is a rather serious disease. That is why do not rush to diagnose it in yourself if you are simply afraid to dive into the dark. After all, the usual instinct of self-preservation speaks in you, which is a normal function of the body. If the fear does not lend itself to logic, then we can already talk about a phobia. But it is also quite easy to defeat: it requires only the desire of the patient and the help of a doctor. And very soon your life will sparkle with new colors.

The fear of being at depth without solid ground under your feet, or even the fear of the very existence of depth, is a common phobia, not only among those who cannot swim. This rhinestone has a number of individual features, which we will discuss in this article. You need to know what to fight.

When asked why a person is afraid of depth, people often give a purely personal answer. That is, they talk about a list of their reasons that precede the emergence of this fear. More precisely, not even fear, but a phobia, and it even has a name - bathophobia.

In psychology, this phobia is compared with the fear of death, because, basically, it stems from the fear of drowning. Do not confuse the fear of depth with the banal fear of water from a person who cannot swim. As we have said, fear of depth can manifest itself in even the most experienced swimmers. Bathophobia is one of the most terrible and obsessive fears, do not underestimate it.

What is bathophobia?

The phobic disorder called bathophobia is simply called "fear of depth". This disorder may appear as a result of experienced traumas associated with water or being at depth, as a result of which a person is haunted by an obsessive and sticky fear, attacks are the strongest feelings about this.

However, this phobia does not always appear against the background of a traumatic situation. Bathophobia can exist from birth, even in people who have never been at depth. There are also several reasons for this: a dysfunctional family, distrust of the environment, and others.

Bathophobia causes the so-called feeling of the abyss, from which the following signs follow:

Panic attacks.

Strong emotional arousal.

Fear of even a single mention of depth.

Fear of getting into underwater vegetation (algae) and getting entangled in it.

Following from the foregoing, it should be understood that the initial stage of bathophobia can manifest itself to any person. There were situations when bathophobia made itself felt even while viewing photographs of deep-sea reservoirs.

Often fear overtook people in a boat that sailed far from the shore.

The child is afraid of water

Often, a child cannot realize the true nature and cause of his fear - he is simply scared. However, of course, there are reasons for everything. Often this is:

Fear of new and unknown sensations. Getting into an unfamiliar environment for the child.

Inability to swim and stay on the water.

Anxious associations with some movie or cartoon.

Bad mood during the first swim.

Too cold water temperature, in which the child is uncomfortable.

Not a very pleasant feeling under the feet of pebbles, stone, sand and so on. Adults in such situations resort to "emergency measures" to introduce their baby to water. Quite often, this ends badly, because the child must first of all feel safe and comfortable, in the absence of this, the child is exposed to severe stress and worries, as a result of which the child only begins to be more afraid of water. His thoughts state that swimming is scary because he was forced to do it.

Because of this approach, the child may well be seized by panic or even horror when he is at depth. This sometimes leads to very sad consequences.

Fear of the deep sea

This phobia causes quite controversial discussions and opinions. Some experts claim that this particular phobia has its own reasons, some sigh in bewilderment, they say, how is it so “to be afraid of a magnificent sea holiday”? Panic fear of the sea and swimming in it is called thalassophobia. Some people tend to be wary of the sight of a huge amount of water. Of course, this concerns the sea in the first place. However, there are daredevils who are ready to swim very far without any fear of the depth or anything else. If a person is overwhelmed with a feeling of inexplicable fear and panic only at the sight of the sea, then it is worth forgetting about a complete and relaxing holiday, and there is nothing to say about water sports.

Thalassophobia is also widespread among children. For example, a baby can play with pleasure on the shore, rummage in the sand, categorically refusing to swim alone. Psychologists even assigned this phenomenon its own classification, called neurotic symptoms.

Fear of dark water

From the Greek "estuary" can be attributed to reservoirs with calm water, and "phobia" is translated as "a condition that causes a feeling of fear." Based on this, we can deduce the definition of a phobia, which is the fear of lakes, swamps and ponds and the kyo name is limnophobia. People may experience panic fear while near these bodies of water or while swimming. For some, panic arises at the mere sight or mention.

The mirror surface of the water is perceived as something causing concern. There are frequent cases when thoughts come into your head that something inexplicably terrible and deadly is revealed under it. For people suffering from this disorder, it is necessary to provide bathing only in a shallow pool with clear water, due to which the bottom becomes visible.

The causes of this disorder should be sought in childhood:

A child can survive the shock by swallowing water or almost drowning. Basically, this happens in village ponds.
The boat turned upside down in the middle of the swim can also be the reason.
Unexpectedly, even children's jokes, like jerking your heels underwater, can cause this phobic disorder.
The sight of a drowned person also leaves a deep imprint on the psyche.
The reason may be a horror movie that was once watched, in which a reservoir appeared. Even the mildest form of this phobia can cause anxiety and fear in people when they are in a body of water.

sea monsters

Any phobia involves the presence of a serious subconscious fear. This fear is expressed in rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat. The standard "fight or flight" defense mechanism is activated. It's great, of course, if the object of fear, a dog, for example, is in front of your eyes - here you can flee or something else. But when such fear arises at depth, it is many times worse and more terrible.

It is quite normal to be afraid of being eaten alive by a shark. But if a diver simply has an unreasonable fear of coral reefs or something like that, this is already a phobia. For some divers, the fear of sea creatures with fangs, such as sharks, is so strong that even swimming in an ordinary pool becomes an unbearable ordeal for them.

Fear of getting tangled in algae

Panic arises not only when algae really touches the feet in the water, but also, in principle, at the mere thought that they can be there. Of course, first of all, such a fear arises when a person has already had a traumatic experience of entanglement in algae.

It is worth remembering that the desire to avoid algae is a normal reaction, as they are really extremely dangerous for swimmers. Another thing is when, in an attack of a panic attack, a person begins to move chaotically, thereby possibly dooming himself even to death. Some claim that this phobia is treated with hypnosis.

Fear of drowning

This phobia is called aquaphobia and, like the others, has a number of symptoms: mental and vegetative.

Mental symptoms look like this:

Unpleasant sensations when the skin comes into contact with water. - Inexplicable fear of a banal bath. - Of course, we already know the fear of depth and the fear of large bodies of water. - Anxious feeling before drinking any liquid. Be it tea, coffee or water. - Fear and reluctance to go outside during rain or thunderstorms. The list of physical symptoms is as follows:

Nausea.
Dizziness.
High blood pressure.
Profuse perspiration.
Headache.

If the phobia is not treated, then sooner or later a situation may arise when the aquaphobe still finds itself in the water and convulsions begin. In such a state, a complete shutdown of consciousness occurs, so that a person will definitely not be able to help himself. Aquaphobia is very, very dangerous, you need to get rid of it at the first sign.

But where does this fear of depth come from?

Specifically, this type of phobia, like bathophobia, can be both destructive and objective. The destructive form implies inexplicable fears that there are monsters or any life-threatening things under the water. There have been cases when people hear the voices of sirens or other marine life. For example, Cthulhu. There are people who believe that the ocean is a huge thinking creature, extremely hostile to humans.

Objective fear lends itself to explanation, and therefore is not so dangerous. This is the fear of depth, arising from the inability to swim or the fear of drowning. The occurrence of this phobia is associated with experienced traumas, as a result of which a person is corny afraid of becoming a drowned man.

How to deal with fear?

The origin of all these phobias has deep psychological causes, and it is sometimes extremely difficult to even determine them. However, there are a few recommendations, following which you will definitely feel relief.

Understand what the aquatic environment is like. Before embarking on a long release from fears and phobias, try to understand what you are really afraid of. As they say, you need to know the enemy in person. All sorts of films, TV shows, books and scientific articles will help you figure this out. It may turn out that this is not an enemy at all.

Find the positives. To get rid of fear, you need to clearly know the positive aspects of water and being in it. Refer only to trusted sources of information and discard "revealing articles" about sea monsters to the far shelf. Having a positive image of water formed in your mind will help you deal with your fears.

Fear of water is a fairly common phobia. It can be faced by a person of any age. Despite the fact that the violation does not apply to congenital phobias, young children often suffer from it. It is possible to defeat hydrophobia, but you will have to enlist the support of an experienced psychotherapist.

Most often, hydrophobia occurs in people who cannot swim.

In the classical sense, hydrophobia is the fear of swimming or simply diving into “big” water. Aquaphobia manifests itself at sea, in a lake or any other body of water. As a rule, people suffering from this disorder, it is quite normal to shower and bathe without fear, but going to the pool turns into a panic attack for them.

Hydrophobia refers to specific phobic disorders and is indicated in the ICD-10 code F40.2. There are no exact statistics on the frequency of occurrence of this disorder, but aquaphobia is very common in people of all ages. Women are more likely to experience the disorder than men.

Fear of water is observed exclusively in people who cannot swim. Experienced swimmers feel confident in the water, so they do not have hydrophobia. However, there are cases when a person who kept well on the water experienced severe stress and “acquired” hydrophobia. Subsequently, he could no longer swim until he coped with the fear with the help of a psychotherapist.

Thus, we can conclude that hydrophobia can manifest itself at any age, and not a single person is immune from it.

The term “aquaphobia” today describes not only the fear of entering a body of water, but also other types of water-related disorders. So, the disorder can manifest itself:

fear of depth;
fear of muddy or dirty water;
fear of dark water (at night);
fear of cold water.

It is interesting that a person who is afraid of the depth swims quite confidently along the coast. It is important for him to be able to feel the bottom under his feet at any time. Panic and anxiety roll only when the bottom is not found and great depth is felt.

Fear of dark water is an isolated phobia that manifests itself only while swimming at night. A man swims calmly during the day, but at night the water and depth frighten him. First of all, this is due to the fact that a person is afraid of an attack by something from the water, which cannot be detected in advance at night.

The fear of dirty and muddy water is due to the fear of getting sick. As a rule, the listed phobias have something in common with other fears. So, the fear of depth and dark water is often part of thanatophobia - the fear of death. The fear of muddy and dirty water is often part of hypochondria.

Regular news about pollution of the environment and water bodies can provoke the development of aquaphobia

Hydrophobia most often develops against the background of situations that traumatize the psyche in childhood. As a rule, these are inept attempts to teach a child to swim, during which he is very frightened. As a result, a person in adulthood will avoid large bodies of water.

Hydrophobia can appear in adulthood against the background of tragic events that a person has witnessed. For example, if you see a drowned person, you can “earn” the fear of drowning for life.

Particularly sensitive people may experience a phobia after watching disaster films or news reports that cover events related to the death of people in the water.

Fear of muddy and dirty water can occur while watching programs about what kind of infections you can get when swimming in such reservoirs.

Another reason for fear is the fear of marine life. In this case, the phobia occurs already at a very young age.

Some sources suggest that aquaphobia may be a congenital disorder caused by fetal hypoxia.

As a rule, hydrophobia occurs against the background of stress. So, if a person who cannot swim is pushed into the water, there is a high probability of a pathological fear.

Characteristic symptoms

Even on the hottest summer days, hydrophobes will not go to the pond

Knowing the name of hydrophobia, one should understand how such a phobia manifests itself. In general, this disorder is characterized by an irrational fear that is uncontrollable. Fear arises at the moment of collision with the object of fear. It can be any body of water, as well as individual types or features of water. A person may experience panic at the sight of a cold body of water, fears and fear can even manifest themselves in a pool or artificial pond.

The fear of "big" water makes a person stay away from large bodies of water. Such people will not go swimming in hot weather and will avoid entering the water in every possible way. Moreover, in some particularly severe cases, panic can roll only at the sight of a reservoir.

Symptoms of a phobia can be divided into two groups: somatic (bodily) and mental. The first ones include:

jump in blood pressure;
tachycardia;
shortness of breath or shortness of breath;
tremor of the limbs;
convulsions;
muscle hypertonicity (“wooden muscles”);
chills;
strong sweating.

The mental symptoms of a phobia are irrational fear, anxiety, a feeling of growing panic, a desire to run away and hide as soon as possible. All this can be accompanied by disorientation in space and confusion. There are cases when a person at the sight of an object of fear lost consciousness.

Hydrophobia does not interfere with most people in everyday life, but it imposes restrictions on leisure and recreation. Severe forms of violation can lead to social maladaptation due to problems with personal hygiene, because a person panics even at the sight of tap water. In this case, any contact with water causes fear.

Diagnostics

A psychotherapist will help to deal with the fear of open water. The initial consultation will cost about 1000 rubles. The doctor talks with the patient to determine the type of phobia, and with the help of questions will help to identify the cause of the development of fear of deep water.

The treatment regimen is selected individually for each patient and depends on the characteristics of the manifestation of the disorder. In some cases, you can defeat a phobia on your own. Then the specialist will simply give the necessary recommendations and tell you how best to overcome fear.

Professional help

Art therapy helps children overcome fear of water

Medical treatment for aquaphobia is not practiced. This is due to the fact that the fear is not always present in the patient, but is exacerbated only at the sight of water. As a rule, cognitive behavioral therapy and conversations with a doctor are used. In the course of conversations, it is possible to accurately identify the cause of fear. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is aimed at eliminating established attitudes and changing the patient's way of thinking. As a result of such treatment, he ceases to perceive open reservoirs or deep water as a potential danger.

After some time, they switch to modeling and working out situations in which a person experiences fear. This is done in various ways - from oral discussion and watching videos to visiting the pool and water park. The readiness of the patient to interact with the subject of fear is determined by the doctor after several sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Art therapy helps children overcome aquaphobia. The technique consists in depicting one's own emotions on paper, followed by the study of the drawing with a psychotherapist. Sessions for children are held in a playful way, which makes it easy and effective to overcome the existing fear.

Adult patients may be offered hypnotherapy. As a rule, the treatment consists of several sessions, during which the specialist interacts with the person's subconscious. This method has proven itself in the treatment of isolated monophobia. The problem is that finding a qualified hypnologist is very difficult. It is recommended to trust only professionals, undergoing treatment exclusively in specialized clinics.

Self-treatment

Knowing the name of the fear of depth and other types of fear of water bodies, it is recommended to trust a specialist. Self-medication helps adults well, but such methods can scare children even more.

Perhaps the most effective way to overcome aquaphobia is to learn how to swim. A person is recommended to enroll in a pool, where an experienced coach will quickly make a good swimmer out of him. One has only to feel confident in the water, as aquaphobia will forever recede

For those who think this method is too radical, you can do water aerobics. This will help to constantly interact with water, but at the same time not to be alone, as classes are held in groups.

Simultaneously with the above methods, it is necessary to engage in relaxation to combat stress. It is useful for aquaphobes to master breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga.

If self-treatment does not bring the expected result, it is recommended to consult a specialist.