One of the rarest phobias is the fear of deep water. Thalassophobia literally means «fear of the sea.» However, The sea here represents large and deep bodies of water.
Those affected fear many aspects that can apply to large bodies of water. The depth and darkness of lakes, seas and oceans provoke fear in phobics.
The thought of being helpless in the open sea or not knowing what suspicious horrors might be hiding just a few feet beneath the dark surface of the water. can cause those affected by this particular anxiety disorder to panic.
Thalassophobia treatment
Since fear of the deep sea is a very specific fear trigger that is unlikely to play a role in most people’s daily lives, People with sea phobia can avoid potential triggers relatively easily.
Many thalassophobia sufferers develop avoidance strategies and They can simply eliminate beach stays or boat and sea trips from their lives.
But if you want to eliminate it, it is a phobia, andThe first approach is psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy attempts to identify and change the negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to the development of the phobia.
Replace these thoughts with more positive and realistic thought patterns can reduce anxiety.
Another way is confrontation therapy or exposure therapy. The affected person faces the situation that causes fear in a gradual and controlled manner, to achieve desensitization and, ultimately, a reduction in the fear reaction. This desensitization can begin with virtual reality technologies.
Phobias related to water
Although thalassophobia describes the fear of water, and especially the terrifying secrets of the dark depths of the sea, affected phobics are not fundamentally afraid of water per se.
The fear of water is called aquaphobia or hydrophobia, The depth and darkness of the water masses have no influence here. The mere idea of skin coming into contact with water causes anxiety in aquaphobia.
The fear of fish and contact with them in water is called ichthyophobia.
The anxiety disorder that is called ombrophobia, which refers to the fear of rain, is also associated with the water element.
Why are you afraid of the sea?
The fear of deep water is not that far-fetched and can be easily explained in terms of human evolution. Human beings have always been prepared to recognize recognize natural sources of danger in time and react accordingly.
The fact that potential predators could hide in the dark is one of the most important lessons our ancestors learned.
When the hairs on the back of our necks stand up as we look into the darkness and our pulse accelerates, our body prepares for a possible leak and allows us to be more awake, more focused and generally more attentive through the release of hormones.
And where is it darker than when you look into the depths of the water? The larger the body of water, the more potential dangers there are below the surface; It seems normal that we feel uncomfortable in the open sea.
However, anxiety disorders such as thalassophobia By definition, they represent exaggerated and disproportionate reactions of our body to the dark depths of the oceans, although the development of such phobias can also have very individual causes.
Fears often they are “learned” from traumatic experiences that can unconsciously impact people throughout their lives.
Symptoms of thalassophobia
Phobias all cause very similar symptoms:
- Increased heart rate
- dry mouth
- Sweats
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Shaking
- Hot flashes
How is thalassophobia diagnosed?
Phobias are more than fear and discomfort. They manifest themselves through irrational, exaggerated and disproportionate fear reactions.
Only trained doctors can diagnose anxiety disorders. If you think you have thalassophobia, talk to your GP about referring you to a specialist.
To diagnose an anxiety disorder such as thalassophobia, The phobia must have existed for at least six months and trigger anxiety reactions so severe that normal functioning is no longer possible.
Only When no other medical explanation can explain the reactions, a phobia can be diagnosed.
Anxiety disorders and phobias, what are they really?
It is completely normal for us to feel anxious from time to time depending on the situation. For some people, however, fear is a constant companion that makes them feel helpless. We then speak of anxiety disorders.
Anxiety disorders can take very different forms. In addition to general and non-specific ones, we also know about phobias, which focus on specific things, such as specific situations, objects, animals, people or environments.