The world of phobias covers all imaginable areas. From animals to sensations, going through objects or specific places. Some of them are related to the environment or nature and that is why there is a phobia at night or a phobia of storms, for example. On this occasion we are talking about aqua phobia, also known as hydrophobia, or the fear of water.
We tell you what aqua phobia is.
Aqua phobia, also called hydrophobia, is the fear of water. It is not the same as ablutophobia, which is the fear of washing oneself, although they may be related. The person suffering from aqua phobia experiences panic at the sight of large expanses of water, such as the sea, a river, a lake or a waterfall.
From that feeling of fear of the sea, you can also become afraid of a source, for example, always generating a thoughtless fear of water. The fear of drowning seems to be an explanation that puts some logic into this specific phobia, but we already know that logic and phobias don’t get along very well.
Symptoms of aqua phobia
It is one thing to have respect for the sea, which is not without its danger, or even for a swimming pool because you do not know how to swim very well, and another thing is to experience a series of symptoms that coincides with those of anxiety when thinking, seeing or situation of meeting the water.
Sweating, palpitations, dizziness, vertigo, a feeling of unreality, a feeling of suffocation, and a panic attack are some of the symptoms of aqua phobia or hydrophobia. As we say, they can be experienced if you have to walk along the seashore, but also if you are passing by a fountain. The most obvious reaction? Avoid the situation.
Know the causes of aqua phobia
Avoiding the situation is not always possible when it comes to water. It may be easier for you to avoid getting on a plane if you suffer from aerophobia and depending on your life circumstances, but the truth is that you will hardly be able to avoid water. And what is the cause of aqua phobia?
Most phobias find their origin in an anxiety disorder that leads the mind to see danger where there is none. The mind subjected to the stress of anxiety is the biggest generator of phobias, the most frequent and the strangest. And, of course, aqua phobia is also caused by conditioning, that is, by having lived through a traumatic experience in water.
Treatment of aqua phobia
To overcome a fear you have to face it. From this point of view, it is most tempting to propose to the person who suffers from aqua phobia that they jump into the pool, learn to swim and gradually gain confidence to realize that nothing bad can happen.
However, we would never advise overcoming a phobia without psychological help, since professional guarantees that you will learn to handle not only this problem, but also the rest of the emotional disorders that phobias entail. Cognitive behavioral therapy accompanied by relationship is the surest way to overcome aqua phobia.