There are all kinds of phobias and some are better known than others. Some are even spoken of slightly, such as when you say you have arachnophobia because you are repulsed by spiders. But the phobia is actually an emotional disorder that can cause major complications in your life. Discover in our dictionary of phobias what is brontophobia or the fear of thunder.
What is brontophobia?
Brontophobia is actually the fear of thunder, although it is true that it extends to lightning and storms in general. It is one of those phobias related to meteorological that greatly complicate the life of the person who suffers from it because there is no way to avoid it. If there is a storm, there is a storm and you cannot escape.
Up to a certain point it is logical to have a certain fear when the sky turns black and lights up with lightning that dances to the beat of the loud thunder. Who does not give a little restlessness a storm? The phobia appears when anxiety levels skyrocket during a storm.
The usual symptoms of this phobia
Although the symptoms of brontophobia manifest in a high level of anxiety, it rarely leads to panic. Dizziness, sweating, a feeling of unreality, stomach pain, palpitations, and a feeling of suffocation are the most frequent indicators of this phobia.
In addition to the physical symptoms, brontophobia is characterized by the anguish caused by this irrational and excessive fear in the event of a storm. Catastrophic thoughts and behavior change with the intention of avoiding that situation that produces the phobia are also very characteristic of thunder phobia.
Causes of brontophobia
When we look for the of a phobia, it is sometimes easily found in an anxiety disorder that causes the person to be filled with fear and see danger in the most unexpected situations. But other times, as in the case of brontophobia, they can also have a genetic and environmental origin.
And, of course, conditioning should not be lost sight of as a possible origin of a phobia. It is very common that after living a traumatic experience during a storm, a person takes thunder and lightning as a dangerous situation.
Overcome the fear of thunder
Regardless of the fact that this fear of a storm may be something normal and even adaptive, the phobia does require psychological Treatment. Cognitive is the one that is revealed to be the most effective in overcoming any phobia, since it works on both irrational thoughts and behavior.
In any case, since phobias are always accompanied by anxiety, it is common to introduce tools such as relaxation techniques, breathing exercises and Mindfulness into therapy, which will also help in the future and for other emotional disorders.