Some phobias can be let go because they do not complicate the daily life of the person who suffers from them too much, but there are others who must be tried to be overcome as soon as possible. This is the case of those phobias that are related to meteorological phenomena, circumstances that we can in no way change or avoid. In our dictionary of phobias we tell you everything about ombrophobia or the fear of rain.
What is ombrophobia?
Ombrophobia is the fear of rain that is also known as pluviophobia. The person with ombrophobia panics at what for many is a blessing. Those rainy days, the drops falling on the window, getting your feet wet in, the smell of wet earth… very evocative for some and fearful for others.
That the sky is cloudy, that it threatens rain, that it rains, that you are on the street or at home listening to the rain, that you cannot take shelter, that you get wet or that you are afraid of getting wet are threats to people with ombrophobia, an excessive fear of something inevitable like rain.
How do I know if I have this phobia?
If you suffer from ombrophobia, it is not that you consider it a nuisance that it starts to rain, but rather that you start to get nervous. Nerves turn into fear and fear into a series of symptoms that are the same as those of anxiety. Thecan cause a panic attack in cases where the rain catches you off guard and you did not expect it.
For people with ombrophobia, rain is a real danger, which is why the mechanisms of fear and anxiety are triggered. This disorder should not be confused withbrontophobia, which is the fear of thunder, since rain does not necessarily imply that a storm is occurring.
Causes of fear of rain
In any case, rain is a meteorological phenomenon that is impossible to avoid. It is not as if you have aerophobia that you can avoid, despite the damage that this entails, getting on a plane. If it rains, you can’t do anything to remedy it, you can’t escape, and you can’t run away.
But what causes this particular phobia? Most of the time, phobias find their origin in a traumatic experience lived in the past. Having a previous anxiety disorder is another of the causes of the development of a phobia. And in this specific case, a depressive state can lead you to suffer from ombrophobia due to the sadness that rain sometimes produces.
Ombrophobia treatment
All phobias should be treated as soon as possible, but in cases where the stimulus that causes fear is unavoidable, even more so. You have to seek psychological help because it is not a disorder that we can overcome by ourselves and cognitive, which is the most effective, has to be carried out by a professional.
Ombrophobia, like any phobia, is accompanied by anxiety and all its consequences, which is why all treatments to overcome a phobia include relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety.