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Psychological reasons for fear of open water. Aquaphobia: why it occurs and how to overcome the fear of water

The fear of being in deep water 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 talk about in this article. You need to know what to fight with.

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 preceded the emergence of this fear. More precisely, not even fear, but phobia, and it even has a name - bathophobia.

In psychology, this phobia is compared to the fear of dying, because, basically, it stems from the fear of drowning. Do not confuse the fear of depth with a banal fear of water from a person who does not know how to swim. As we have already 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?

A phobic disorder called bathophobia is simply called “fear of depth.” This disorder may appear as a result of experienced trauma associated with water or being at depth, as a result of which a person is haunted by an obsessive and sticky fear, and attacks by strong 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 to the depths. There are also several reasons: a dysfunctional family, distrust of the environment and others.

Bathophobia causes the so-called feeling of the abyss, from which the following symptoms arise:

Panic attacks.

Strong emotional arousal.

Fear of even the mere mention of depth.

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

Following from the above, it is worth understanding that the initial stage of bathophobia can manifest itself in any person. There have been situations when bathophobia made itself felt even while viewing photographs of deep-sea reservoirs.

Often fear overtook people in a boat that had 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 a new and unknown sensation. Finding yourself in an environment that is unusual for the child.

Inability to swim and stay on the water.

Disturbing associations with some film or cartoon.

Bad mood during the first swim.

The water temperature is too cold and the child is uncomfortable in it.

Not a particularly pleasant feeling of pebbles, stones, sand, etc. under your feet. In such situations, adults resort to “emergency measures” to introduce their baby to water. Quite often this ends badly, because the child must first of all feel safety and comfort; in the absence of this, the child is subjected to severe stress and anxiety, 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 overcome 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 argue that this particular phobia has its own reasons, some sigh in bewilderment, saying, how can it be so “afraid of a magnificent seaside holiday”? Panic fear of the sea and swimming in it is called thalassophobia. Some people tend to feel wary at the sight of huge amounts of water. Of course, this concerns the sea first of all. However, there are brave souls who are ready to swim very far without any fear of depth or anything else. If a person is overwhelmed by a feeling of inexplicable fear and panic just at the sight of the sea, then it’s worth forgetting about a complete and relaxing holiday, and there’s nothing to say about water sports.

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

Fear of dark water

From Greek, “estuary” can be attributed to bodies of water with calm water, and “phobia” is translated as “a state that causes a feeling of fear.” Based on this, we can derive a definition of phobia, which is the fear of lakes, swamps and ponds and its name is limnophobia. People may experience panic while being near these bodies of water or while swimming. For some, panic arises at one glance or mention.

The mirror-like surface of the water is perceived as something causing concern. There are often cases when thoughts enter your head that something inexplicably terrible and deadly is being revealed underneath. For people suffering from this disorder, it is necessary to ensure that swimming is only in a shallow pool with clear water, due to which the bottom is visible.

The causes of this disorder should be sought in childhood:

A child can survive shock by swallowing water or almost drowning. Basically, this happens in village ponds.
The cause could also be a boat overturned in the middle of a swim.
Surprisingly, even children's jokes, such as pulling your heels under water, can cause this phobic disorder.
The sight of a drowned man also leaves a deep imprint on the psyche.
The reason may be a horror movie you once watched in which a pond appeared. Even the mildest form of this phobia can cause people to feel anxious and afraid when in a body of water.

Sea monsters

Any phobia presupposes the presence of a serious subconscious fear. This fear is expressed in rapid breathing and 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 standing before your eyes - here you can save yourself by running away or doing something else. But when such fear arises in the depths, 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 similar, this is already a phobia. Some divers' fear of sea creatures with fangs, such as sharks, is so intense that even swimming in a regular pool becomes an unbearable ordeal.

Fear of getting tangled in algae

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

It is worth remembering that the desire to avoid algae is a normal reaction, as it is indeed extremely dangerous for swimmers. It’s another matter when, in a panic attack, a person begins to move chaotically, thereby possibly even dooming himself to death. Some claim that this phobia can be 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 expanses of water. - An 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 sweating.
Headaches.

If the phobia is not treated, then sooner or later a situation may arise when the aquaphobe ends up in the water and begins to have convulsions. In this state, a complete blackout of consciousness occurs, so the person will definitely not be able to help himself. Aquaphobia is very, very dangerous and must be eliminated at the first sign.

But where does this fear of depth come from?

This particular type of phobia, bathophobia, can be both destructive and objective. The destructive form involves inexplicable fears that there are monsters or any life-threatening things under water. There have been cases where 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 that is extremely hostile to humans.

Objective fear can be explained and is therefore not so dangerous. This is a fear of depth that occurs due to inability to swim or fear of drowning. The occurrence of this phobia is associated with experienced traumas, as a result of which a person is simply afraid of becoming drowned.

How to deal with fear?

The origin of all these phobias has deep psychological reasons and even identifying them can sometimes be extremely difficult. However, there are several recommendations, following which you will definitely feel relief.

Understand what the aquatic environment is like. Before you begin the long process of liberation from fears and phobias, try to understand what you are really afraid of. As they say, you need to know the enemy by sight. All sorts of films, TV shows, books and scientific articles will help you figure this out. Perhaps it will 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. Turn only to trusted sources of information and discard “revealing articles” about sea monsters. If a positive image of water is formed in your mind, it will help you cope with your fears.

Among the phobias we can highlight the fear of water. People can experience fear for years without enjoying the process of swimming. But this situation can be easily corrected 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 and also interfere with living a normal life, enjoying all its delights. A striking example is hydrophobia (aquaphobia): a patient who suffers from this disease cannot plunge into water on a summer day. The phobia can appear in early childhood and accompany the patient throughout his life.

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

Species

Today, several variations of this disease can be distinguished. Let's look at the most common ones.

Potamophobia is a fear that occurs in a person when watching a rapid stream of moving water, whirlpools, or waterfalls for a long time.
Bathophobia is a panicky fear of depth. When an attack of this phobia occurs, a person experiences severe chills or thirst, shortness of breath, dry mouth, heart rate increases, the limbs begin to tingle, the temples begin to feel pressure and pain, the skin turns red (due to increased pressure). In rare cases, the patient may feel nauseous. This type of fear will disappear over time if the child first swims 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 fear of swimming is a very severe symptom that can haunt absolutely everyone: adults and small children. It is quite difficult to overcome it. It can haunt a person for years, preventing him from living in peace. How to overcome the fear of depth? Simple enough. First of all, you need to realize that the depths are 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.
Limnophobia is the fear of lakes, as well as everything that hides under the water surface. This also includes fear of ponds.
Antlophobia - panic fear of floods. As a rule, those who once experienced a flood or flood suffer from this phobia.
Chionophobia is a panicky fear of snow. People suffering from this phobia are terrified of snowstorms, as well as snowdrifts.
Ombrophobia is the fear of rain. Prolonged rain can result in long-term depression for such people.
Ablutophobia (ablutophobia) is a panicky fear of any contact with water, for example, washing in the shower, bathing, or even doing laundry. Ablutophobia is characterized by obsession, which is not associated with a danger to human life. This phobia, as a rule, worries teenagers, although sometimes it can manifest itself in children due to certain situations that arise. Ablutophobia manifests itself in a rapid heartbeat, a feeling of horror, and problems associated with breathing/vision. In addition, ablutophobia is characterized by the appearance of seizures, as well as an indefinable feeling of fear. It is important to consider that each case is quite difficult to bear. Ablutophobia is a constant fear of any contact with water. The peculiarity of this phobia is its obsession. One of the methods of combating 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 named species are varieties of the same disease - aquaphobia.

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 usually come down to negative experiences in childhood. Among the large number of situations for stress, the most common are:

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 instinctively begin to swim. 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, a fright experienced while swimming to depth, a sharp fall from a pier;
Fright suffered while taking a bath. It is enough just to hear a frightening sound, lose your balance, and in the future any reminder of water will evoke negative memories;
Tales about a merman who can drag your child to the depths where evil monsters live - even a seemingly harmless statement can later cause hydrophobia.

However, fear of water can also appear in adults as a result of experiencing a shipwreck, flood, etc. Particularly impressionable people can get sick, even just by witnessing the death of a person on the water.

Symptoms

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

The disease is characterized by symptoms such as:

Profuse sweating;
Increased nervousness;
Chills and trembling throughout the body;
Dizziness;
Dilated pupils;
Shortness of breath or numbness of the limbs;
Rapid heartbeat;
Pre-disturbance state;
Loss of self-control;

In addition, a person suffering from hydrophobia often suffers from muscle tension, as well as nausea.

How is the treatment carried out?

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

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

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

Treatment will directly depend on the severity of the disease. Some people simply 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 more difficult to remove it. Therefore, it is especially important for such people to learn to swim in order to understand that water is not the enemy.

You can often hear: “I’m afraid to swim because... I have aquaphobia." In this case, psychotherapy will help to overcome fear. The duration of treatment is quite difficult to determine, because Each case is individual and requires its own course of therapy. However, almost all experts agree that the simplest and most effective way to overcome your fear is to face your fear in person. To do this, a person is first asked to immerse his legs and arms in 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 method is visualization. This is more reminiscent of 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 irrevocably, it must be understood. The following methods are effective for this:

Think as often as possible that water is something pleasant, soothing, and there is absolutely no danger hidden in it;
Try not to avoid meeting friends on the beach. In addition, it will also be useful to mark some event on the beach so that only warm moments associated with water are remembered;
Thinking 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 testify that by using these techniques, they were able to get rid of their phobia.

What to do if a child is sick?

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

Under no circumstances force your child to get into the water (it is quite enough to water him, 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 can he be released into open water.

It is important to understand that if the disease is not treated promptly, it may begin to progress over time. And in the future the recovery process will be much more difficult.

Fear of water is a fairly 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 fear does not lend itself to logic, then we can already talk about a phobia. But it is also quite easy to defeat: all that is required is the desire of the patient and the help of a doctor. And very soon your life will sparkle with new colors.

There are many people in the world who look different, think differently, and have a lot of individual characteristics, but they are united by the fact that their biggest fear is water. Why is this so? After all, water is one of the main conditions of life, one of the elements, we ourselves consist of 70% of it. Nevertheless, phobias associated with it are common. They can range from a completely logical fear of drowning, to panic attacks caused by raindrops hitting the face.

It is worth immediately separating the fear of water as a psychological phobia and as a symptom of rabies. In the 21st century, such a terrible disease as rabies is quite rare, but if infection occurs, especially with late diagnosis, it is fatal in 99.9% of cases. The outdated name for this disease is hydrophobia. The fact is that at the second stage of the disease a group of symptoms appears, including panic fear of water.

If we talk about a psychological disorder, then this, like other phobias, can arise due to various reasons. Most often, fear of water occurs after a negative personal experience. This can be either an innocent episode when bathing a child, when he plunged headlong into the water for a split second, or a really dangerous situation when a person was on the verge of drowning, but was saved. A phobia can even be caused by a case in which the patient choked heavily and this physical sensation, when water entered the respiratory tract, was imprinted in an unconscious state.

There are people who got their phobia after witnessing someone drowning. Especially in childhood, when such a psycho-emotional impact can be had not only by a real incident, but also by a scene from a film.

What is the scientific name of a phobia?

Fear of water has several scientific names: hydrophobia (from ancient Greek ὕδωρ - water and φόβος - fear) and its synonym - aquaphobia, where aqua - “water” in Latin. In the classic case, this disorder represents a fear of bathing in bodies of water, swimming, or immersion in water. Hydrophobes often do not know how to swim because of this feature, so such fear begins to rely on the instinct of self-preservation. Thus, the circle closes, a person is afraid of drowning, because he does not know how to swim, and he does not know how to swim because he is afraid of water and does not want to learn.

There is another specific phobia called ablutophobia. Ablutio translated from Latin means “washing” or “washing away.” With ablutophobia, a person, often a child, experiences panic or anxiety when water gets on their face or while bathing in a bath. Thus, ablutophobia creates difficulties in carrying out basic hygiene procedures, while aquaphobes generally deprive themselves of the pleasure of swimming in reservoirs or taking cruises.

How to overcome your fear of water

Depending on the severity of the phobia, you can fight it either with the help of psychotherapy or on your own. If a hydrophobe suffers from a mild form of the disorder, then it is quite possible to overcome the fear of water and learn to swim without the involvement of specialists.

For example, visiting beaches, going into water up to your ankle, knee, waist - gradually getting used to the sensations and coming to terms with the non-danger of the actions. It’s good to do all this in the presence of close, reliable people - their support will help the aquaphobe calm down and feel safe. For those who are afraid of depth and the unknown, it will be useful to start with a visit to the pool. Transparent water, visibility of the bottom, a special vest, a trainer - all this helps to calm the hydrophobe, despite the “dangerous” environment for him. After a person learns to swim in a pool, the fear of open water will also go away.

Why do you dream about being afraid of water?

Dreams are one of the most mysterious forms of the breakthrough of the unconscious into the consciousness of a sleeping person. Both oneirology and psychoanalysis study and interpret dreams. It would be too bold to speak unambiguously about any meanings of this or that dream. Nevertheless, if we rely on Freud’s theory, then in his interpretation of the “birth” symbol most often there is some kind of interaction with water, an attitude towards water. Fear of water can be dreamed of in connection with upcoming or previous events; it can mean both danger, a threat to life, and deeper individual experiences.

One way or another, if you have the same dream or experience any obsessive thoughts regarding dreams, the best advice would be to consult a psychoanalyst. No consultation with an astrologer or a specialist in system-vector psychology will give you a profound result. Try to solve your problems by resorting to the use of teachings close to science. On the other hand, the human psyche is designed in such a way that the placebo effect can be very strong. If you are an aquaphobe or a religious person, then prayer for fear of water can have a beneficial effect, calm you down and inspire confidence.

Coping with fear in adults

According to one theory, hydrophobia, like any other phobia, is a clear embodiment of internal anxiety caused by an external, unconscious cause. Especially if the phobia appeared “out of nowhere,” the best option would be to contact a psychologist-psychotherapist who deals with in-depth analysis. If the reason for the emergence of aquaphobia on the surface is that you have experienced a psychotraumatic situation, which you remember very well, but you cannot overcome the fear on your own, then a consultant psychologist or psychotherapist will help you return to a full life. One of the effective methods of working with phobias is cognitive behavioral therapy. The patient develops the “correct” model of behavior when interacting with a frightening environment through gradual contact.

It is also possible to overcome the fear of water in adults with the help of hypnosis. This method shows good results, but is not suitable for everyone, due to the individual characteristics of the body. Art therapy techniques are often used to overcome the problem. When visualizing a phobia in a picture, the attitude towards the object of fear changes. Aquaphobes can exhibit compensatory behavior - taking boat trips, despite feeling terrible - rapid heartbeat, increased sweating, hand tremors, nausea. Some, on the contrary, will put off going to a specialist with all their might, convincing themselves and others that the phobia does not interfere with their lives. By the way, many hydrophobes never find it necessary to cope with their fear, and for the rest of my days I avoid swimming in a lake, sea or ocean.

Features of overcoming fear by children

Children's fear of water can also take many forms. Some children are afraid of swimming in a pond, but at the same time calmly tolerate being in an inflatable pool of water; others cannot stand it when shower water is poured on their heads while washing in the bath. There are many possible manifestations of aquaphobia or ablutophobia in a child. These fears must be dealt with carefully and gradually.

Do not under any circumstances put pressure on your child, do not devalue his feeling of fear, do not compare him with other, more “brave” children. These are the main mistakes that parents can make in such situations.

The child must be sure that his parents are on his side, they understand him, support him, and will help him overcome his fear. If instead you shame the child or try to force him into the water, you will no longer have trust. Children will simply start hiding their feelings from you because they won’t be sure that you are a reliable, understanding adult.

A parent can try to help a child in the same way as an art therapist would - offer to draw their fear. And then, carry out some manipulations with the drawing. You can tear it up or add elements to it that will no longer frighten the baby, but, on the contrary, will begin to evoke positive emotions. In the same way, gradual contact with “danger” is recommended; you can try to attract floating toys that the child likes, and come up with games. If you can’t overcome your fear of water on your own, you can contact a child psychologist. He can use the same techniques, plus fairy tale therapy or sand therapy, which has a good effect on children. But do not forget, most disorders in a child indicate the presence of problems among adults in the family.

This video explains how the fear of water manifests itself in a small child and how you can combat this phobia.

The fear is not of the water itself, but of what is underneath it

This is precisely the explanation of their phobia that people suffering from aquaphobia often give. There is another term - limnophobia, which means fear of lakes, but these particular bodies of water stand out because they most often have an opaque bottom. Limnophobes are also afraid of ponds, swamps and other mysterious places. Even the images in the picture can cause discomfort in the body. At the same time, people suffering from this disorder do not experience any discomfort when visiting a water park or swimming pool. The fear of what is under water is often provoked by horror films and other influences on the unformed psyche of impressionable individuals.

A few words in conclusion, you can get rid of hydrophobia on your own, if the degree of severity allows it, or with the help of psychotherapy. Techniques used by specialists range from cognitive behavioral to psychoanalysis. The fear of water in children usually goes away with age, with the correct, non-traumatic behavior of adults. There are people who prefer not to resist fear and avoid certain contacts with water throughout their lives.

If a person is very afraid of water, this condition is a neurotic disorder and is called hydrophobia. Few people manage to overcome their fears on their own. An experienced hypnologist, psychologist and treatment correctly selected for each individual case will help you cope with such a problem as fear of water.

What is hydrophobia

Everyone is well aware of the name of the phobia “fear of water”. This is hydrophobia. A person develops an uncontrollable and often panicky fear of water. This pathology has another name - aquaphobia. Many people do not understand what people with hydrophobia are afraid of. This mental disorder is manifested by excessive fear of hydrophobia, an anxious state during contact with liquid. Sometimes people are afraid to even look at a lake or river, or feel the raindrops on their bodies.

A person suffering from hydrophobia is afraid to wash his face, hands, take a shower, take a bath, or swim in a pool or open water. Some people who have suffered severe infectious or viral diseases cannot even calmly drink water.

Most often, hydrophobia appears in a person who simply does not know how to swim. People suffering from aquaphobia are afraid of choking, suffocating, or drowning. even in early childhood due to some incident related to water. A person can live his whole life with hydrophobia and not know that this disease can be successfully treated.

Types of disorder

There are several manifestations of hydrophobia. Various cases of hydrophobia have their own names, and special terminology has been introduced in psychology to designate them.

Types of hydrophobia:

dipsophobia - fear of drinking water;
bathophobia - fear of any deep bodies of water;
ablutophobia - fear of washing, showering or bathing;
potamophobia - fear of fast currents and whirlpools;
thalassophobia - fear of the sea;
limnophobia - fear of lakes;
anthlophobia - fear of floods;
chionophobia - fear of snow;
Ombrophobia - fear of getting caught in the rain.

Causes of fear of water

Hydrophobia occurs as a result of psychotraumatic factors or as a result of somatic diseases. Neurological disorders usually begin at a young age. Hydrophobia develops at 3–5 years of age. A child's pathological fear of water may be misinterpreted by his parents. Adults sometimes regard this condition as whims and disobedience. Sometimes hydrophobia signals a serious somatic pathology.

Causes of mental disorders that cause fear of water:

fetal hypoxia - lack of oxygen in the womb can subsequently lead to aquaphobia in the child;
painful sensation that occurs upon contact with liquid - burns, frostbite, water getting into the eyes, nose, mouth;
a stressful situation in an open body of water - panic at depth, convulsions, if a person himself has once drowned;
the consequence of improper bathing of the baby is too sudden immersion in the bath, very cold/hot temperature;
an accident on a lake or sea - if a person saw a drowned person;
impressionability after watching films about shipwrecks or sea and river monsters;
a person has experienced a natural disaster - a flood, a deluge, a tsunami - or a shipwreck;
improper swimming training - if a person is forcibly thrown into a pond, forced to go swimming against his desire.

In some cases, fear of water occurs during illnesses such as rabies or tetanus. It may be difficult for a person to drink liquids due to swelling of the larynx. After recovery, some people’s fear of water remains for a long time and becomes a mental disorder.

Symptoms of hydrophobia

If a person avoids contact with liquid in every possible way, he most likely has aquaphobia. Only an experienced specialist can recognize the disease and cure everyone who is afraid of water. Symptoms of aquaphobia are divided into mental and physiological.

Psychological signs of hydrophobia:

anxiety when drinking;
reluctance to wash or bathe;
nervousness at the sight of open water;
avoiding contact with water under any pretext;
anxiety when drops come into contact with the skin;
depression at the sight of a water surface;
in relation to bodies of water;
fear of rain or snow.

Physiological symptoms of hydrophobia:

rapid heartbeat;
increased sweating;
difficulty breathing;
dry mouth;
increased blood pressure;
convulsions;
fainting;
shortness of breath;
state of stupefaction;
trembling in the limbs;
frequent urge to urinate;
numbness in the arms or legs;
dizziness;
clouding of consciousness;
disorientation in space.

Hydrophobia in children: how to help a child overcome hydrophobia

Healthy and normal people should not have aquaphobia. You need to get rid of hydrophobia, because water is an important component of human life. Children suffer from hydrophobia at different periods of their development. Pathology arises as a result of unpleasant sensations that appear upon contact with water, or because of invented fears, many of which are inspired by disaster films. Hydrophobia usually goes away on its own with age. In severe cases, getting rid of aquaphobia will require the help of a psychologist or hypnologist.

How to help your child overcome his fear of water at home:

try to come into contact with water more often (wash your hands in a pond or bath, dip your feet);
visit water parks, swimming pools and watch other children having fun;
take baths with relaxing and soothing essential oils and medicinal plants;
during bathing, let the child play with rubber toys, launch boats and fish in the bath, wash dolls;
come up with a fairy tale in which the child would associate himself with the hero who saves his beloved dog, friend, or mother from drowning;
allow swimming in clothes (night pajamas, T-shirt);
during water procedures, ensure that detergents and water do not get into your eyes, nose, or mouth;
be patient and accustom your child to water over a long period of time.

What not to do if your child has a fear of water:

forcing someone to wash or bathe;
shout and punish for disobedience;
calling you a dirty little pig or a pig;
set ultimatums (if you don’t want to swim, I won’t give you ice cream);
react hysterically to water splashing in the bathroom while bathing.

Features of hydrophobia in adults: how to live with hydrophobia

In adults, aquaphobia most often occurs due to a stressful situation experienced while swimming. The fear of drowning makes some people avoid any contact with water. It is much more difficult for an adult to cope with this problem on his own than for a child. Children do not realize that water can bring death, they are simply afraid of unpleasant sensations.

How to stop being afraid of water yourself:

try to understand what exactly, what incident from the past caused hydrophobia;
return to frightening thoughts every day and train yourself not to be nervous when experiencing an unpleasant situation;
write down on a piece of paper all the phobias associated with the fear of water;
re-read your list every day, experience each frightening situation (preferably one a day) and try not to worry;
visit the shores of water bodies more often or visit entertainment water parks.

Sometimes people are afraid of floods, tsunamis, floods, or simply drowning in the sea, lake or river. You can live with this problem, but it’s better to try. According to statistics, floods are rare, and rising water levels do not always lead to catastrophic consequences. If a person is afraid of drowning, it is better to swim in a pool or shallow and calm body of water. Swimming in shallow water and feeling the bottom under your feet eliminates the problem of fear of water.

How to learn to swim while suffering from aquaphobia? First of all, when swimming, a person needs to constantly convince himself that the sea or river does not pose any danger to him. It’s better not to think about depth; when in an open body of water, you should always be calm and never panic. While swimming, you need to repeat to yourself that the water is beautiful, there is no reason to be afraid of it, that a person will always have the strength to swim to the shore.

Important! Most often, people drown due to a panic attack in the water. Finding yourself face to face with the water element, you must not lose self-control. In a calm state, water always pushes a person to the surface, thanks to the oxygen and buoyant force present in the lungs.

How to treat fear of water?

Fear of water is treated with medication or Medication does not bring good results. With the help of medications (sedatives, tranquilizers) it is only possible to get rid of panic attacks and reduce the manifestations of some symptoms. Pharmaceuticals do not affect the culprit of a mental disorder, because it is often located in the depths of the human subconscious.

The main treatment for water phobia is hypnotherapy. In this way, it is possible to eliminate all components of fear. A person is taught relaxation techniques and how to behave correctly during times of stress. Many psychologists practice immersing an individual in a frightening situation. In this way, it is possible to instill an addiction to water and reduce mental stress when in contact with it.

Hypnotherapy can be individual or group. During treatment, the psychologist identifies the cause of hydrophobia and teaches the person to confront his fears. Often, a psychotherapist suggests that people visualize their nightmares, that is, draw on paper what exactly scares them. This method is called art therapy.

Hypnotherapy does not always free a person from internal fears. Hypnosis helps to identify and eliminate the instigator of aquaphobia. Using this method, you can penetrate into the depths of the human psyche - the subconscious. By immersing a person in a hypnotic trance, the hypnologist manages to identify the root cause of panic fear. Having established the factors that influenced the development of water phobia, the specialist manages to transform the destructive situation into a positive life program. The desired result is achieved through suggestion. The hypnologist suggests to the person that there is no need to be afraid of water.

Treatment with hypnosis frees people from anxiety and excessive impressionability. A person gains confidence in his own abilities and ceases to be afraid of water. Treatment with a hypnologist is completely painless and 100 percent effective. It is recognized by official medicine, gives extremely positive results, and completely eliminates hydrophobia.

If you suffer from hydrophobia and want to be cured, contact