Ever heard the banging on thunder and seen the flashes of lightening furiously causing commotion outside your window? Of course you have! It is not always as innocent as just another storm though. For some it causes a great deal of fear that keeps them from enjoying a rainy day or even leaving their home during a storm. It can affect many aspects of your life including your job, you social life and even their daily routine. This is fear is known as keraunophobia. It comes from the Greek words “kerauno” and “phobos”. Kerauno meaning thunderbolt and phobos meaning fear. It also is can be called tonitrophobia, ceraunophobia, astraphobia, astrapophobia and brontophobia.
People with specific fears such as this one avoid the situation or object at all costs and if this is not possible they suffer through an extreme period of discomfort and anxiety. As with most phobias, keraunophobia sufferers may have to tolerate panic attacks. Some symptoms also associated with phobias include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating and nausea.
How can something such as a thunderstorm cause so much distress? Typically it stems off from a childhood experience that causes emotional trauma and it is linked with thunderstorms. It can range from TV or movies to a real life situation that that person endured or something they witness from someone else.
Now you may wonder just what does it takes to overcome a fear. Usually a few years of therapy is most commonly the treatment. Sometimes prescriptions are used to cure the problem but they do not take away away the fear they only control the symptoms and it is only a temporary solution. Also most medications cause severe side effects and are high addictive with withdraw symptoms that can also be severe. That is why for the most part therapy is the only true way to overcome a phobia. During this therapy time the patient is taught ways to conquer the fear. Your mind is being trained to associate the trigger of the fear with something positive. Hypnosis can also be used.
