Where does the fear of water come from and how to overcome this fear

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Among the large number of phobias, the fear of water requires special consideration. It often occurs not only in children, but also in adults. To avoid the influence of any objects that may instill fear in a person, it is enough to just avoid them. This will not work with water: it accompanies a person throughout his life. Therefore, it is worth considering not only the causes and symptoms of such a phobia, but also ways to help overcome it.

Both children and adults can develop a fear of water.

Where does fear of water come from?

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 The outdated name for this disease is hydrophobia.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 a panicky 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.

Symptoms

Numerous symptoms are divided into two categories: autonomic and psychological.

Psychological manifestations of the disease:

• fear of open water and depth;
• reluctance to go outside when it is snowing or raining outside;
• tactile fears associated with the fact that a person is afraid of direct skin contact with water - he has no desire to wash or take a shower;
• anxiety before drinking any drink.

Among the physical symptoms indicating that a person has a fear of water are:

• feeling of nausea;
• slight dizziness;
• significant increase in pressure;
• headache occurs when the patient begins to think about water;
• increased sweating.

If the phobia is not overcome in time, a person may experience convulsions and panic when he enters the water. This can be fatal. Therefore, we can say with confidence that such a phobic state poses a serious threat to a person’s life.

Psychosomatic symptoms of phobia

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, the 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 fear 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 basically deprive themselves of the pleasure of swimming in reservoirs or taking cruises.

Features of hydrophobia

Hydrophobia is a mental disorder in which a person experiences a panicky fear of any water sources: a swimming pool, a large body of water, and even a bathtub filled with water. Often this neurological disease can take extremely severe forms, leading to the fact that the hydrophobe (aka aquaphobe) feels discomfort even at the sight of a glass with any liquid.

A person with hydrophobia is in constant tension, which is not surprising, because water in his life is not a refreshing or cleansing source, but a causative agent of negative emotions. A hydrophobe cannot relax when taking a shower in his own apartment, and there is no need to talk about any swimming in the sea or river. Psychologists distinguish several subtypes of hydrophobia:

• thalassophobia - fear of huge bodies of water (seas and oceans);
• limnophobia - a type of disorder in which the patient experiences panic at the sight of ponds, swamps and lakes;
• potamophobia - aversion to waterfalls, whirlpools and stormy currents;
• bathophobia - panicky fear of depth;
• ablutophobia - any contact with water brings moral suffering to a person: he completely refuses to swim in open bodies of water and delays water hygiene procedures at home as much as possible;
• anthlophobia - fear of the elements in the form of floods;
• ombrophobia - fear of everything related to humidity, namely: rain, dampness, mold, etc.;
• Chionophobia is a pathological aversion to snowfall.

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Where does the disorder come from?

There are many theories regarding the emergence of various phobias, but they are all mainly based on a strong fear once experienced. The same applies to aquaphobia, which arises from negative experiences associated with water . The main reasons for its appearance:

1. Survived an accident. The majority of people suffering from a phobia have either drowned themselves or seen a stranger or loved one drown before their eyes. This picture was firmly entrenched in the subconscious and over time developed into a panicky fear of a repetition of the experienced situation.
2. Careless behavior of elders. Often, overly persistent parents (mostly fathers) want to teach their children to swim so much that they act extremely rashly. The essence of this “training” is as follows: the child is thrown into the depths, from where, according to the idea, he must get out on his own. It does not take into account that the subtle child’s psyche may react incorrectly to such actions, which later leads to psychological problems.
3. Negative impressions from reading a fairy tale or accidentally watching a disaster movie. Children are very impressionable, and even a seemingly harmless fairy tale about mermaids or mermen can greatly frighten a child. A fragile child's psyche can also be shaken by seeing an excerpt from a film or video in which there are natural water disasters and drowning people.
4. Fear during hygiene procedures. Regardless of what a child or an adult is afraid of when taking a bath, negative associations associated with water and the bathroom are firmly fixed in the subconscious.
5. The emergence of fear even before birth. There is a version that the cause of aquaphobia may be artificial puncture of the amniotic sac, as well as oxygen starvation of the fetus.

How to recognize pathology

Whatever the causes of the phobia, it is very important to recognize it in time and take the necessary measures as soon as possible . In the initial stages, hydrophobia does not cause severe inconvenience and manifests itself only in the form of reluctance to contact water and be near bodies of water.

Further, the disease worsens and begins to bring more tangible problems: physical ailments in the form of nausea, dizziness, high blood pressure, rapid pulse, sweating, nervousness, trembling and chills join psychological experiences.

If these troubles are ignored, the pathology takes on an even more severe form, manifested in acute psychological and physical symptoms, the main of which are severe panic attacks, leading to a complete blackout, convulsions and temporary loss of logical thinking.

Such acute manifestations of phobia cannot but affect a person’s health and emotional background in the future. Thus, at first glance, a frivolous fear can completely ruin the life of an initially healthy and cheerful person.

Very important! Hydrophobia has similar symptoms to such a dangerous disease as rabies (which was previously also called “fear of water”). The difference is that the phobia does not have fatal consequences and can be easily cured with the help of psychotherapy.

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.

To implement it, it is recommended to start contacting with a small volume of water, in pleasant and calm conditions.

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.

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.

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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 swimming 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.

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 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.

When the cause is the senses

Sometimes the fear of water arises due to unpleasant sensations when it gets into the nose, ears, or eyes. In this case, psychologists recommend gradual addiction. At first, you can simply wipe your face with a damp towel, then drop clean or slightly salty water into your eyes. Gradual habituation will help reduce discomfort, and eventually the fear will go away.

Water is not dangerous for hearing; the unpleasant sensations go away on their own when the trapped moisture is removed from the ear. Getting it in the nose first of all causes fear of choking. To solve this problem you need to breathe properly and keep your head above water. With a phobia of this nature, the only way out can be gradual addiction.

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.

Name of the disease

The fear of water is called hydrophobia, aquaphobia, or simply hydrophobia. Even though these are completely different words, their meaning is the same. A person with such a phobia tries in every possible way to avoid those procedures that involve water. Such a person also develops a fear of swimming. It is this phobia that brings a lot of inconvenience, because a person’s daily life is impossible without the use of water.

Types of disease

Fear of water is one of the most unpleasant for a person, because sooner or later you will have to fight it, because it is impossible to live your whole life without water. But, as practice shows, some people may have a fear of large waters, floods or open water, and some are afraid to wash themselves with ordinary running water. Hydrophobia can be divided into the following types:

• bathophobia – fear of deep bodies of water;
• thalassophobia - fear of the sea: a person is afraid to swim in the sea, because there is a fear of drowning, he is afraid to approach the sea or travel on sea vessels;
• ablutophobia – fear of washing, washing in water, or brushing teeth. This phobia manifests itself most often in children and causes the greatest inconvenience in everyday life;
• chionophobia – fear of snow;
• potamophobia - fear of stormy water flows such as whirlpools or fast river currents;
• Ombrophobia – fear of getting caught in heavy rain;
• anthlophobia - an obsessive state of fear of a flood or flood;
• limnophobia – fear of lakes.