This is not valid in the cases of aquaphobia or thalassophobia. Thalassophobia is not uncommon in people who participate in water sports or events like the triathlon. A specific phobia is an intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.
Being in water for a prolonged period, especially in water bodies like lakes, rivers and the sea, is not natural to human beings as it is to certain other mammals. Thalassophobia (Greek: θάλασσα, thalassa, "sea" and φόβος, phobos, "fear")[1] is an intense and persistent fear of the sea. Swimming in open water differs greatly from swimming in a pool. These fears come from somewhere beyond logic. It is important to face your fears and accept them as a challenge to overcome.
If a family member has had a history of any phobia, you are likely to have one as well.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I was thinking about the fears that hinder open water swimmers or potential open water swimmers. If you want to get rid of Thalassophobia, there is no other way but to get into the water gradually and learn to manage your reactions. Even if they are willing participants, the vast size of the open water body, the thrashing of arms and legs around, the distance to be covered and the murky depths of the water often cause people to have second thoughts about getting into the water. There have been many sportsmen and athletes who suffered from water phobias early in their lives but went on to participate and win races due to intense training and therapy that helped them conquer their fear of open water. by The Triathlete Experts | Jul 12, 2019 | Blog, Training. While watching such movies, one may not even realize the impact they have, but violent, painful deaths depicted in movies may cause you to experience a sudden fear of water someday when you are standing by the pool or on the shore. Aquaphobia/ Thalassophobia vs. Hydrophobia, 3. Fear of water can be treated with two forms of psychotherapy: exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Then, work on them accordingly. Your email address will not be published. People suffering from Aquaphobia are not even able to learn to swim and miss out on a lot of fun activities. Practice rolling onto your back and taking deep breaths or staying afloat in one place if you are tired. Exposure therapy is the most commonly used treatment to overcome the fear of open water as it helps you meet your fears head on. Fear of open water or water is not very difficult to overcome. If you are a participant in a sports event, like the triathlon, there are going to be many people thrashing and kicking in the water around you. Is it being alone in the water or even the presence of a crowd? This can get stressful, but training in a group will help you get used to it. Knowing and accepting your phobia of water will make it much easier for you to get rid of it.
A swimming pool is a calm and secure environment for you to train in. The same goes for open water. Having a target deadline will help you maintain focus and give you less time to mull over your fears. Thalassophobia can include fear of being in deep bodies of water, fear of the vast emptiness of the sea, of sea waves, sea creatures, and fear of distance from land. Aquaphobia or Thalassophobia are often products of a traumatic event in early life, such as a near-drowning, accidentally falling into water or being pushed into water by a parent or coach while learning to swim. Our ancestors who were more cautious and fearful of deep bodies of water were probably more likely to survive and pass down these fearful genes to their offspring. The correct Greek-derived term for "water-fear" is hydrophobia, from ὕδωρ (hudōr), "water"[8] and φόβος (phobos), "fear".
An experienced coach can give you useful tips to improve your technique. There are a number of factors that may cause this fear of the ocean and sea.
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[3], "The People Who Suffer From Thalassophobia, or Fear of the Sea", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thalassophobia&oldid=983750867, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 01:29. An aversion to water may even keep you away from drinking water. Reading about sharks, water-related accidents and deaths cause a fear of the ocean. The depth, color of the water, temperature, weather conditions and many other factors are different and can cause you to panic.
These phobias prevent you from enjoying water parks, water sports, swimming, diving or even wading. An extreme fear of water is known as auaphobia. [2], Thalassophobia is different from aquaphobia because while aquaphobia is the fear of water itself and may present with weather events or relatively small amounts of water, thalassophobia is a fear of bodies of water that appear vast, dark, deep, and dangerous.