Brontophobia: Causes, Picture, Symptoms and Treatment

Do you fear of thunder? Then, you may have brontophobia. Don’t panic! It is not a rare phobia. One among every ten people suffers from the issue. Not only are the humans affected by the issue, but animals also show the fear of thunder. The thunder causes no damage to people. But, the fear that something bad may happen triggers the phobia. Do you know that two more phobias are associated with the thunders? One is the astraphobia, which signifies the fear of thunderstorms. Another is known as keraunophobia. It represents the fear of lightning. Hence, it is interesting to know that many people fear thunder and lightning.

Thunder can instigate fear in you due to the high sound. It can make you agitated. So, you may feel panicky and anxious. Brontophobia is very common small children, but some suffer even as adults. You need to understand more about the issue to get a grasp on the things. It will help you take the right actions to overcome the fear. So, you can alleviate the stress and tension during the rainy season.

What Is Brontophobia?

Brontophobia can make you fearful about the thunder. So, patients suffering from the disease are wary about the rainy season. It is a word with Greek origins. Bronto in Greek means thunder. You may have heard about the term phobia. It refers to the irrational fear that people may have about certain things in their life. So, together the term refers to the unfounded fear of thunder. Some people may refer other names for the issue. Tonitrophobia, as well as astraphobia, are the two names synonymous with the issue. Researches have shown that human and animals are susceptible to fear. You may experience the issue starting from your childhood. Sometimes it phases out as soon as you reach puberty. Others cling on the fear even as adults.

Brontophobia is basically a kind of disorder that can havoc your normal life. It triggers anxiety and stress in you. So, the anxiety can lead to panic attacks making you suffer severe discomfort. Ignoring the issue can also cause other complications in your life. You may behave strangely during the rainy season when it starts thundering. Your initial response to the lightning can thunder can pave the way to embarrassing and awkward responses. Hence, the abnormal behavior can make you feel self-conscious amidst people or gathering. The brontophobia can cause other physiological issues in your life causing disruption in your mental health. Therefore, it can create several complications in your life.

What Happens To You With Brontophobia?

It is a question that everyone affected by the issue ask themselves. Phobia is the irrational, intense, and persistent fear that can dampen your daily life. When you experience the thunderstorms, you can hear loud bangs. The loud sound along with the slashes of light can invoke an unsettling feeling in you. It is particularly worse when you are not aware of the actual cause of the issue or its consequences. Hence, children may experience fear as it is the rational response triggered as the part of the fight or flight mechanism. The stress due to the issue is cultivated from the early age as kids learn from people around them.

When parents or grownups associating with the kids show fear, it makes an impression. So, the kids follow the same pattern. If the parent or older guardians show calmness it reflects on kids too. A good explanation about the storms and thunders can help children relax. The most effective method is to count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder. It will help the kids overcome the fear. Failing to do so can result in brontophobia.

Symptoms Of Brontophobia

Phobia often comes along with severe anxiety. So, natural brontophobia can trigger anxiety in you during the thunderstorms. Even if you stay inside our home, tucked away in safety, you will feel fearful. The unfounded fear can lead to panic attacks. Subsequently, you may exhibit several signs and symptoms associated with the panic attack. You may feel sweat profusely, feel like crying, and experience accelerated heartbeat.

The immense fear can hold you back from functioning normally. Hence, most people try to tune out the noises of thunder during the heavy rains. You may cover your ears or hide in a closet to save yourself from the storm. The irrational fear makes you seek out the company to reduce the severity of the symptoms. The brontophobia also makes you dread the impending storm or rainfall. Hence, you may feel it necessary to watch the weather updates closely. But, it may worsen the symptoms that you can experience with the issue.

Anxiety

The rain or storm can cause anxiety in you. It makes you feel pressured and stressed out. You become worried for no apparent reason. It invokes the fight or flight response in you. You may also feel extremely depressed and sad due to the impending storms or rainfall. So, you may experience the following:

• Trembling due to hearing sounds
• Increased heart rate
• Sweating Profusely
• Shortness of breath
• Obsession Of Tracking Weather

You may develop an unhealthy obsession with tracking the weather pattern. You may feel the need to check the news or the internet to know about the weather. The obsession can make things worse as you may feel the need to check the weather before you leave the house. The tracking of the weather can make people ridicule you. But, it makes you feel safe from the thunder.

Seeking Company

As you tend to cry or get depressed during the thunder, you feel the need to get emotional support. So, you may seek out the companionship of friends or family members. Staying with others during the thunder offers you a sense of security.

Hide From Storm

Another common symptom that people with brontophobia exhibit are the need to hide from the thunder. So, in most cases, people try to stay under covers on their bed or hide in the closet. Hiding offers people a sense of security. It acts as a security barrier that helps them shield the destruction due to the thunders.

Severe Case Of Brontophobia

In severe cases, you may feel the symptoms worsens that makes it difficult for you to lead a peaceful life.

Agoraphobia

The condition if left untreated can worsen into another phobia. Agoraphobia is the reluctance to leave the home due to the fear of different factors that may cause serious harm. So, it leads to people always thinking about the potential danger to their cause by other external factors. The sufferers believe that no place is safe except their home. Hence, it can cut their social life making them alone and miserable.

Worsened Mental Health

The frequent panic attack can adversely affect your mental health. You need apt treatment to overcome the issue. Otherwise, it can adversely affect your overall health. The long-term panic attack can trigger the stress hormones. So, your brain releases the hormones on a regular basis.  Therefore, it can cause health problems like;

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Heart Problems
• High blood pressure

Causes Of Brontophobia

Brontophobia is a common condition that is prevalent among children of age 3 to 10. Generally, it subsides once the children mature. So, the issue subsides once you hit puberty. Your pets can also face the issue until they grow up. But, in some people, the issues never subsides as it affects the daily functions. Normal people with no phobias may never understand the reaction of the affected people. Brontophobia can make people behave strangely at just the sound of the thunder. The apprehension and restlessness lead you to react wildly. So, you may cancel your daily work and lock yourselves at home. You need to understand the actual cause of the issue to take the appropriate steps.

You have to realize one thing about brontophobia that it is a response rather than a disease or ailment. A bad past experience can lead to the phobia. The distasteful experiences in your life can worsen into a fear or phobia. Several factors can influence the phobia in you. The bad events you experience can lead to brontophobia. It worsens with the passing time. The exact cause of the issue is not known to the scientific world. A child or person exposed to the unwanted stimuli like the thunder in an unwanted manner can lead to the phobia. So, the heart perceives the situation as more fearful than the actual incident.

Diagnosing Brontophobia

You need to consult a medical professional to evaluate your condition. As the issue can cause severe complication in your physical and mental health, you need to take swift action. Your doctor may conduct several tests to assess brontophobia. Based on the observation, the ideal treatment plan is proposed.

Understanding Symptoms Of Brontophobia

To identify the issue, your doctor may ask you to explain the symptoms you experience. The physical symptoms like sweating, trembling a lot while hearing the sound, uncontrollable crying, and vomiting are the common symptoms. If you experience the symptoms, it indicates you have phobia.so, you doctor also takes record of the frequency of panic attacks. Based on the severity of the symptom, you can opt for the best technique.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

The test is suggested by your doctor to assess the neurological issues you may have. The underlying neurological problem can lead to the brontophobia. Therefore, your doctor needs to rule out the issues in your brain before finding the right treatment option.

MRI

The sophisticated imaging technology can offer your doctor a clear picture of your brain. It will help rule out brain anomalies like the cerebral lesions, mental retardation, injury to the brain, cerebrovascular impairment, and cerebral malfunctioning.

Brontophobia Treatment

After ruling out the brain or neurological issues, your doctor will come up with the precise treatment plan that can benefit you. To eliminate the brontophobia from ruining your life, your doctor can suggest the following treatment options:

Seeking Help From Professional

Brontophobia is not a life-threatening condition but can have a negative impact on your life. Your quality of life gets affected due to the irrational fear and pressure. So, you need to seek help from a qualified mental health professional. The tips and techniques suggested by the professional will alleviate the symptoms. So, the professional can make the regular activities easier. You will learn to control your fear and live a normal life.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

When you talk to someone about your fear or issues, you feel relieved. The therapy focuses on talking out or voicing your fear. A professional can listen to our emotional concern. So, you can identify the unusual behavior. It helps you take action that will reduce the bouts of anxiety and mood swings.

Exposure Therapy

It involves exposing yourself to the phobia that triggers negative issues in you. So, you have to face the stressful situation that makes you uncomfortable. The concept is to make you accustomed to the fear factor. Subsequently, your mind can embrace it as the recognized fear. You have to know that the major con of the treatment is facing your worst fear. Hence, it can worsen the condition. Your doctor needs to take proper care to avoid complications due to it. But, most professional avoid it due to its harsh format. Get enough information before opting the treatment method.

Calming Activities

Anxiety and stress are easy to control with calming techniques. One of the effective methods is to practice yoga. Meditation is also good for relaxing your body and mind. You can attend the yoga classes to attain peace of mind and overcome brontophobia. The deep breathing exercises are effective to eliminate anxiety.

Counseling

This is very helpful in the identification of the root cause of the phobia and would also provide answers to how the condition started. Counseling can be of help by making the patient share about the phobia, and then gradually overcoming them.

Distraction Therapy

As the name suggests, it involves diverting your focus to another place that will distract you from the storm. You can either move to another place while the storm comes or opt other methods. One such effective distraction technique is music therapy. It will calm your mind and make you feel relaxed. Parents of children suffering from the problem can read stories or make them see movies to distract their attention from brontophobia.

Conclusion

Brontophobia is a condition that is simple to overcome with right technique. You must never ignore the phobia as it makes our life hell. You also need to get maximum information about the issue to overcome fear. To lead our life to the fullest, you have to conquer your fears and mental blocks. Therefore, get the right information to dissociate brontophobia.