8 types of fear of depth: why it occurs and how to overcome it

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If a person, swimming in the sea, imagines that a terrible monster or a huge sea sink is hiding under the water, capable of swallowing him, then he definitely has a phobia. This person suffers from thalassophobia, that is, fear of the sea elements. The concept of thalassophobia comes from the Greek words “thalassa” and “phobos”, meaning “sea” and “fear”.

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.

How to avoid developing bathophobia

Proper swimming training will reduce the likelihood of developing a fear of depth. Some people benefit from diving because it allows them to better understand how to behave in the water.

It is better to swim in official reservoirs, which are cleaned by special services. In such places there is less risk of stepping on a piece of glass or stone.

Important! You should not choose lakes that are covered with algae, or reservoirs with a very muddy bottom.

Clear water and a gentle slope allow a person to make sure that there is nothing dangerous at the bottom. Some people find it easier to swim in a pool because it is safer.

If you experience discomfort, you need to immediately deal with the cause of its occurrence.

Pressure measurement will be required in case of dizziness, nausea and pain. This will allow bathophobia to be identified in a timely manner. The sooner the patient seeks help from a specialist, the faster the problem will be solved.

Bathophobia can be called a common fear of depth, which is accompanied by panic attacks and anxiety. In severe cases, it will be difficult for a person to wash and shower.

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 becomes 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.{banner_m-001}

Ways to overcome

There are many different techniques to overcome your fear. These primarily include consultation with a psychologist. Systematic work with a psychologist will help you reduce the traumatic impact of the acquired negative experience on you, which, ultimately, can eliminate the phobia itself. In consultation with a psychologist, you can find out the hidden causes of your disorder, and, as a result, get rid of not only the phobia, but also other negative aspects.

But such practices are incomplete without the actual training part, carried out directly on the water. Psychologists recommend starting your training in overcoming the fear of depth by diving headfirst into the water. For people whose phobia is in advanced stages, this can be a big challenge. However, practical exercises will help you build your confidence while in the water, as well as become more familiar with your fear of depth. Of course, such exercises are carried out at a safe distance from the shore or in the pool, under supervision.

After the first step is taken, you need to learn to hold your breath underwater. Also, direct immersion under water, for example, diving, has a good effect in overcoming fear. Look at the underwater world and get to know it. Perhaps, instead of all-encompassing fear, you will feel interest, and past unpleasant experiences will gradually fade into the background.

You should be able to calm down and work with the belief that you don’t have to feel the bottom underneath you. Make sure you can relax and unwind on the water without worrying about anything.

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 sea 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.

Causes of fear of depth

1. This phobia can be passed on genetically from parents .
2. Fear of depth often arises against the backdrop of a bad experience learning to swim . For example, if a person was thrown into the water in order to quickly learn to swim. This approach is fundamentally wrong and creates severe psychological trauma, especially in childhood.
3. Sometimes a phobia of fear of depth occurs after cases where a person is seized by limb spasms in the water , the risk of drowning, or something in the water simply frightened him greatly.
4. Impressionable people with unstable psyches experience fear of the abyss , imagining that the watery infinity can drag them in or they see monsters. Even watching a horror film about the water element can lead to this phobia.
5. Another reason may be a person's innate anxiety . It is often associated with an unfavorable situation in the family, which leads to distrust of the world in general.

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 film 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.

How does thalassophobia manifest?

Fear of the sea can manifest itself not only at the moment when a person goes to a resort or upon arrival at the sea coast. There is a class of especially sensitive people for whom, to feel fear, it is enough to simply watch a program on TV in which the sea will be shown. At this moment, the most unpleasant symptoms begin to appear, by which the disease is recognized. At such moments, a person begins to experience discomfort, dizziness, dry mouth, nausea, and in extreme cases there may even be vomiting. In addition, trembling of the whole body and increased sweating begin. At this time, a person loses the ability to perform any actions and think sensibly.

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 escape or do something else. But when such fear arises in the depths, it is many times worse and more terrible.

It's 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. For some divers, their fear of sea creatures with fangs, such as sharks, is so intense that even swimming in a regular pool becomes an unbearable ordeal.

Types

There are several types of bathophobia:

1. Objective – the individual feels fear due to the presence of a real potential danger to health and life. For example, a person susceptible to manifestations of bathophobia may not be able to dive and rise to the surface independently.
2. Destructive – fear of the ocean, of depth, the root of which lies in negative irrational thoughts and expectations regarding the upcoming stay in the water.

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.

Conclusion

Now you know what the fear of depth is called, how you can distinguish it from rational fear, and what methods help you overcome bathophobia.

This phobia can be treated quite successfully with the help of psychotherapy, so experts do not recommend delaying seeking help, since bathophobia tends to develop over time. High-quality and timely psychoanalysis will help to identify the real cause of panic in front of bodies of water and ultimately overcome the fear of depth.

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. - 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.
• Headache.

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.

Signs of a phobia

Each case of thalassophobia is different because the basis of the fear is different for everyone. It is in the thinking pattern. For some, fear is associated with films, for others - with images of the sea or underwater animals. The simplest reason for the occurrence of a phobia lies in reports of maritime disasters. Some people inherited fear at the genetic level from parents who experienced this phobia. It may be a consequence of tragic events associated with the body of water. There are a number of symptoms characteristic of all thalassophobes:

• a feeling of uncontrollable anxiety at the mention of the sea;
• searching for many reasons to avoid encounters with the sea;
• deviations in the normal functioning of the body when remembering the sea (increased blood pressure, palpitations);
• the impossibility of controlling feelings while understanding the unfoundedness of fears.

Symptoms of thalassophobia are divided into mental, emotional and physical. A phobia can start from the slightest feeling of fear and progress to a full-blown panic attack.

Mental and emotional symptoms

The occurrence of any negative emotions is often associated with a specific cause that is rooted in the past. Typically in this condition the patient experiences:

• obsessive thoughts;
• feeling of unreality;
• fear of losing control of oneself;
• fear of fainting;
• desire to run away and hide;
• anxiety about an upcoming event (swimming in the sea);
• anger, irritation.

These emotions are a sign of anxiety disorders, which over time can lead to neuroses and other organic disorders.

Physical ailments

Suffering associated with impaired performance of the body also harms human health. When looking at the sea, a patient may feel:

• dizziness, trembling, rapid heartbeat;
• feeling of suffocation;
• chest pain;
• increased sweating;
• nausea;
• dizziness;
• tingling and numbness in the limbs.

In this state, it is difficult for a thalassophobe to pull himself together and curb his emotions.

His actions and thoughts become uncontrollable. A person begins to convince himself that something irreparable and terrible will definitely happen. With the onset of a panic attack, pictures of death are drawn in the brain.

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 therefore is 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 “exposing articles” about sea monsters. If a positive image of water is formed in your mind, it will help you cope with your fears.

Types of disorder

Fear of water - as it is scientifically called

Psychologists identify several variants of the disorder. Objective bathophobia appears in response to a real situation. A similar disorder can occur in those who cannot swim, or participants in water disasters: floods, tsunamis, etc.

Subjective phobia develops without reason. People with high levels of anxiety are prone to this option. Destructive bathophobia appears in people with a very wild imagination. They often read science fiction literature and watch disaster films. As a result, their imagination begins to generate terrible pictures.

The name of the fear of depth, “batophobia,” consists of two words: “bato,” which translates as “water,” and “phobia,” which means fear. Particularly impressionable people may suffer from hallucinations and clearly hear voices from the depths of the water surface.