Brontophobia (fear of a thunderstorm) and the causes of voiced emotional discomfort. The article will give recommendations on how to get rid of the problem with an acute course of mental pathology. Brontophobia is the fear of a thunderstorm, which in most cases is accompanied by deafening and frightening peals of thunder. Such a riot of the elements rarely pleases anyone, because it produces a noise that is painful to the human ear. However, thunderstorms are raging over most of our planet (with the exception of the Arctic, Antarctica and Egypt), so you should eliminate your fear of them.
Causes of brontophobia
Fear of electric celestial discharges usually arises from the following life factors:
- Memory of ancestors … A predisposition to one or another phobia is very often to be found at the genetic level of people. Sometimes a person has not experienced any psychological trauma in the past, but is afraid of reptiles, insects or any objects solely on the subconscious. In ancient times, people did not have such reliable dwellings as they do now, therefore they were mortally afraid of an eruption from heaven. They passed on their fear to their descendants, who are more protected from the consequences of natural disasters.
- Excessive impressionability … A thunderstorm is a rather powerful natural phenomenon, and the peals after electrical discharges that occur in the clouds, in most cases, frighten the population of the planet. One kind of heaven that periodically illuminates bright and dangerous flashes can make brontophobes out of quite adequate people.
- Fear of loud noises … According to psychologists, phonophobia is not a rare phenomenon even in a person without any pronounced mental pathologies. Few people like it when they scare him with a sharp pop, explosion or howl of the same siren. In a thunderstorm, you can combine all the above unpleasant sounds together, because during the described phenomenon, thunder rumbles deafeningly, and then the alarms of many cars are triggered.
- Ball lightning fear … Scientists do not get tired of informing people that this is a rather rare natural phenomenon. However, a superstitious person always draws a parallel between a thunderstorm and the compulsory education of a deadly ball lightning.
- The myth of God's punishment … Oddly enough it sounds, but some people associate a thunderstorm with this particular factor. You should not unconditionally equate such persons with religious fanatics. In the minds of a person with a developed imagination, the riot of the elements can be perceived as a warning about punishment for a wrong way of life.
- Death statistics … Overly suspicious individuals like to study reports of accidents in which people have suffered from the elements. Even with a relatively small percentage of such tragedies (by analogy with the same car accidents), it is difficult to convince them of the low probability of suffering from a thunderstorm if all safety measures are followed.
- Natural disaster films … The films "Lightning: Fatal Discharge", "Disaster Day" and "Fatal Tension" impress with the abundance of their special effects. However, the plot of such stories is safest to observe in sunny weather, being in a safe place. If you imagine yourself in the place of the main characters, then brontophobia can develop on this fertile soil.
- Strange pet behavior … People who have got themselves a rather strong and large dog begin to get nervous at the onset of a thunderstorm. The reason for this panic is that their strong and fearless animal begins to feverishly search for a secluded place when the first heavenly sparks appear.
- Accompanying a thunderstorm with hail … Both sounded phenomena are in themselves dangerous for people, but in some cases abnormal natural disasters can be observed. Anyone who learns from statistical data about the weight of one hailstone in the Rostov region in 1800 g and an Indian uninvited guest weighing 2200 g can become a brontophobe. If we take into account the speed of the frozen water falling to the ground, then we can offer all the power of its destructive power.
Most of the reasons for the fear of thunderstorms are not the whim of overly impressionable persons. The described natural phenomenon can in fact be called a significant danger to health and even human life.
Manifestations of fear of thunderstorms in humans
People who are afraid of a thunderstorm, when it is approaching or suspected of occurrence, usually behave as follows:
- Avoiding places of frequent celestial discharges … As already mentioned, in the same Egypt, a thunderstorm is observed once every two hundred years. This place is an ideal safe "bunker" for a brontophobe. If he does not have sufficient financial income to live in those places, he will try to purchase private housing in order to organize a reliable underground there.
- Fear of sockets … After watching the relevant films and listening to the stories of experienced comrades, a brontophobe will learn to fear literally everything around in a short period of time. The outlet for him will become not just a means for connecting household appliances to it, but also a one hundred percent threat of direct contact with celestial electrical discharges. A thunderstorm can thus only harm the technology itself, but people with a voiced phobia are almost impossible to convince of this.
- Panic attacks … A person without any visible problems will only frown at the next peal of thunder, and a brontophobe in the literal sense of the word is able to crawl under the bed or cover himself with a blanket. At the same time, he will be beaten by chills and even blood pressure will rise significantly.
- Detailed study of the weather forecast … Each of us, as necessary, looks at the data of forecasters to plan our schedule of the day. However, at the sight of a mark with the word thunderstorm, many people simply understand that they should spend this time at home. Brontophobes do not stop at this conclusion, but begin to create barricades from their home.
Famous thunderstorm myths
The unambiguously voiced natural disaster is a significant threat to any person. However, some manifestations and consequences of a thunderstorm are so exaggerated that unfounded information should be dispelled:
- Danger of being in the car … Especially impressionable persons draw their false information from the fact that personal transport has an iron base, which is an excellent conductor of electrical discharges. However, this is not true, because when lightning strikes a car, it will simply slide down the body straight into the ground. If the driver sits quietly, without touching iron objects in the cabin, then his temporary location can be considered a very reliable haven.
- Safe shelter under the trees … In an open field, a person is afraid to be on an open surface and will hasten to hide somewhere from a thunderstorm. Bypassing the seemingly ineffective bushes in terms of protection, he will try to hide under the crown of trees. As a result, it becomes an accessible target for electric celestial discharges. Poplar, pine, oak and spruce are especially dangerous in this case.
- Lightning safety after rain … Even if the downpour has stopped, then you should not relax in advance with the sounded factor. After the last drop of thunderclouds has fallen to the ground, you can still suffer from a lightning strike. It is not recommended to leave the shelter as long as even distant rumbles of thunder are heard.
- Danger of airborne travel by aircraft … The famous actress Jennifer Aniston is very afraid of air travel after she once got into a terrible thunderstorm. However, statistics indicate that there are few cases when a modern airliner was damaged during landing or takeoff from lightning. During air travel, you can not be afraid for your safety, because the aircraft is reliably protected from electrical shocks to its body.
- Lightning does not strike twice on the same object … In this case, you should forget about the expression that the projectile does not hit the same funnel again. All this is a myth that has nothing to do with reality. Lightning often on the second and hundredth circle selects all tall objects with sharp ends as the affected area.
- Possibility of electric shock from an injured person … At the same time, the would-be dreamers should be reminded that the body of people is not capable of holding an electric discharge in itself. In some cases, belief in such a fiction reaches such an absurdity that a poor fellow struck by lightning is buried in the ground in order to get electricity out of him.
Rating of the most dangerous phenomena for brontophobes
For a person who is horrified by the described cataclysm, the following will seem the most terrible:
- Lightning Catatumbo … They arise in the northwestern part of Venezuela and last almost ten hours. Such a fantastic phenomenon is observed at least 140 times a year (from June to October), while illuminating the sky with bright and frequent flashes. People who are afraid of a thunderstorm cannot calmly observe this undoubtedly delightful riot of nature in the voiced part of the planet.
- Thunderstorms on the island of Java … It should be clarified that, first of all, the brontophobe will be avoided exclusively in the Indonesian city of Bagor. It is in this place that thunderstorms occur almost daily (322 times a year), which often frightens off tourists with voiced emotional pathology.
- Thunderstorms in Oklahoma and Kansas … Residents of the United States will forever remember 1999, which brought a lot of destruction to these states. It was the numerous thunderstorms during this period of time that provoked the emergence of powerful tornadoes there in the amount of 71 tornadoes.
- Medveditskaya ridge … This zone in the Volga region has long been called an anomalous place. In 180 km from Volgograd, a large number of ball lightning is concentrated in a strange way. The bad name of the Medveditskaya ridge also appeared after numerous testimonies of a UFO visit to it. In the same area, there is the Slope of Wild Lightning (Blue Mountain Tract), where wandering electrical discharges feel at home and damage a large number of trees on their way.
Ways to Deal with Thunderstorm Fear
It should be noted that this magnificent and terrifying natural phenomenon can be observed during the spring-autumn off-season. However, there is a so-called snow thunderstorm, which causes even more fear in people due to its deafening heavenly rumblings. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of such fear in order not to become hostage to a periodically repeating situation in the future.
Self-help to get rid of brontophobia
A person is least of all afraid of those aggressive natural disasters for which he has prepared in advance. Several safety measures can help minimize the fear of a thunderstorm:
- Avoiding dangerous places … In order not to be afraid of the consequences of the described natural phenomenon, it is necessary to bypass the territory of increased risk for life during a thunderstorm by the tenth road. During this period, you should not be near power lines, in the area of water bodies, under trees and in open space. If a thunderstorm overtook the poor fellow in an open field, then he should squat down or look for some kind of ditch without water.
- Refusal to use a mobile phone … For a while, a person can do without this means of communication. Some scientists have conducted a number of studies and have come to the conclusion that while talking on the phone during a thunderstorm, there is a danger of receiving an electric discharge of quite noticeable power if the body of the device is made of iron and is applied to the ear.
- Disconnecting household appliances … The television and computer should be turned off immediately at the first sign of an impending storm. These items, which many people simply cannot do without, can be seriously damaged in a thunderstorm.
- Avoiding metal objects … Such a material is an excellent conductor of electricity, which can harm a person during the described natural phenomenon. Many people have experienced this very unpleasant effect when in a downpour they tried to withdraw money from an ATM or grab the iron rail of public transport.
- Refusal of water procedures … Taking a bath during a thunderstorm is not the best solution, even if there is an urgent need to tidy up your body. Modern structures in the city are equipped with lightning rods, which do not give a 100% guarantee of safety in the case of the described natural phenomenon. A villager should definitely forget about bathing in the bathroom for a while, because their home is the least protected from the negative effects of the elements.
- Refusal from stove heating … In this case, it is better to freeze a little than to receive a direct lightning strike directly into the pipe of the house. The same warning applies to those who like to warm up by the fire in the company of friends during a thunderstorm without rain.
- Closing all doors and windows … Cases were recorded when people left the open windows, after which ball lightning penetrated through them into the dwelling. If such an attack still got into the room through the existing gap, then you should turn into a pillar of salt, and then very slowly leave to a safe place. In the event of a panic and an attempt to escape, a person automatically turns into an excellent target for hitting with a dangerous bundle of energy.
For all the precautions described, you should also remember to count the time when you can hide in a safe place. To do this, you need to monitor the intervals between the heavenly flash and the further thunderclap. The interval, which is determined by five seconds, indicates that the thunderstorm is just approaching. If the flash and the roar overlap each other, then it's time to understand that the elements are already raging right over the head of a person.
Help of psychotherapists with brontophobia
It is not recommended to keep in yourself and spoil your life with fears. A phobia in the form of a fear of thunderstorms in most cases requires treatment from a competent specialist. Usually, a conversation or group psychotherapeutic sessions are ineffective in the case of a problem being voiced. It is for this reason that the doctor may suggest the following ways to get rid of an existing phobia:
- Working on a relaxation technique … With the onset of the peak of panic from heard sounds of thunder and periodic flashes of lightning, it is necessary to relax your body as much as possible and free your mind from negative thoughts. Sometimes a few sessions with a specialist are enough to learn the basics of relaxation. It is not recommended to turn on music during a thunderstorm and take soothing baths for the reasons already voiced, but nothing prevents a person from doing the same breathing exercises at this time.
- Positive thinking method … Few people are horrified by the bright illumination on the dance floor and the harsh sounds of modern music. Some lovers of more conservative rest will not like such leisure time, but they will not definitely cause panic either. The specialist will base his treatment on this very factor, trying to draw an analogy between the riot of a thunderstorm with the rather safe entertainment of young people.
- Drug treatment … In this case, everything depends on the degree of a person's mental reaction to an irritant in the form of a thunderstorm. After a detailed study of the condition of his patient, the doctor may prescribe tranquilizers or antidepressants. With a particularly severe course of the disease, when a person falls into violent hysteria during a thunderstorm, he is placed in a psychiatric clinic.
How to get rid of the fear of thunderstorms - watch the video:
A thunderstorm is a seasonal phenomenon that is short-lived. Therefore, you need to fear it only as it arises. The fear of a thunderstorm is an irrational fear, because with reasonable behavior during the voiced rampage of the elements, a person cannot significantly suffer from its consequences.
