Thalassophobia by Lucy Craven

The Depths

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:15:50 UTC

There's real roots to this fear and they are far from entirely unfounded, from the "Blue Hole" (pictured above) to rogue waves, but the likelyhood of the average person coming into contact with these is very small.

Thalassophobia

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:19:20 UTC

This is the intense fear of deep water, characterized by anxiety around the ocean and large lakes, basically anything you can't see the bottom of. Thalassophobia can be triggered by images, stories, TV, and more outside of just being near the water.

Symptoms, Causes, and How to Overcome Them

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:23:17 UTC

Thalassophobia is an anxiety disorder with the typical anxiety symptoms like restlessness, shaking, and panic attacks. Genetic, environmental, and biological factors are all triggers for phobias like this, such as experiencing a traumatic encounter with the ocean or having dysfunction with the part of the brain that causes fear.

A Guided Experience

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:27:13 UTC

A history and explanation of Thalassophobia in the modern day.

Treatment Options

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:33:45 UTC

Thalassophobia can be diagnosed by a primary care physician. DSM-5 criteria includes unreasonable and excessive fear, consistent and immediate anxiety response, persistence of fear, avoidance of stimuli, and clinically significant distress. Treatment Options can range from exposure therapy to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a therapy that focuses on learning insight and personally altering feelings and emotions.

Physical and Emotional Symptoms

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:38:50 UTC

Trembling, dry mouth, increased heart rate, chest pain, dizziness, and chills are just some of the physical symptoms that come with Thalassophobia. More emotional responses are categorized as fear of losing control, feelings of detachment, and anticipatory anxiety.

Biology and It's Link to Phobias

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-09 13:41:48 UTC

Many phobias are caused by both nature and nurture. Some people may be genetically predisposed to certain phobias or anxiety in general. Research shows that some genes may be linked to specific phobias, but this research hasn't specifically been done for Thalassophobia yet. (verywellhealth.com)

Statistics

cravelucy25 — 2024-09-12 12:47:51 UTC

Approximately 7-9% of people in the United States have a phobia in any given year, however there are no concrete statistics on how many people have thalassophobia because thousands go undiagnosed.