Search results
Blue-mind effect
- The blue-mind effect, Nichols says, may result at least in part from the action of catecholamine neurotransmitters. The neurochemicals, which relay stress signals in the brain, recalibrate in water to low levels similar to those delivered by meditation—reducing stress and anxiety.
www.psychologytoday.com › us › articles
Oct 27, 2017 · Fear reaction starts in the brain and spreads through the body to make adjustments for the best defense, or flight reaction. The fear response starts in a region of the brain called the...
People also ask
Why do people with aquaphobia fear water?
Are You Afraid of water?
How do I overcome my fear of water?
Oct 3, 2019 · What happens in the brain when people are terrorized is that the conscious processing of fears is short-circuited in favor of the more autonomic fear response.
- Overview
- What are the symptoms of aquaphobia?
- What causes aquaphobia?
- How is aquaphobia diagnosed?
- How is aquaphobia treated?
- What’s the outlook?
What is aquaphobia?
Most of us have some degree of fear when it comes to water. Typically, we overcome those fears or learn ways to cope with them. But if you have aquaphobia, or the fear of water, you live with a persistent and abnormal amount of fear and anxiety that prevents you from even getting close to water.
Aquaphobia is a specific phobia. This is an irrational fear of something that doesn’t cause much danger. You may have aquaphobia if you find that any source of water causes you an excessive amount of anxiety. This can include a swimming pool, a lake, an ocean, or even a bathtub.
Aquaphobia is often mistaken for another phobia called hydrophobia. Even though they both involve water, aquaphobia and hydrophobia aren’t the same.
Hydrophobia is an aversion to water that develops in humans during the later stages of rabies.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that specific phobias affect 19.2 million adults in the United States. Women are twice as likely to experience them than men.
Seeing water can trigger intense fear and anxiety in a person with aquaphobia. This could be a very small amount of water, like what’s found in the bathroom sink, or a large body of water, such as an ocean. The amount of water isn’t what causes the phobia. It’s the water itself that creates the fear and resulting anxiety.
Some of the more common symptoms of aquaphobia include:
•an immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety, and panic when thinking about water
•a persistent, excessive, or unreasonable fear when exposed to water
•recognizing that the fear of water is excessive or out of proportion to the actual threat
•avoidance of water
The causes of specific phobias aren’t well-understood. However, there’s some evidence that phobias can be genetically inherited. If you have a family member who has a mental health condition, such as anxiety or other phobias, you may be at risk of developing a phobia.
Aquaphobia is often caused by a traumatic event during childhood, such as a near-drowning. It can also be the result of a series of negative experiences. These typically happen in childhood and aren’t as severe as a traumatic experience.
Doctors use the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to help them diagnose mental health conditions.
Currently, the DSM-5 doesn’t have a specific diagnosis or category for aquaphobia. Instead, it identifies a fear of water under the diagnosis for specific phobia.
If you suspect you have aquaphobia, make an appointment with your doctor. They’ll be able to refer you to a mental health specialist who can diagnose and treat your phobia.
Based on the criteria from the DSM-5, a mental health specialist will likely diagnose aquaphobia (or a specific phobia) if you have experienced the symptoms listed above for at least six months.
Part of the diagnosis also includes ruling out other mental health conditions, such as:
•obsessive-compulsive disorder
Since aquaphobia is considered a specific phobia, it’s treated most commonly with two forms of psychotherapy: exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
The preferred treatment method is exposure therapy. During this type of therapy, you’ll be repeatedly exposed to the source of the phobia — in this case, water. As you’re exposed to water, your therapist will keep track of your reactions, thoughts, feelings, and sensations in order to help you manage your anxiety.
With cognitive behavioral therapy, you’ll learn to challenge your thoughts and beliefs about your fear of water. As you learn to challenge your fears, you’ll also develop strategies to cope with those thought patterns and beliefs.
In addition to professional treatment, there are also several self-care techniques you can practice at home. Mindfulness-based strategies, daily physical activity, yoga, and deep breathing are all helpful strategies when treating phobias.
In the later stages of treatment, you may decide to work with a specially trained swim instructor who can help you learn to feel comfortable swimming.
Your doctor might also prescribe medications to treat some symptoms of anxiety and panic. But the Mayo Clinic notes these aren’t used long term. Rather, medications can help during initial treatment and for specific reasons.
A treatment plan that includes psychotherapy — along with the support of loved ones — can help you learn to manage your phobia successfully.
If you suspect that you have aquaphobia, make an appointment to see your doctor. They can help you find the treatment that will work best for you.
Sep 10, 2023 · If your brain decides that a fear response is justified in a particular situation, it activates a cascade of neuronal and hormonal pathways to prepare you for immediate action. Some of the fight-or-flight response – like heightened attention and threat detection – takes place in the brain.
May 10, 2023 · Aquaphobia, or fear of water, is common. But there are different degrees of fear: Some people are only afraid of specific situations, such as deep open water or an ocean with choppy waves, while others have a broader fear of getting into lakes, pools, and even bathtubs. Here are some tips that might help you overcome your fear of water: Ease ...
- hhp_info@health.harvard.edu
Specifically, the researchers looked at a region of the brain called the dorsal raphe, located on the mammalian brainstem. This part of the brain is responsible for the modulation of mood and anxiety, as well as providing a substantial amount of serotonin to the forebrain.
Aquaphobia is a fear of water. People with this specific phobia feel anxious when they think about or see water. They may avoid baths, showers, pools and bodies of water. Many people with aquaphobia have had traumatic experiences with water. You can overcome a phobia of water with exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and medication.
