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Astrapophobia cure?
I am very very afraid of thunderstorms. Afraid to the point of periodically checking weather.com to see if there will be thunderstorms anytime in the near future. I can't sleep during them and its really taking a hold of my life. I was just wondering if there is a way to stop being afraid of thunderstorms. And if there is does it involve being outside in one?
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Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
Best way to overcome a phobia is to face it head on, no matter how frightened you are by it. It's not a technique that is used by every psychologist, but it certainly works. If you don't care about a technical example that I was taught in one of my psych classes, then don't read the next paragraph.
Let's say that you suffer from a fear of the dark, to the point where you have severe panic attacks when you are in complete darkness. While throwing that person into a closet and locking the door may seem like the most cruel thing in the world, it provides the person with a chance to face their phobia and realize that no harm will come to them. The fear and anxiety that are associated with the panic attack will continue for a short while, but as long as the option of leaving the closet is not given, the person will eventually calm down and the phobia will be overcome. This only works if the person is not able to escape from the situation: if they do escape, it only further perpetuates the fear because the experience will be seen as traumatic. There are also therapies that involve systematic desensitization to the object that provokes fear, slowly exposing the person to more dark areas until complete darkness is no longer frightening.
Of course, your problem is a little more complicated because you can't exactly experience degrees of thunderstorms, and you can't count on one showing up at a given time. Best advice to you would be to wait for another thunderstorm and sit with a friend outside (if there's a gazebo near you, that's a perfect place) during a thunderstorm. You'll hear the loud noises and see the flash of the thunder, but you'll realize that you aren't in any danger when you're outside in the storm and hopefully your phobia will go away.
God, I wish this was easier to explain without all the psychobabble.
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You should see a psychologist. They have many methods of helping you conquer your fears. And yes, there is method where you actually have to face your fears head on, but they prepare you before that. I guess if you don't want to see a psychologist, you'll just have to face your fears yourself. Perhaps do some a little investigation about thunderstorm. So you'll know more about what it is that you're scared about.
Hoped I Helped & Good Luck
-- LiTTLEGiRLBLUE<3
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