Water is one of the most indispensable elements in the lives of living beings, so not coming into contact with it on a regular basis can be complicated, becoming a problem for people with hydrophobia.
Hydrophobia or fear of water is defined as a difficulty that human beings may encounter when they come into contact with the aquatic environment for the first time.
- During the early stages of exploration.
- Discovery and adaptation.
- We encountered wavering behaviors towards water (Saquicela and Jacinto.
- 2010).
Hydrophobia or fear of water is a psychological change characterized by a fear of irrational, excessive and unjustified water.
“Nothing in life must be feared, just understood, is it time to understand more to be less afraid?-Marie Curie-
Physical symptoms
Cognitive symptoms:
Physical symptoms strengthen cognitive symptoms, causing negative thoughts when the person is near the water. In addition, these negative thoughts produce and feed doubts about the hydrophobic person’s ability to cope with water.
Behavioral symptoms
“Fear is always willing to see things worse than they are. “Titus Livio-
According to Calamnia (1993), we can group the causes of hydrophobia into two blocks:
According to Zubiaur and Gutiérrez (2003), the hydrophobia of motor behavior can be attributed to several factors:
? Fears of psychological threats
? Fear of physical insecurity:
Beginners face unusual, often unknown movements, or unusual movements that can result in loss of spatial orientation or balance, which can cause fear.
Add to this the novelty of the situation, the insecurity in the results and the importance of success, the feeling of fear during, and perhaps after execution, can be very intense.
“The man who feels fear without danger invents danger to justify his fear” – Alain Emile Chartier-
Exposure therapy, as in almost all phobias, is often the most commonly used treatment to treat hydrophobia. The exhibition can be of two types: in vivo exposure or virtual exposure (the latter thanks to the advent of new technologies).
In any case, the person exposes himself to the terrifying environment and learns to “unlearn his fear”, gradually moving from situations that cause him more fear to those that cause him less.
In combination with exposure therapy, doctors often prescribe certain medications that can help the fluorics relearn how to respond to fears. SSRS or selective Serotonin reception inhibitors can reduce anxiety and panic attacks.
Keep in mind that medications do not have a lasting effect and can cause withdrawal symptoms, so precautions should be taken to avoid long-term use.
Stress reduction techniques such as relaxation, yoga, meditation, etc. are also used. In addition, there are more and more methods of mindfulness recovery, such as mindfulness and concentration.