Definition:
Ceraunophobia, known as the fear of lighting and thunder, is also known as astraphobia, tonitrophobia, and brontophobia. This specific type of phobia causes people distress and extreme upset when they encounter thunder or lightning.
Treatment:
Ceraunophobia is treatable through the same forms used to treat other types of phobias. This usually involves behavior therapy, and makes use of procedures such as exposure treatment, counter-conditioning and systematic desensitization. Most of the time, treatment will involve the patient encountering their phobia in controlled situations, until their body and mind learns to adjust until the fear is reduced and eventually disappears.
Symptoms and Signs:
People diagnosed with ceraunophobia exhibit various symptoms when they encounter thunder and lightning; these could be panic attacks, rapid heartbeats, breathing difficulty, nausea, and sweaty palms. These are the most common symptoms although they are not limited to these. When those who have ceraunophobia encounter these, they tend to hide or seek comfort in places in their homes far from windows, such as beneath the bed, the cupboard, or even under the staircase where they cannot see or hear the storm happening outside.
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