Treating Brontophobia, The Fear of Thunderstorms, With Hypnotherapy

Brontophobia is a common fear that many people around the globe have; the fear of thunderstorms. For as long as this phobia has been around, we have been looking for methods to overcome it. Today, there is a variety of treatment options used. To help eliminate this phobia, professionals recommend certain hypnosis techniques that are proven effective in alleviating stress and phobias.

Brontophobia sufferers possess an extreme fear of storms. Loud, startling thunder and flashes of lightning can spark anxiety and panic attacks in people with brontophobia. Other effects include a rapid heartbeat, sweating, and an intense sensation of fear, which increases until a person feels ill.

For lots of people, the fear of lightning and thunder starts at an early age, when as children, we hide under the covers during a serious storm. Brontophobia can be especially overwhelming for small children. Many scared children feel powerless during bad weather, and their mothers and fathers often feel helpless to help them cope with their fears.

Even in spite of its frequency in young kids, brontophobia can develop at any time in life, frequently after someone has an experience such as getting shocked, which recalls a lightning strike. A traumatic event such as surviving a hurricane may also cause an intense fear of storms.

People may come to link loud sounds, the sensation of pain, or shock with thunder and lightning, which may grow into a phobia. Brontophobia is so common that it's even seen in many animals; for example, many people notice that their pets seem scared in thunderstorms.

People with brontophobia try to avoid the sights and sounds of storms. People may experience anxiety during disasters such as floods. This can put them in danger if they cannot function under circumstances which calls for them to remain calm and react decisively.

People with brontophobia typically hate storm season, often struggling in summer when storms occur frequently. They might continually check weather reports and behave extra cautiously during bouts of bad weather. To others, these actions may seem obsessive and paranoid. People afflicted with the phobia may find this fear gradually taking control of their lives.

There are many techniques available for treating brontophobia and other phobias. High-profile ones include counseling, anti-anxiety medication, and hypnosis. Hypnosis tends to deliver safer, faster results and it is non-invasive, having no harmful side effects. For these reasons, hypnosis is a widely used treatment.

Hypnosis is excellent as a form of relaxation therapy and has traditionally been used to this end. By beginning with stress-relief techniques, hypnotherapy helps tense, worried phobia patients initiate the process of healing. When an individual is feeling at ease, it is easier for hypnosis techniques to guide the unconscious into a phobia-free thought process.

Nearly all phobias are connected to negative imagery or stimuli, which become connected to fear deep within the unconscious mind. For people with brontophobia, the rumble of thunder, the blinding flash of lightning, or even the sight of clouds often provokes fear. Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) work at the unconscious level of the mind to disconnect the feeling of fear from these triggers to bring powerful fear relief. One of the most effective techniques is called the NLP Visual/Kinesthetic Disassociation.

Ericksonian hypnosis is a form of hypnosis that is commonly used to treat phobia-related stress. Named for its developer, Dr. Milton Erickson, MD, this form of therapy uses indirect suggestions hidden in stories, conversation, and metaphors to eliminate a phobia. Indirect suggestions work better than traditional post-hypnotic direct suggestions because we tend to question, resist, and reject commands. Suggestions which are hidden from conscious thought are much better able to help people to vanquish their phobias.

Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP techniques have an additional advantage over conventional hypnotherapy programs because they are formulated to treat any phobia. Thus, a single program is usable for curing any phobia, or even several phobias if need be. Furthermore, each program employs a variety of techniques to work for anyone.

For many, hypnosis therapy is an ideal treatment option, which offers rapid and permanent results. Cowering in bed and feeling frightened is not the way a phobia sufferer should live. Using hypnosis and NLP techniques, virtually everyone can vanquish this serious phobia.