DROWNING! :(

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2007
DROWNING! :(
1
Tue, 04-03-2007 - 3:19pm

im so scared of drowning. i hve horrible dreams of drowning. and when i go to the swimming baths with my mates they think its funny wen they chuk water in my face and 'dunk' my head under the water and chuk me in the deep end.

but i cant swim or do that thing wer u float in water by kicking ur legs (treading on water / running on water... i dunno wot its called). and when i get water in my face i panic and my heart races and i start gasping for air, but obviously wen sumone has ther hand on ur head and ur under the water, its a bad idea to start tryin to breathe, but i do. and then i choke.

on wednesdays i go to a leasure centre as part of my college course, and other students go too so i went to the pool with other people from college as well as the general public, then all of a sudden my mate picked me up and started walkin into the deep end with me, i pleaded him not to but he thort i was just messin and i started welling up with tears, then he droped me and i paniced and i screamed really loud, it was SOOOO embaresin because evrybody just stared at me as i ran to the changing rooms fightin the tears back.

no one understands how scared i am of drowning.

how can i get over this fear? (that may of come from my father holding me over a waterfall at a lakes district)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
In reply to: roxondabox
Tue, 04-03-2007 - 3:42pm

Hi! I am sorry to hear this. Here's a link on phobias that might interest you: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-bhpanic&msg=22601.1&ctx=128


Also, this info may help others who have experienced this sort of fear. Specific Phobia (Simple Phobia)
A man, age 31, was bitten by a dog at age 5 and had to be hospitalized. The experience was so terrifying that even now, he is frightened when he sees or hears a dog. He crosses the street to avoid someone walking a dog and, whenever possible, steers clear of homes with dogs. But now that he’s dating a woman with a dog, his fear has become a significant problem. A therapist diagnoses specific phobia.


Symptoms: Extreme fear of situations that pose little or no danger or that are no more dangerous than other situations that don’t induce fear. Common phobias include fear of flying, heights, animals, insects, injections, and the sight of blood. Facing the situation or object that induces the phobia produces anxiety immediately, sometimes in the form of a panic attack. Children may cry, have tantrums, freeze, or cling to an adult. Although adults with phobias realize that their fears are excessive or unreasonable, they try to avoid the situations that provoke them. They may refuse to fly in an airplane or visit the home of a friend who has a dog. But this avoidance may interfere with their ability to function normally at work, at school, or in social situations. Many people with this condition also have social phobia, a fear of social situations. (


Cause: Traumatic events often lead to specific phobias. Genes are also believed to play a role because the tendency to develop specific phobias runs in families.


Prevalence: More than 10% of people have specific phobias.


Who’s at risk: Women face a slightly higher risk than men. Individuals who have a close relative with a specific phobia are at higher risk. A terrifying or deeply troubling experience, as well as a genetic predisposition, increases the likelihood of developing specific phobia.


Effective treatments: The main treatment is a form of behavioral therapy called desensitization, also known as exposure therapy, in which people are gradually exposed to the source of their phobia until it no longer scares them. Relaxation and breathing exercises can also reduce symptoms. No medication has proved effective in controlling specific phobias, but antianxiety drugs may help. For example, if you’re afraid of flying, an antianxiety medication can control your fear enough that you can get on the plane.


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