We’ve all been through a bad thunderstorm before. They can be scary for everyone, but for those who suffer from tonitrophobia it can be a nightmare. Thunderstorms can cause them to have anxiety attacks and to feel emotionally and physically sick.
Tonitrophobia is the excessive fear of thunder and associated lightning. Other names for this phobia include tonitruphobia and brontophobia. Tonitro and Tonitru are Latin prefixes that mean thunder. Bronto is a Greek prefix that also means thunder.
When I was younger I would cry every time there was loud thunder. I don’t cry anymore, but I really hate being alone during a bad storm. When I hear of a storm coming and I know I’m going to be alone I get extremely anxious. Storms don’t bother me too much (unless it’s a tornado), when I’m not alone.
Are you afraid of thunder and lightning?
1 comments:
It seems that unlike other phobias, tonitrophobia is often only really bad when the sufferer is alone.
If I know I'm going to be alone in my house, then I track weather forecasts and lightning storms online constantly, and I have to leave the house if there is any potential forecast. I feel safe in my car, not because I know it's safe in a lightning strike (which it is), but because I know I can drive to a public place and not be by myself. It's irrational - nothing to do with lightning safety. I actually enjoy storms when I'm with other people (like some people would enjoy scary movies!) but the possibility of being home alone in a storm is completely unacceptable. I have spend entire rainy days taking my young children from the mall to a coffee shop to my parent's house & back to the mall, just to avoid going home until my husband gets off work!
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