Can You Deal With a Phobia of Thunderstorms?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Johnson]Trevor Johnson
Stormy skies, dark clouds, torrents of rain, bolts of lightning and the loud bangs that follow a few seconds later. Some people enjoy these different aspects of thunderstorms. Others want to join the dog cowering under the stairs at the first inkling of a thunderstorm approaching. So is it possible to deal with a phobia of thunderstorms and reduce (or even eliminate) your fear of these powerful forces of nature?
Split the storm up into its component parts
Just as I split the thunder storm up at the start of this article, do the same in your mind.
This may not be as easy as it first sounds, so start with the least worrying part of the storm first. This could well be the rain that accompanies a thunderstorm. Unless you've got a phobia of rain as well, you should be able to relate the water that falls from the sky during normal rainy weather to the heavier rain that's likely falling during a nasty storm.
Then figure out what the next scariest part of the thunderstorm is and try to split that into smaller, more manageable, parts next. If your phobia is fairly mild, there's a good chance that doing this will reduce the fear you experience to a slightly more manageable level.
Do some research
The simple fact that you're reading this article proves that you've survived thunderstorms before now.
Dig out the appropriate Wikipedia page and take a look at the science behind these massive demonstrations of the power of Nature.
This gives your rational mind a bit more ammunition to fight the part of your mind that's gone into the primitive "fight or flight" mode and wants to run away from these events.
Be sensible
Lightning will aim for tall objects. If they've got some metal on them - like a lightning conductor - then its aim is pretty good. If there aren't any suitable ones close enough, a tree is one of its next favorite objects.
What this means is that if you're caught up in the middle of a thunderstorm, you need to ignore the part of you that's saying to take shelter below a tree. Better to get wet than partially fried!
Build up your immunity
Just like we get vaccinations against common diseases, we can innoculate ourselves against thunder storms by facing our fear. Ideally with an understanding friend and possibly with the companionship of a stiff drink as well.
Watch the next few storms that pass your location.
Yes, that means actually staring out of the window of your house or apartment, watching the clouds move past, noticing the momentary flickers of lightning as they make their path from the depths of the thunder clouds down to earth. And, of course, listening for the loud noise of thunder that inevitably follows the flash.
Go back to your childhood and count the number of miles away the lightning is by counting away the seconds. If nothing else, this will distract you slightly and hopefully it will be a good number of miles between you and the heart of the storm as well.
Get more help to [http://hypnosisabc.com/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-thunderstorms/]deal with fear of thunderstorms with this easy to use, effective, [http://hypnosisabc.com/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-thunderstorms/]hypnosis download for fear of thunderstorms.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-You-Deal-With-a-Phobia-of-Thunderstorms?&id=6539395] Can You Deal With a Phobia of Thunderstorms?