Aquaphobia, which is sometimes referred to as hydrophobia, is an intense fear of water. This can range from the deep water of our oceans to raging waves or could include swimming pools or bathtubs. Additionally, the phobia can impact people in different ways. Some victims cannot even see a large body of water, whereas others can get by without being affected by the phobia if they refrain from entering the water. The amount of water is generally not what triggers the phobia, but rather the recognition of the water’s abilities and power to instill danger.

Photo courtesy of Tranceform Psychology

Most frequently, aquaphobia comes from a previous traumatic experience with or in water. This can be attributed to someone drowning, almost drowning or falling frightfully off of a boat or dock. For others, the phobia comes more from the unknown objects and organisms that can be found in the water. Some examples of negative water-related events such as a jellyfish sting or a shark attack can instill fears in a person, whether they experienced it themselves or have heard of or seen something similar occur. Also, aquaphobia is very likely to be passed on from one’s parents. It is one of the most common fears to take on from a parent or guardian. In some cases, aquaphobia can arise in individuals later on in life if they have never lived in a location with large bodies of water, and they suddenly encounter it. Essentially, the fear of water is traced back to the possibility of danger and even fatality that can result from the substance and the elements that it can contain, regardless of its magnitude.

Some of the symptoms of aquaphobia include shaking, freezing in place, hyperventilation, fainting, and nausea, though these can vary depending on the person. A common manifestation of the fear is in the form of anticipatory anxiety in the weeks or days leading up to an event that involves water. As water is very much a part of life, whether that be in need-based activities or social settings, a phobia like this can be detrimental to a person’s ability to carry on with day-to-day activities. Though someone can obviously avoid going swimming in most cases, if the fear extends to sprays and splashes, the effects can be extremely limiting. In some of the rarest cases, aquaphobia can invade someone’s ability to shower and bathe, which can have a detrimental impact on self-esteem. This can be due to the lack of cleanliness and hygiene that can result from this sort of manifestation of the fear, which is much more rare than the usual cases. 

There are many ways to treat aquaphobia for patients that are interested. Perhaps the most proactive way to combat the fear is to take swimming lessons are talk to a lifeguard about the best techniques for avoiding danger in any body of water. If you are comfortable swimming and treading water, the fear of drowning that is most commonly associated with aquaphobia is decreased to a certain extent. However, if measures need to be taken in addition to these proactive decisions, some patients utilize cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, in which a therapist will help you through water involved situations and environments to learn relaxing techniques and thought exercises to work through the fear. For patients that get very tense and tight as a result of the fear, yoga and meditation are often recommended to assuage some of the anxiety and rigidity, both physically and emotionally, that can result from the phobia. 

Water is one of the strongest compounds on our earth, and whether you are aquaphobic or not, it is important to recognize the possible negative consequences that can result from the power that comes from this force of nature. Never swim alone!