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thalassophobia
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thalassophobia

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Thalassophobia (from Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa), meaning "sea", and φόβος (phóbos), meaning "fear") is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as the ocean, seas, or lakes. Though related, thalassophobia should not be confused with aquaphobia, which is classified as the fear of water itself. Thalassophobia can include fears of being in deep bodies of water, the vastness of the sea, sea waves, aquatic animals, and great distance from land.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, thalassophobia is referenced by 25 other articles, and connects out to William Shakespeare, water and sea.

It sits within the topics Bodies of water and Environmental phobias.

Its subject is documented across 30 Wikipedia language editions.

Key facts

Medical condition.specialty
Psychiatry, clinical psychology
Medical condition.name
Thalassophobia
Medical condition.image
Clouds over the Atlantic Ocean.jpg
Medical condition.caption
The Atlantic Ocean, an example of a deep body of water
Medical condition.treatment
Systematic desensitisation, exposure therapy, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, medication
Medical condition.duration
More than six months

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
phobia
Main subject
sea
Image
32942423 Thalassophobia.gif
Show 2 more facts
IPA transcription
θəˌlæsəˈfoʊbi.ə
Commons category
Thalassophobia
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~16 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Causes
  • Evolution
  • Mythology and popular culture
  • Past experiences and genetics
  • Psychological theories
  • Triggers
  • Diagnosis and symptoms
  • Difference between thalassophobia and aquaphobia
  • Treatment
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Systematic desensitization
  • Exposure therapy
  • Medication
  • See also
  • References

Thalassophobia (from Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa), meaning "sea", and φόβος (phóbos), meaning "fear") is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as the ocean, seas, or lakes. Though related, thalassophobia should not be confused with aquaphobia, which is classified as the fear of water itself. Thalassophobia can include fears of being in deep bodies of water, the vastness of the sea, sea waves, aquatic animals, and great distance from land.

The causes of thalassophobia are not clear and are a subject of research by medical professionals as they can vary greatly between individuals. Researchers have proposed that the fear of large bodies of water is partly a human evolutionary response, and may also be related to popular culture influences which induce fright and distress. It is also theorized that the underlying psychology of the phobia stems from the symbolic nature of water. Specifically, the vastness of the sea is often connected to one's deep unconscious.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “thalassophobia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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