I’m only afraid of great whites. (Watch: "World's Deadliest: Shark Superpowers"). I have had a fear of sharks since I was younger and visited an aquarium. Sufferers from this phobia experience anxiety even though they may be safe on a boat or in an aquarium or on a beach. Only a few days ago I had a nightmare about a shark and that’s when I realized I needed help but I was to scared to look anything up in case there were pictures. Sharks are portrayed as vicious or dangerous creatures. When I was about 6 or 7, we went to Universal Orlando and rode the Jaws ride. The benefits of having sharks around far outweigh the negatives. Needless to say, it was a disaster and I got really nervous about going in. This is also the beach we go to when we do go to the beach. Crazy. I think it’s the connection to water. Read full story at: Nat Geo Think back to how ancient people would have survived in their primitive habitats. Great whites, for example—the species Hollywood immortalized as mindless killers—have mouths lined with several rows of up to 300 dagger-like teeth that can easily shred through prey. I don’t like going to the beach, but this is one major reason why now. I don’t want this phobia to stay with me forever. I can’t even go swimming at the pool. The art on the box was though, so I’d be in the semi dark at night thinking about that shark in my closet! I suffered nightmares for years about drowning or being eaten alive by a great white shark. I take showers, and as soon as I get the image of a shark in my head, I scream in a panic and jump out. Small consolation to the person with the chunk missing from their body. If I tell you there's a one in 3,748,067 chance you could be attacked and killed by a shark, that number is too abstract for your brain to be sensitive to it. A lot of them will lie low in the depths until you are vulnerable and then charge full speed at you from below and you have no time to react. I think the thing that bothers me the most is how they attack. Actually typing it just makes me realise how weird it sounds. I will never want to go on cruise ships or small boats that go in the ocean because of this fear. Simply put, the predatory fish are scary. If you know anything about bull sharks, they can live in both salt and fresh water. Fear Of Sharks In Swimming Pools…Let’s Talk Hypnotherapy I don’t know when my fear of sharks in swimming pools started, but most likely started when I lost my hearing twenty years ago. However, on the odd occasions I missed the ads during the week, my mother would plot with my siblings to keep quiet about the showing, and on the day of, they would call me into the living room for something (I began to avoid TV most Saturday nights) and I would walk in during an attack scene. I’m only 27 so I wasn’t a JAWS baby and I used to watch shark week and shark related movies. Don’t feel too bad. Flashes within a microsecond. The mind will, in some situations, generate the fear without an apparent cause. Sometimes I even whimper out loud at the thought of it. I could explain but just google this or something, if you’re interested, because I almost triggered from it when it first showed up on my screen… but now I’m feeling much more relaxed and thinking about how it actually relieves some psychological and emotional stress to consider sharks and people in this new way. I really think if I do go scuba diving and if a shark is nearby, it will know. Sometimes when I am in the shower I think a shark is behind me and the bottom of the shower will break and I will fall in to a pool of sharks. I was fine with the other sea life, really liked the jellyfish, but when I saw that shark something snapped. I’m also doubtful of rivers, since the bull shark findings. Other thrillers have perpetuated the theme of sharks as villans. Being eaten is pretty scary too, though. I felt like a giant shark was going to jump up out of the darkness beside my bed and grab a hold of me, dragging me to the bottom of the ocean where all the other sharks would feast on me. As I got older, this no longer worked so they turned to turning the volume up louder during an attack scene so I could hear it all from my room. Cancer and heart disease are also way more likely to kill you. Ive had a fear of sharks for a long time. They’d all laugh as I ran off screaming and heaving. I’ve always had a fear of sharks, it’s that bad if I go to the swimming baths I think sharks will come out of the vents and attack me, it’s really bad. But this is just me trying to understand the ‘monster’ that has haunted me all my life. However, the … He wanted to get the tiger doc but it was gone. WATCH: A great white shark turns underwater videographer when it grabs a research camera rig in the Southwest Pacific. I was glad, because she threw up, and we didn’t go. I am fascinated by sharks, however. I can’t close my eyes in the shower because I don’t know if a huge hungry beast will be there when I open my eyes. I am in my 30’s and it’s still here and shows no signs of ever leaving my psyche. (Read: "10 Tips for Sharing the Beach With Sharks"). As soon as we parked, there was water rising up with yellow bubbles in it and we all drowned. They creep me out. Just like the 1st testimonial, my fear of sharks also started when I was little and saw a clip from a movie (not sure of the title but I guess it’s also Jaws) and since then, I got this terrible feeling whenever I saw a picture especially a film that sharks are existing. The one shark that gets me the most is great whites they just have a scary image and I can’t stand it! For me, showers and toilets are fine because I try to remind myself that a creature of that size could not fit in those places. Actually, it wasn’t the movie, but it was the picture on the cover of the book. We're going to need a bigger boat: Take a look at the design history of Jaws and its iconic cover https://t.co/dRdRPILF7L pic.twitter.com/FO3ihh1XlG. I quit breathing in my sleep and woke up gasping for air. (Note that the fear of sharks is also called Selachophobia.). But, oh boy, did our ancestors have a lot to be afraid of! I even start scratching myself, my skin turns red after that. As stated before, media is the most likely cause of the fear of sharks. I really want to get rid of this fear too, but even seeing an innocent picture of a shark just swimming is so overwhelming. Any pics or movies of open ocean or Great White Sharks make me freak out. My family thinks it’s humerous and ridiculous. You may have come up with an idea that would help everyone on this page! I was plummeting fast below the water’s surface. Their mouths are what makes me afraid the most. It’s extinct, but that thing sure does freak me out. I have burnt my eyes trying to look around, not that I don’t check it every minute anyhow. but in my life mine would really be to get rid of this phobia, I need help. Spring Break is almost upon us. Despite the unlikelihood of shark attacks, America’s fear persists. In the unlikely event that you are attacked by a shark, experts say it's best to fight back. I hate going to the beach for this reason and when i was forced to scuba dive by my family, i had a panic attack. I haven’t been in a pool in a while, and the last time I was I jumped right into the deep end and immediately regretted it. We hear of the word "shark" and we can't help but immediately fill in the blank after it with "attack.". Sure, great whites are scary, I’d have a panic attack if I saw one, but my main fear is the megalodon. I have no idea why I’m terrified of sharks, but I can barely shower without going into some sort of panic attack due to thinking of sharks. Responder Guardar. Usually however, it is media news reports of shark sightings, of surfers or swimmers being killed or bitten that triggers the exaggerated fear of sharks. ), If you swim in clear water, you can give yourself the illusion of being in control if you did spot a shark. For some stupid, persistent, annoying reason, I think a shark is going to swin through a hatch IN THE SIDE OF THE POOL. I get scared of sharks in my bath pool room shower which is ridiculous. In writing her book, Shark Attacks: Myths, Misunderstandings and Human Fear, Chapman found that the human brain tends to oversimplify numbers. I was standing in the video store in my town with my dad and brother and I saw the artwork for the VHS tape and instantly wanted it. Previously, my first step for addressing this, very limiting and irrational phobia, was always going to be learning to scuba dive and forcing the matter through conditioning and, eventually, a night dive which would either end in a panic attack and ridiculous underwater death, or being completely healed and empowered. I can’t put my hand in that water. Galeophobia sufferers tend to experience intense panic or anxiety attacks at the mere mention of or images of sharks. Thankfully, I wasn’t eaten. And when it came out, there was this fear that the movie was such a smash hit, it would scare people away from the Cape because they were associated now with sharks. Get more argumentative, persuasive fear of sharks essay samples and other research papers after sing up I am utterly terrified of sharks. "They are such survivors, they've evolved to basically survive under any stress," Chapman says. Sharks, especially great whites, were catapulted into the public eye with the release of the film Jaws in the summer of 1975. 43 Shark Attack Statistics to Get Over the Fear of the Water. Sometimes I can’t even go to the bathroom without being scared. Snowdune are releasing an Xmas single and any profits that are made will go directly to a good cause. My fear is highly irrational, but so bad I can barely shower. Their fins (which are seen protruding out of the water in movies) are viewed as ‘ominous’. It was definitely *reading* JAWS and a few other books, way too young (involving ship wrecks, lost scuba divers, lost at sea, the Aames Home Loan raft/shark commerical, along with a children’s storybook I had which had illustrations showing dark packs of swarming hammerheads swimming as silhouettes in deep green water, perpetually menacing the psyche and physical well being of the human protagonists. Selachophobia is the intense fear of sharks. Hi. Whale sharks are an endangered species and one of the largest fish on Earth. This can easily lead to an excessive cleaning disorder. The word Galeophobia is coined from the Greek word “Galeos” which stands for small sharks or dogfish (in particular, sharks having markings like those of a weasel) and “Phobos” which means deep dread or fear. Dont know what to do.. I’m now 16 and this selachophobia seems to always get me in trouble and is a barrier for me to enjoy life.. Overcoming a fear of sharks starts with looking at the facts and figures for attacks as they are extremely uncommon. At the beach i dont go farther than a few feet. – DG. Bull sharks tend to hang out in the same areas that humans use. I will go swimming in pools, yet the thought that a shark will miraculously appear is in the back of my mind and whilst on holiday I will go in shallow parts of the sea, but not for very long as I grow extremely nervous and even urge my family out. Nuh uh, No way, no how. Fear of Sharks. Fear of Sharks. I wouldn’t be able to relax. A year later while diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef I was free of fear and actively looking for sharks and other sea creatures on our dives. When I see shark related things on TV, I pull my feet up off the floor and on to the couch. What are the chances they could kill me? There's a scientific explanation. I start having sweaty palms and breathing heavy and very uneasy. This includes aquariums, theme parks like Sea World, beaches, rivers and zoos etc. Showers and baths are ok, but if i go swimming , especially at night and in the deep end of the pool, I have a full on panic attack and have to get out of the water or more often then not dragged to she shallow end. In Jaws there is a boy that was killed while on a floatie, so you can see where that thought comes from. A traumatic past event related to sharks (that has either happened directly or indirectly to the sufferer) might also cause Galeophobia. I feel better knowing I’m not alone, these comments from all of you are comforting. No, I get that way too. My godmother took me to see Jaws when I was seven, big mistake, she even took me next to the beach. Also, there have been many interactions between sharks and humans that have not ended with bites or attacks. Pools are much worse. I was swimming in open water. It’s because I had a dream when I was very young. Now even when I swim in a pool I always get an irrational fear that there is a shark behind me. But we're not necessarily afraid of sharks upfront, and the animals are diverse. I am afraid of some apex predators so I studied them and that helps me, however for others it may increase their fears. The next day I confronted him and told him what he put me through. Thank you all. That and other shark-related inquiries below. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- (Sharks commonly go after seals, and from below, a surfboard can look like a seal.) (If I tell you humans kill about 100 million sharks each year, it could be difficult to process that, as well.). (Read: "Why Great White Sharks Are Still a Mystery to Us"), "The idea of being munched on by an animal that is in control is another factor," Ropeik says. I didn’t want to go, but we were heading there anyway. I really wish someone could help me. This is crazy, i cant even drink dark liquids without a straw because i think a mini shark is in the bottle or cup. Jacob that is a great idea! I have a young child and my biggest fear even if he is near me is he will be bitten by a shark. Blacktip sharks flock to South Florida’s warm coastal waters every winter, but watch this before you cross Florida off your vacation list. It sounds so stupid and pathetic. Likewise cognitive behavior therapy can help identify why sharks are causing such an intense fear in the phobic’s mind. I’m ok in the shower, but in deep ends in pools, a feeling of something below me starts to overwhelm me and I scramble to get out. To this day, I can’t watch a shark movie, no matter how rubbish or how ‘not even scary’ my teen tells me it is. He was sorry about it. I have gotten better at containing to other people but when I was in middle school it was so bad that my classmates would purposely show me pictures and videos of sharks just to see me jump out of my seat and yell. I have been terrified of sharks since I was five! Where our fear of sharks came from Blockbuster films and extensive news coverage of rare attacks often portray sharks as vengeful, human-eating beasts. To young children and anxious adults, these can conjure up frightening images of bloodthirsty, violent creatures that are seeking human prey. I watch shark movies so to get over my fear. Galeophobia or the extreme fear of sharks probably conjures up images of the Great White shark as depicted in Jaws, the popular blockbuster movie known for its dramatic music and superb visual effects that exacerbated the fear of sharks in the minds of its viewers. Well lit bathroom and my eyes open helps. Then there are people who develop Selachophobia because they cannot stand the physical appearance of sharks. If I do I end up having a full scale panic attack, falling down and knocking every thing else down as I fall. The minute I close them I start getting images of a shark attacking me. That huge shark you’re thinking about in a cartoon is called Bruce and he’s from Finding Nemo, though I’m pretty sure he’s not in Finding Dory. Once freed, they swam away seemingly unharmed. Our fear of sharks is tinged with subconscious guilt. (Don’t worry I’m clean, totally would isolate myself from people if I wasn’t) I feel like it has a connection to Aquaphobia because it’s a symptom of it (Not hydrophobia). To try and get me over my fear my parents gave my the Jaws game. By Jacob Olesen68 Comments. How can I overcome my fear and feel safe while swimming? If you do get attacked you have almost no chance of defending yourself it’s like being trapped in a cage with a lion you literally can’t do anything but fight for your life and that terrifies me. I saw the Jaws movie when I was 11 or 12 and that only worsened my fear. It’s just so annoying. Individuals utmost at risk are: And then came the final fear, completely realized, it was a shark. If I do I see not just the shark but it’s teethy jaw open right on front of me. After finding about this it has only amplified my fear of encountering sharks. Before blaming your mother for your phobia – seek a professional to help you out – with both of your above mentioned problems.. blaming mommy and galeophobia.