Keraunophobia or Ceraunophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning
With the possibility that today will be the hottest day of the year with the potential of lightning and thunder this entry seems particularly appropriate today. The manifestation of thunder and lightning is one of nature’s true wonders. Through out history people have tried to explain the phenomena often using god or the gods as an explanation. These attempted explanations shows the awe and power associated with this phenomena.
Keraunophobia is the intense and pathological fear of thunder and lightning. The word comes from the Greek Cerauno meaning thunder, ligtning or thunderbolt and phobia which is the  Greek word for fear. The root causes of this fear can often be traced back to childhood. Children can often be frightened by the sound of thunder as well as the sight of lightning. An additional dynamic is that thunder and lightning storms can knock out power which again can add to the terror a sufferer may feel.
The idea that there is a difference between fear and respect should be emphasised as part of any treatment. It is perfectly appropriate to respect the power that these storms represent, however fearing it is actually counter productive. Any hypno-psychotherapeutic treatment should include this very important point.
