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Brontophobia is a common fear that many men, women, and children around the world struggle with; the fear of thunder and lightning. For as long as this fear has been around, we have been looking for ways to overcome it. Now there are a number of treatment options used. To help overcome this phobia, experts call for certain hypnotherapy techniques that are proven effective in alleviating stress and phobias.

Brontophobia sufferers experience an irrational fear of thunder and lightning. Loud, booming thunder and intense flashes of lightning can spark nervousness and anxiety attacks in brontophobia sufferers. Other signs include an increased heartrate, sweating, and a strong feeling of fear, which increases until a person becomes ill.

The fear of thunder and lightning develops at an early age for many people, when as kids, we cower under the sheets during a big storm. Brontophobia can be especially overwhelming for children. Many frightened children feel powerless during bad weather, and their parents may also feel unable to help them cope with their anxieties.

Despite its frequency in adolescents, brontophobia can be triggered at any time in life, often after someone has an unpleasant experience such as getting shocked, which recalls a lightning strike. A traumatic experience such as surviving a tropical storm can also create a fear of thunder and lightning.

A person may come to associate loud sounds, the feeling of discomfort, or shock with thunderstorms, which can escalate into a phobia. This phobia is so common that it's even observed in many animals; for example, many people observe that their pet dogs seem frightened during rainy weather.

People who experience brontophobia try to avoid hearing or seeing storms. People may suffer nervousness during disasters such as tornadoes. This can put them in danger if they are unable to function in a situation which requires them to keep calm and act rationally.

People who experience brontophobia typically dread storm season, often suffering during times of the year when storms occur frequently. They might continually check weather forecasts and behave extra cautiously during bouts of inclement weather. To people without a phobia, these behaviors may seem extreme and paranoid. Phobia suffers may find this fear gradually taking over their lives.

A wide range of options are available for relieving brontophobia and other phobias. High-profile ones include talk therapy, anti-anxiety medication, and hypnotherapy. Hypnosis tends to deliver safer, faster results and it is non-invasive, having no harmful side effects. For these reasons, hypnotherapy has become a a common treatment.

Hypnosis is highly effective as a class of stress-relief therapy and has traditionally been used to this end. By starting with stress-relief techniques, hypnotherapy helps tense, worried individuals with phobias begin the process of recovery. When an individual is feeling tranquil, it is easier for hypnotherapy techniques to direct the unconscious into a phobia-free train of thought.

All phobias are connected to negative images or triggers, which become connected to fear deep within the unconscious mind. For brontophobia sufferers, the loud rumble of thunder, the blinding flash of lightning, or even the smell of rain often triggers fear. Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) work at the unconscious level of the mind to disconnect the feeling of fear from these triggers to provide powerful phobia relief. One of the most successful techniques is called the NLP Visual/Kinesthetic Disassociation.

Ericksonian hypnotherapy is a type of hypnotherapy that is commonly used to treat fear-related stress. Named for pioneering developer, Dr. Milton Erickson, MD, this type of hypnotherapy uses indirect suggestions integrated in stories, conversation, and metaphors to treat a phobia. Indirect suggestions work better than traditional direct suggestions because we tend to reject simply being told what to do. Those which indirectly communicate to the conscious mind are more able to empower people to vanquish their fears.

NLP techniques and Ericksonian hypnotherapy have an additional advantage over other hypnotherapy programs because they are formulated to treat any phobia. So a single program is usable for treating any phobia, or even several phobias if need be. Additionally, each program uses many different techniques to work for anybody.

For many people, hypnotherapy is the best choice of treatment, which offers rapid and long-lasting results. Cowering in bed and being panicked is not how a phobia sufferer should live. With hypnotherapy and NLP techniques, nearly everyone can overcome this serious phobia.

Alan B. Densky, CH has been eliminating phobias using NLP since 1978. He offers phobia treatment hypnosis and NLP MP3s plus a broad range of NLP MP3 downloads for stress & depression related symptoms. Visit his website for free hypnosis downloads.