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Is selachophobia based on shark facts or stories?

Conceived! You are swimming alone in the ocean, far from the beach. You can hear the laughter of the bathers splashing in the cold water. Suddenly, you feel a jerk, followed by pain, and looking around you find yourself swimming in a pool of blood. Then you see this huge triangular fin cutting through the water, coming towards you. Your heart is pounding in your chest. Sweat runs down your forehead. You close your eyes and say a prayer. When you open them seconds later, you realize you’re actually lying in your bathtub. There is no shark around. All he’s really suffering from are the acute symptoms of another anxiety attack related to his obsessive and uncontrollable fear of sharks, scientifically known as selachophobia.

After the 1975 movie “Jaws,” selachophobia became more common among aspiring swimmers. What was based on a simple fear of sharks became a phobia. What is a phobia? This is an abnormal and persistent fear of something in particular. It’s so strong that it not only prevents people from doing certain activities, but actually manifests itself through the acute reactions and symptoms of a severe anxiety attack.

Since the fear of sharks has been around for as long as humans and sharks have lived together, what is different about selachophobia? Well, like many fears, this emotion can be safe and healthy, like the fear of fire. In the case of selachophobia, it is partly based on facts about sharks which are the healthy part of the phobia, but it is also based on tales of sharks which can be irrational, make your daily life difficult and negatively affect your body to such an extent. it can even trigger a heart attack in some extreme situations.

How irrational can it get? Well, some people will refuse to swim in waters known to have sharks, and I don’t mean near swimmers or even near shore. Some will not be able to swim in any body of water, however far from the oceans, seas or any other area where sharks may be present. In extreme cases, some people will also refuse to swim in pools or use the bathtub.

What shark stories are responsible for selachophobia? Well, shark movies like “Jaws” promoted shark facts and shark tales to pique the interest of moviegoers. For example, they turned the great white shark into a cold-blooded killer seeking revenge for the death of his mate. The movie also featured him as a stalker, targeting certain victims, going back and looking for certain people while having a personal vendetta against them. Since these are all based on shark tales, there’s no need for these kinds of scares.

A person living with selachophobia also feels that sharks are looking for them as prey or victim, which is irrational in itself and especially when they are in places far from sharks, such as the pool or bathtub. Therapy for this type of phobia is a known successful way of alleviating this phobia into a simple fear or even helping the patient overcome their fear of sharks altogether.

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