Imagine not being able to leave the house?
Imagine not being able to go for a jungle safari or trek?
Imagine not being able to go for star trail?
Imagine not being able to even think about the trees out there?
Yes, phobia of trees is a real thing. It’s called Dendrophobia, and like so many other words, it has its origin from Greece. The concern is so irrational and severe that a person undergoing shows anxiety problems, and it’s triggered when they are near trees.
Just like other phobias, symptoms of dendrophobia are Feeling troubled that can turn into significant panic attacks, chest pain, breathing problems, Nausea, sleep disorders, Catatonia, excessive sweating or even high blood pressure. Macmillan’s dictionary defines dendrophobia as fear of trees and many people suffer in silence, so here is everything that you need to know so that you don’t have to suffer alone.
Why Does Phobia of Trees Happen?
Nature is amazing. Whether it be the ability of turtles to breathe through their butts or people fearing trees itself, you never know what to expect.
When you were a child, your grandma might have told you stories about talking trees in a haunted forest, you had been clueless then but in your subconscious mind, that has created fear, fear of trees.
Or, perhaps you saw a picture in your General Knowledge book that was of pitcher plant. It’s what might have induced slight fear. Carnivorous plants can look deadly. Interestingly, someone with a family background of mental illness or particular phobias may have more chance of being dendrophobic. This can be because of genetic prepossession and a specific pattern in illness can be observed.
Movies like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, where animated trees can move and speak, creates an impression on people with sensitive hearts and can be a cause for nightmares.
Most of the traumatic experiences affect a person psychologically. It has the potential to make someone conscious about that traumatic thing for the rest of their lives. It might be something like losing a loved one on an accident with a tree or falling off it. It can be lightning striking the tree into half and bending the car of a neighbor.
This fearof trees is mostly associated with fear of darkness, which is Nyctophobia. It is triggered when a person thinks of what might happen in the darkness of the night. It can also be related to the irrational fear of wooded areas called Hylophobia.
The Top Strange Phobia of Trees Facts
- The weight and density of the tree in the vicinity may have an impact on the extent of fear faced.
- The shadows of dancing leaves and swinging branches can cause a sense of Gothic darkness or affliction.
- A person having a phobia of animals is most likely to be afraid of trees as they might resonate it to “the woods” and monstrous wildness of the Forest. It can be because of bad childhood memory with animals.
- Some suffering from a phobia of trees think trees are more alive than the reality, using roots to clench onto us and dropping hand branches to cause outrageous harm or death.
- Older people who can’t move quickly are more likely to be scared as they cannot respond to a falling tree nor have comparatively less night vision.
So, wondering how a dendrophobic person is supposed to go on with their life? After all, you cannot stop living. Don’t worry, it surely doesn’t have to be the end of the world if you have fear of trees.
What Can You do if You Have Phobia of Trees?
If you have a phobia of trees, don’t worry. A few simple changes might be all you need to lead a normal life.
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Psychotherapy to deal with Phobia of Trees
The best way to deal with any kind of phobia is Psychotherapy – namely “Cognitive Behavior Therapy”. If you have the phobia, you are more likely to be exposed to surroundings with trees. It will help you gain control of your senses, and overcome the fear – helping you become stronger.
The psychology behind this is simple – it helps influence how you think, feel, and behave in response to a particular fear.
2. Hypnotherapy to deal with Phobia of Trees
Psychiatrists delves into the subconscious mind and try to figure out the root causes and try to help them unfold the fear and then eventually try to eliminate the phobia.
3. Exposure therapy to deal with Phobia of Trees
It is almost similar to Cognitive Behavior Therapy where the therapist exposes the patient to their fears and gives them time to get over it. The therapy is done in a gradual process like showing them pictures in the beginning and later the trees.
4. Using anti-depressants to deal with Phobia of Trees
Psychologists usually recommend medicines like anti-depressants and anti-anxiety with a proper prescription. This might help the patient to get through the night and suffer less from insomnia due to the fear.
5. Love yourself to deal with Phobia of Trees
Try to read more self-help books to calm your senses if you are a reader and try to follow the instructions that can turn out to be therapeutic. Self-care plays an important role to heal the fear of trees. Meditation can help take better care of mental health.
Dealing with the Fear of Trees
With all this knowledge about fear of trees now you know if you have a phobia or trees are your friends. You can also help someone who is actually suffering from the same and make them feel safe by recommending them to seek for help as this, not something so chronic that cannot be treated. People with this phobia deserves to enjoy their freedom and get to breathe fresh air in a green locality!
If you have to look on the brighter side, a dendrophobic person will never harm trees and in turn, be taking care of Mother Earth. Plants and trees are the reason for our existence and without them, survival is impossible.
Let’s consider the phobia of trees to be something that needs to be addressed. Here is how you may think of it. If a small boy like Mowgli can be part of the Jungle and be friends with trees and animals, you can overcome that fear. Drive that car fearlessly and go for a trek with friends and family without hesitation!