Martin Antony, Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and co-author of The Anti-Anxiety Workbook, states that: 'rom an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense that humans would develop a tendency to fear and avoid deep water because of all the associated risks'. This in return developed into a fundamental fear passing down from generation to generation in order to ensure the survival of human kind. Showing fear toward deep bodies of water is in effect justified since ancestors to the human race understood that their survival was reliant on remaining in terrestrial land and not aquatic environments. A 2016 study by Nicholas Carleton establishes that the ‘Fear of Unknown’ is an evolutionary mechanism that has driven the survival of the human race since the beginning. Humans prefer certainty to risk and adapt based on learning history and situational variables. It is thought that the fear of large bodies of water is an evolutionary and ancestral trait passed on from generation to generation. Treatment may comprise a combination of therapy and anxiolytics, and is most effective when administered to patients during childhood, when thalassophobia is generally at its peak. People with thalassophobia go through numerous episodes of emotional and physical anguish caused by a variety of triggers. The severity of thalassophobia and the signs and symptoms associated with it are quite fluid and complex. Specifically, the vastness of the sea is often connected to one's deep unconscious. It is also theorized that the underlying psychology of the phobia stems from the symbolic nature of water. Researchers have proposed that the fear of large bodies of water is partly a human evolutionary response, and may also be related to popular culture influences which induce fright and distress. The causes of thalassophobia are not clear and are a subject of research by medical professionals as they can vary greatly between individuals. Thalassophobia can include fear of being in deep bodies of water, fear of the vast emptiness of the sea, of sea waves, aquatic creatures, and fear of distance from land. Though very closely related, thalassophobia should not be confused with aquaphobia which is classified as the fear of water itself. Thalassophobia (from Greek thalassa θάλασσα, 'sea', and phobos φόβος, 'fear') is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the sea, oceans, or lakes. Systematic desensitisation, exposure therapy, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication The fear of the vastness of the sea seen here may be characterized as thalassophobia.

Underwater abyss survival vr