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Thalassophobia is an intense fear of deep or large bodies of water, like the ocean or the sea. It falls under a category of specific phobia, which is defined as an intense, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger, and affects 9.1% of U.S. adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

A person would know they have thalassophobia because when they are exposed to deep open water or the ocean, whether in person or even just by thinking about it or seeing pictures, they would experience a number of possible physical and psychological symptoms, says Deborah Courtney, Ph.D., a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in New York and member of the Forbes Health Advisory Board.

Thalassophobia is categorized under phobias of the natural environment, such as water or heights. Other specific phobia categories as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), the text U.S. mental health practitioners refer to for making mental health diagnoses, include:

Often thalassophobia (and most phobias) can be traced back to an early life trauma, which could be processed through psychodynamic therapy, which explores how early life experiences create templates that constrict how we live in the future, explains Sabrina Romanoff, Psy.D., a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist, professor and researcher based in New York and a member of the Forbes Health Advisory Board. With therapy, people can learn to take risks by challenging those templates and revise them to be more aligned with their current reality and values, she says.

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Thalassophobia (Fear Of The Ocean): Symptoms And Treatment - Forbes