From the phobia of heights to the phobia of clowns, there are as many phobias as there are situations.
One of the most rare forms of phobias is Dendrophobia; the phobia of TREES!
Yes, phobia of tress is a real thing.
Imagine not going for a trek or a hike?
Imagine not being able to go out of your house?
Imagine imaging a world without trees?
Can’t even imagine such a scenario? But there’re people out there whose life would be a little easier if there were no trees.
While many people find the sight of tree calming and serene, others are put off by their twisted branches and dense foliage. Different types of trees can negatively affect the afflicted person, inducing severe and persistent anxieties. Like many other words, dendrophobia also got its origin from Greece; Dendo which means trees & Phobos as we all know is for phobia/fear.
Dendrophobia is an irrational fear of trees. People suffering from this condition are expected to experience an intense angst following a full-blown panic attack from merely thinking of trees, let alone seeing one. Although panic attacks are not thought to occur in all cases except when there’s a severity in the symptoms.
Someone suffering from a phobia ensures avoiding what they fear. Extremism in their actions can be seen too. In case of dendrophobia, people make it certain that they cannot be exposed to trees in any possible way; cutting ties with the outer world. Such excessive apprehension and absurd behavior is what results in serious mental issues.
Just like other phobias, symptoms of dedrophobia include feeling troubled, chest pain, difficulty in breathing, nausea, insomnia, heavy sweating, elevated heart rate, or even blood pressure.
According to Wiktionary, dendrophobia is defined as a “morbid fear of trees”. It’s a condition making people suffer in silence. Here’s everything you need to know about this FEAR.
Why Does It Happen?
Nature is amazing and strange at the same time. From Lyrebird that mimics every sound it hears to Victoria Amazonica or people fearing trees itself, you can expect anything and everything from what we call Mother Nature.
When you were a child, your grandma might have told you stories of haunted jungles and talking trees or, perhaps you saw a picture of pitcher plant in your Science book and that might have induced fear. Animated movies or novels based on different adventures & mysteries can also create an impression on the heart and mind of sensitive people. They may remain clueless while watching or reading or even listening to such stories but in their subconscious minds, all this stuff creates fear or fear of trees in particular.
Traumatic experiences like seeing lightning strikes on trees or a car accident due to a falling tree also add to this fear. Interestingly, somebody with a family background of psychological instability or specific fears may have a greater possibility of being dendrophobic. This can be a result of genetic inclination and a specific pattern of illness. The fear of trees is also associated with fear of darkness and fear of wooded area i.e. Nyctophobia & Hylophobia respectively. People tend to think of what happens in the darkness of night in a dense forest with gnarled trunks.
Trees appear sinister at night, their long twisted branches seem to resemble the arms of a monster trying to grab the phobic person. The shadow of tall trees and dance of swaying leaves can also trigger a sense of gothic darkness or terror.
Progression of the condition:
Since the trees are looked at by favorably large chunk of population because of them being everywhere, so this condition called as dendrophobia results in a very restrictive mental condition one can have. But the people who suffer from this seek to avoid trees completely, they become superstitious of walking under them, avoid dark places and display other extreme reactions too.
This fear makes people catatonic, making them unable of fulfilling lives. They restrict themselves in their houses and fail to experience a standard life.
What can you do if you develop this phobia?
If you’re dendrophobic, don’t worry! A couple of ordinary changes and you are good to go.
1. Psychotherapy:
It is the best way to deal with any kind of fear. Psychotherapy includes “Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)”. In this therapy phobic individuals are exposed to a surrounding with trees. It helps them control their nerves.
2. Hypnotherapy:
In this therapy, psychiatrists dig the subconscious mind of the patient to figure out the basic reason of fear. Thus, helping him/her unfold the fright and eventually eliminate the phobia.
3. Exposure therapy:
It is just similar to CBT. People suffering from the condition are exposed to what they fear. But this therapy occurs in steps with showing pictures initially and then the actual trees.
4. Use of anti-depressants:
This might help people to get through the night if they are insomniac.
5. Self-care:
If you have a fear of any kind or not, the most important thing to understand and remember is LOVING YOURSELF. Self-care play a significant role in healing. Self-help books can also be very therapeutic. Similarly, you can also meditate & exercise to control your senses and overcome your fear (be it any kind).
With all this knowledge of Dendrophobia, now you know if you have this fear or you call trees your friends. You can also help others suffering from the same & they can, in time, make real progress and even learn to like being around trees.
It is a mental health issue that can be treated with modern therapeutic techniques. If you know someone having this illness, the best thing to do is consulting a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis following treatment.
Keeping in mind the brighter side, dendrophobic persons certainly not cut or harm trees or we can say they have a huge part in taking care of the planet Earth because they can never get indulged in deforestation by any means. :p
We know plants and trees are the reason for our survival and we can’t just avoid them. However, it is possible to consider this phobia of trees as an important issue to be addressed.
REMEMBER,
If Mowgli is friends with animals and trees, trust me, you can be too!
Just drive that car fearlessly or go for a trek with your loved ones without being hesitant.
