Tornado Phobia
Tornado phobia, also known as lilapsophobia, is the intense fear and irrational compulsions you have around tornadoes, such as constantly checking weather apps and preparing emergency shelters. Erin explains how reasonable doubt differs from obsessional doubt and introduces exposure and response prevention strategies to help navigate these anxieties.
00:00 Introduction to OCD Awareness
00:07 Understanding Relationship OCD
00:59 Meet Erin: Your OCD Specialist
01:54 Phobia of Hurricanes and Tornadoes
02:09 Exploring Phobias and OCD
02:58 Tornado Fear and OCD
13:48 Reasonable vs. Obsessional Doubt
23:59 Exposure and Response Prevention Strategies
30:22 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes
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Fear of Tornados
[00:00:00] Hey y'all, here we are again for another Friday episode of Bossing Up Overcoming OCD. Have you ever had an intense fear about tornadoes? or hurricanes, and you are just fraught with fear whenever you see any wind in the forecast or dark clouds coming. Like, it just feels like literal impending doom.
[00:00:27] This episode is for you. Today we're going to be talking about the The phobia of hurricanes and tornadoes.
[00:00:35] All right. So do you remember a few weeks ago when I had the episode about emetophobia, which is that fear of puking? This episode is very similar. So let me give you a rundown of what a phobia is. A phobia is an intense or irrational fear about something and that something is an object, situation, activity, or [00:01:00] thing, all right?
[00:01:01] And it doesn't really impact your day to day life, like there's no impairment. Yet someone with OCD, there is impairment and there's a lot of time being eaten up. There's an, um, there is an immense amount of fear happening. Of course, with the phobia, you can have a lot of fear. But for the OCD person, their fear is going to be very much exacerbated.
[00:01:30] And so it's going to be like to the level of being irrational where it doesn't even make sense. So in thinking about the fear of tornadoes,
[00:01:41] and I've, I've worked with plenty of people who have this fear of tornadoes. What they tell me is that they know that a tornado is not actually happening, but they very much fear that it is going to happen. And so they will do [00:02:00] things that really don't even match up with tornadoes. So for example,
[00:02:05] they feel like they have to turn the house keys a certain number of times in order to avoid a tornado, or they have to play a game on their phone to keep a tornado from happening. Like it's just kind of some random stuff, but there are some. More logical compulsions that can go along with
[00:02:26] the fear of a tornado. The fear of a tornado. And by the way, the tornado fear, it's, and I may not even be pronouncing this right, and that's okay. It's called lilapsophobia. Yeah, like, like I said before, there are so many phobias out there. It's kind of, I mean, it's a lot. So that's what we're going to be focusing on today.
[00:02:53] Now. Is it reasonable to check the weather app for a tornado? Sure. Is it [00:03:00] reasonable
[00:03:01] to follow protocol whenever there is a tornado watch or a tornado warning? Sure. More often than not, when working with someone who has OCD and this fear of tornadoes, they have so much knowledge about tornadoes and hurricanes that they may even know more than a meteorologist. It seems like these meteorologists, man, they get their job wrong.
[00:03:30] Like more than 50 percent of the time, they say it's going to rain. It doesn't rain. They say it's going to be sunny and it's sunny. So of course that would create some Unpredictability for the OCD sufferer, because OCD wants a plan. It wants to know everything, and it wants to control everything. And, yeah, the weather, my goodness, we can see is very much out of control.
[00:03:54] Kind of like those storms that are happening in Texas. I was reading about all the hail storms that are [00:04:00] happening, and how so many millions of people in Texas are without power.
[00:04:05] Alright, and, you know, no lie, I mean, a lot of people have fears of storms and so staying home, staying in a Safe shelter and oh my gosh as I'm recording this episode. I hear a fire alarm going off. Oh Like from the fire department or something. So how ironic all right So with inclement weather someone with the phobia they may be like Beside themselves with fear whenever there is a storm.
[00:04:38] Maybe they're putting themselves already in the bathtub. Like, they are ready and prepared for this weather conundrum that's potentially happening. And they could be doing this with or without any real danger. Like, again, like, with OCD, [00:05:00] there is a level where it makes sense. Like, it makes, and My apologies if I'm interchanging phobia and OCD because there is some overlap, yet some distinction.
[00:05:13] The distinction here is that with OCD, you have those intrusive thoughts and obsessions and or compulsions, which are those behaviors that you do to try to eliminate that terrible outcome from happening. Or in this case, you're trying to prevent a tornado from happening.
[00:05:34] So, is it reasonable
[00:05:37] To check the weather app, yes. But is it reasonable to check your weather app 20 to 30 times? No, not really. Do you need 4 or 5 weather apps on your phone? No, you don't.
[00:05:52] All right. So here are some symptoms of lelapsophobia, if I'm even saying that right. It's [00:06:00] anxiety, constantly monitoring the weather. Maybe you have a lack of appetite, feeling helpless, dizzy, nauseous. panicky, you can't sleep, you're sweating, maybe your heart rate is starting to get a little pitter patter going on.
[00:06:18] More often than not, phobias are traced back to a negative experience that you've had in the past. Maybe you have been a part of a tornado before or someone you loved was impacted by a tornado.
[00:06:36] The other thing that can happen for any of you who were Hurricane Katrina survivors, for example, it's important to seek out help from a professional that knows how to deal with trauma because potentially in addition to this phobia of tornadoes and hurricanes you could be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or [00:07:00] PTSD Another thing, another cause for this phobia is that potentially it's learned.
[00:07:07] Maybe you have a grandmother who is very fragile with her stress, and anytime A storm is coming. She's got to close the blinds, make sure she's away from the windows.
[00:07:25] Maybe she's sitting in an interior room or she's already in that basement. Y'all like, she's like, I ain't playing any games. I'm heading to the basement. There's any threat of storm. I'm gone. So, uh, it could be environmental or genetic in that case.
[00:07:43] And what we want to take note of is how excessive and persistent are these fears? Are your reactions out of proportion to the actual danger?
[00:07:55] Okay, so in prepping for this episode, I'm gonna [00:08:00] be real and tell you guys that I don't know the difference between a Tornado watch and a tornado warning and some of you out there probably thinking like Erin How do you not know the difference or you're probably just like me and you're like, yeah, I don't I don't know either so a In looking it up, alright, y'all, I had to go to Google to figure this out because, to me, just tell me when to seek shelter.
[00:08:25] That's all I need to know, really. And, being in North Carolina, there's not many tornadoes, even though we did have a tornado like the other week. Um, but, a tornado watch. Let's see.
[00:08:42] Or, obviously, I, like, just tell me when I need to seek shelter. Or, if I'm seeing some swirling debris and strong winds and thunderstorms, like, I'm getting out of dodge. Like, I'm going to the basement.
[00:08:55] Let's see. Oh, yeah. Tornado watch [00:09:00] versus warning.
[00:09:02] Okay, so in going out to Google and looking at the differences in the terminology with these tornadoes, a tornado watch means that there are conditions that are right for a tornado to take place and that if you, um, and just be ready to act quickly if it changes to then a tornado warning. So that makes sense.
[00:09:28] It's kind of like watch out just in case and then the warning is It has been spotted or it has been indicated on their weather radar, so take shelter, do your emergency thing. And when, in thinking about,
[00:09:45] what was I going to say? Well, in thinking about the weather, like, how often is the weather person correct anyway? Oh my gosh, what other job out there can you be wrong 98 percent of the time and keep your job? I don't know very many that are like [00:10:00] that. All right. And then, uh, this other tornado terminology that they have on the weather.
[00:10:05] gov website is a tornado emergency. So that's when you seek shelter immediately, obviously. And yes, I think we've all been there where we have experienced some form of a tornado watch or warning, or maybe you have been in one of those emergencies.
[00:10:24] And so it can be scary and traumatic and With, and with someone who has a phobia or OCD, it's like, if there's a possibility of a tornado occurring, let's say it's 00001 percent chance of happening, your OCD is going to grab onto that possibility and be like, Oh, no, you guys, like it is 99. 9 percent certain it's going to happen, or maybe it's already at that 100 percent feeling of certainty.
[00:10:56] And so it can be very challenging if you or your loved one are [00:11:00] suffering from this fear of tornadoes, because like, what is it, April through June is kind of like the peak time of year for tornadoes and hurricanes. Um, it's challenging because it's completely out of our control. We can't control the weather.
[00:11:15] In fact, it's. And, you know, like it's even hard to predict the weather. So on top of the unpredictability and lack of control, we've got the anxiety, right? And wouldn't you agree that 100 other people would feel like it's reasonable to be concerned about a tornado warning? Yet, what happens when we ask those one hundred other people, how do they feel about a tornado watch?
[00:11:44] That's where we might start to see some difference. Or, you know, you see all those storm chasers or those ridiculous videos of people filming a tornado from the front porch, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like, what are we doing? [00:12:00] So, I guess it really depends on which 100 people you're asking and their fears and whatnot surrounding, surrounding a tornado.
[00:12:09] So,
[00:12:10] um, let's see.
[00:12:12] So when it comes to these different types of alerts with tornadoes, You know, some people take them very seriously. Some people don't, some people think it's fun and interesting. It's like all sorts of perspectives. And then what we are focusing on are those of you that have the phobia and the fear. And it has me thinking about how these different types of alerts are not just always about weather.
[00:12:41] Like it also comes down to our decision making ability. Processes, it comes down to our decision making processes because, or processes, I don't know which one to say. It comes down to our decision making processes because it feels like when we're treating doubt [00:13:00] or we're concerned about an emergency happening, we're taking in all of the information and acting accordingly as if there is some immediate danger or drastic action.
[00:13:14] With tornado alerts, like not all threats and dangers are created equal.
[00:13:22] And so sometimes the doubt is reasonable. So the doubt may look like, all right, we'll take consideration. We'll watch for further signs. We'll just be mindful. of the weather and we will pay attention.
[00:13:37] But then, obsessional doubt can creep in. So whether you have a fear of tornadoes, or you have a fear of whatever bad thing happening, let's talk about Reasonable doubt and obsessional doubt. So reasonable doubt is whenever you are in the here and now like [00:14:00] mindfully, you are examining the facts, you are observing what is actually happening in the present moment and you are collecting that information.
[00:14:08] And with that information, you are gathering direct evidence that supports your doubt or your concern versus the obsessional doubt.
[00:14:19] With obsessional doubt, it can lead to unnecessary panic. And it's also like your mind is conjuring up facts. and signs that are not truly there. So basically there are pieces of doubt that are creeping in to your mind and they are a product of your mind or that other voice.
[00:14:43] And that is a key part in doing therapy work to try to see the difference between what is reasonable doubt and what is obsessional doubt. Because once you understand the difference between these two types of doubts, you can start to transform [00:15:00] how you interact. With doubt and how you approach doubt or challenging situations and uncertainties a lot of times what I'm talking about with patients is How can we change your relationship with uncertainty and more often than not their responses?
[00:15:18] Oh, I've never thought about it like that, because we all go through things in our life that is uncertain. There are no guarantees in life. And with all of the uncertainties that happen, we do try to take control, but even then there is a level of uncertainty that again, nothing is guaranteed. So if we can deal With doubt effectively,
[00:15:45] imagine how that can keep you focused and calm in your decision making.
[00:15:51] So, in bringing it back to this metaphor, it's like, if you knew the difference between a tornado watch, which is just [00:16:00] like being on the lookout for the conditions, and a tornado warning, meaning it has been spotted. It's there.
[00:16:07] Imagine if you used the reasonable doubt versus obsessional doubt and you could see the difference. So it's like, okay, the reasonable doubt helps me be on the lookout. If some other bad things are happening, obsessional doubt says, Oh no, the bad things are happening and you need to take shelter.
[00:16:29] And so what we would want to do is shift you closer back. To acknowledging and focusing on the reasonable doubt because that's where you have direct evidence and that can help you in navigating these uncertainties with confidence and with clarity.
[00:16:46] And one way you can do that is by asking that question of what would 100 other people say about this?
[00:16:54] Or, so,
[00:16:56] in helping you get closer to that reasonable doubt [00:17:00] and aligning with the reasonable doubt mentality would be asking that question of what would 100 other people say about this? And like within reason.
[00:17:10] It's very easy to get looped in to the obsessional doubt and get hooked by the panic that it's setting off because whenever we are panicking and we're under distress, like our decision making part of our brain goes offline, like we are fully in survival mode. And so that's where the therapy can be very, very helpful in helping you see and feel the difference.
[00:17:38] in your relationship with uncertainty. It's okay that you get hooked, but let's bring it back, kind of get re centered,
[00:17:48] and not get absorbed into that obsessional doubt story,
[00:17:53] and therefore we are retraining your brain on how to interact with these triggers.
[00:17:58] Alright,
[00:17:59] [00:18:00] some common obsessions when it comes to tornadoes, whether they are rational or irrational, it doesn't matter, but it's all centered around the fear of a tornado occurring and trying to prevent it from happening. And since we are at the end of this perceived tornado season, you or your loved one may be feeling a sense of ease that tornado season is over.
[00:18:27] But I encourage you, like, now is the time to get into therapy, so then you can start this journey and feel better the next time tornado season comes around. So, those obsessions could look like having an overwhelming or persistent fear about a tornado happening, regardless of weather conditions. And, like I was saying earlier, people will have, Well, no, that's more of a compulsion.
[00:18:56] So skip that. Um, and the intrusive [00:19:00] thoughts are those unwanted thoughts that are popping in there that stress you out, where you're thinking about how a tornado could cause harm or death to you and your loved ones. Or maybe it's that catastrophic thinking about your house being destroyed or you're feeling trapped.
[00:19:19] That feeling of being trapped is a very common theme whenever it comes to To anxiety and the helplessness that comes
[00:19:27] with just about any phobia.
[00:19:30] Other obsessional things that you may do include like monitoring the weather. You've maybe got multiple weather apps and you'll check them very frequently and you've got all the alerts popping up on your phone just in case.
[00:19:46] You may be looking for signs of thunderstorms or noticing the wind and even the sounds of wind can be very triggering to those with this phobia.
[00:19:57] You may also be in that camp [00:20:00] of people that experiences a concern about your safety, even if you're not in a highly prevalent tornado area. So for example, uh, whenever you move into a new home or if you're shopping for a new home, you want to make sure that you have a basement or that your home is sturdy enough to withstand a tornado if and when it comes through.
[00:20:24] You may have difficulty even like going on vacation because of an imminent concern that a tornado may happen or a hurricane may happen, especially like, you know, at the beach or in the Gulf or in the Tornado Alley, uh, area of the United States and your compulsions are going to look like, you know, avoiding those certain places or not traveling during tornado season.
[00:20:52] Or you're going to stay home from work because the weather conditions are very uncertain. You may get a lot [00:21:00] of reassurance from your family. Like if there is a thunderstorm during the night, you may be calling them or going into their room and being like, Hey, is there a tornado outside? Like, let's just, let's just watch the weather.
[00:21:12] Or maybe you've got those like radios where you're listening in to the emergency personnel and really getting the down low on what the weather status is. You could be inspecting your weather shelter. I mean, I've definitely come across plenty of people who have their storm shelter and it is stocked with all the canned goods and medical kits and all the things.
[00:21:37] And so you're overly prepared. In fact, you've already got that stuff in your basement or in your storm shelter, or you've got it in your bag. You've got it in your living room. Like you are, You are Johnny on the spot ready for this emergency should it happen and like that's Challenging because yes, it's great to be prepared and we [00:22:00] Love it when we're proactive, but when is it harmful?
[00:22:03] When is it too much? When is it impacting your day to day living to where like you're not going to work or you're not going out with friends or you're just simply not relaxing at home when it's your time to just have some Zen.
[00:22:19] You may also, as a compulsion, make sure that your family knows that maybe a, tornado is projected for that day or afternoon or, um, you're keeping them in the loop about the weather. And you're also ensuring that they know what to do in case of a tornado warning. Huh? See, I got it that time. Yes. Um, like basically you're doing the safety drills with your loved ones or the people you live with.
[00:22:49] Like, for you, it would be the bane of your existence to live on the top floor of an apartment building. You're like, no to the thank you. So, that's part of [00:23:00] the avoidance and all the compulsions that can happen. And, again, you could be changing your plans or your travel or doing a lot of research. To try to stay on top of, like, how do tornadoes form?
[00:23:15] What are the signs of a tornado?
[00:23:17] And when is tornado season? How do tornadoes work?
[00:23:22] Got that?
[00:23:23] So, not only will we talk about that relationship you have with uncertainty and with fear, we're also going to visit those exposure and response prevention strategies to help you in, in navigating this anxiety.
[00:23:41] And with the exposure and response prevention, again, we're gonna do things that are in your typical day to day activities. I will never ask you to do anything that is unsafe. Like, I will not ask you to film or be a storm chaser of a tornado. If that's something that you want [00:24:00] to do, sure, we can talk about it, but I'm not gonna force you to do something that is inherently unsafe and it's not something that you ultimately don't want to do.
[00:24:10] So that's where we're going to have that conversation about your willingness to do these exposures and are you willing to feel better. We will revisit that many times to help you remember what your goals are and why you're doing these exposures because Of course, exposures are uncomfortable and they're not fun.
[00:24:32] So we may start with, you know, some of the milder exposures of like, let's listen to a tornado warning, like the siren part, or we may simulate doing a tornado drill. Like we're going to pretend like, Oh, there's a tornado in the area and we're going to go out into the hallway and do, you know, tornado thing.
[00:24:52] Or, uh, we may read articles about tornadoes, look at video clips, pictures. [00:25:00] looking at weather reports, talking about severe weather conditions. We may also go outside on a windy day when it is safe and reasonable, right? The other parts of your exposure would be taking off some of those extra weather apps and reducing the number of times that you check those weather stations.
[00:25:24] We may remove that radio that you're listening in to. Uh, we may leave that safety kit at home tucked away. We're not going to carry it with us around the clock during tornado season.
[00:25:40] Um,
[00:25:42] and whenever you are working on these exposures, we do have that work zone. So it's like, as soon as you feel an urge to do something, Until the time that your anxiety comes down, we call that the work zone. So, we can, at the very [00:26:00] least, delay those compulsions. Our goal is to delay, decrease, or eliminate those compulsions.
[00:26:09] So even if you can delay checking that weather app for say an hour, kudos to you. So like, cause like how easy is it for us to just pick up our phone? I mean, have you ever looked at your phone stats and paid attention to like how much you're on the phone in a day on top of, you know,
[00:26:32] Like how many times you pick it up in an hour. Yeah, I know. We're all guilty of Just being on our phones too much
[00:26:40] So even just delaying picking up your phone or delaying looking at that app that weather app It can be a huge victory because you are teaching your brain how to Interact and be with the uncertainty and you are teaching yourself that you can handle the [00:27:00] uncertainty
[00:27:00] And I will also encourage you to not avoid the things that you enjoy doing, right? We may have a discussion on values of like, what do you love and cherish most in this world? Is it family, friends, love, fun? You know, we will go through that list of values and are you acting within your values? Are you enjoying those things that you love most?
[00:27:26] Or, are you allowing your fear to be in the driver's seat? We want to shift that narrative and have you more in the driver's seat and the fear take a back seat.
[00:27:38] And ultimately, you are going to be learning new ways in thinking about these emotions and dealing with these emotions. And you may walk away with feelings of like, I am capable to stay calm and centered even when I feel uncertain.
[00:27:57] Or it's, I am capable of [00:28:00] handling whatever comes my way. So it's like, sure if, and we could even come up with a plan of like, yes, if you have this fear of tornadoes, when is it reasonable to seek shelter? So then we could talk about it where it's like, okay, I would seek shelter when it is that tornado warning and the tornado warning is happening within a certain mile radius of my location.
[00:28:26] Or it's a certain. Speed of like a hurricane, like level four or five. Like, again, I don't, I'm not fully aware of all of these measures, but you are, and I know you are because you have Googled it to the end and back of the internet. Um, and speaking of that, that would be another compulsion that I would ask you to delay, decrease, and eliminate.
[00:28:50] I am asking this of you to help you reach your goals. Your value driven goals,
[00:28:58] another form of [00:29:00] clarity and statement and positive affirmation you could say to yourself is,
[00:29:05] um, gosh, where is it?
[00:29:08] I can focus on the present moment and take things one step at a time. And then going back to that reasonable doubt, you're able to lean in to the reason and the logic more so and not get swept away by the obsessional doubt and the uncertainties and getting hooked into. that story that your phobia or your OCD wants you to believe.
[00:29:31] All right. So that is a wrap for today's episode. And y'all, I'm so excited because I have a lot of exciting guests coming up on the show. Um,
[00:29:43] so in the show notes, if you've got a question, whether it's for me, or some potential guests. Like I'm going to have guests of all kinds coming up over the next six months. So get those questions in. I've got a link in the show notes where you can submit the questions. I really want to [00:30:00] hear from you guys and I want to know your questions and I'll be back here next week where I'm going to be talking about what exposure response prevention therapy is and what it is not because it is the gold standard treatment for OCD.
[00:30:17] Yet, let's have a conversation to help you understand that it's not necessarily some big, scary thing, um, or that it's something that you can't do. So tune in for that episode, and while you're here, I've also got a guidebook called A Clarity for All. I've also got a guidebook called Clarity for New Beginnings and it's a great way to help you get started in recognizing your goals and where your fears are holding you back.
[00:30:50] And it can help you in getting started with therapy. It can, it can potentially eliminate the first three to five sessions because you've already [00:31:00] checked off some of these exercises that I literally do with my patients in the first three to five sessions. So I've got a link for that guidebook in the show notes.
[00:31:11] And I would love for you to grab your copy of the guidebook today. And I look forward to seeing you back here next week.
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