Chionophobia

Chionophobia is the extreme dislike or fear of snow. The word originates from Greek chion meaning snow and phobos meaning fear, aversion or dread. People with Chionophobia often understand that their fear is unfounded. However, they are unable to control it.

 

 Living with the phobia can get very difficult especially in winters or in places where snow is the way of life. Many phobics refuse to step outdoors owing to their phobia. Friends and family members might ignore the phobia, thinking that the person is simply trying to gain attention. However; to the sufferer, Chionophobia is a very real and serious phobia that can interfere with one’s daily life.

The cause of this phobia is commonly the result of a traumatic childhood experience involving snow, like getting injured while playing in the snow. For adults, this fear is often caused by traffic accident when driving through snow. Another, more physiological cause is looking at bright white snow causing eye pain. Chionophobia can even be developed from aquaphobia (fear of water), since snow is frozen water. It is considered a branch of pagophobia (fear of ice or frost) since snow is a form of ice.

 

Chionophobia can be treated by themselves by realizing that snow is water, a common winter occurrence and is part of the life, and often beautiful and not scary to see. If a person couldn't conquer fear themselves, they should seek professional help.

 

Jerica Tauro