Astraphobia is the fear of lightning, thunder and storms. It's a fear I myself suffer from to an intense degree.
Anyone else out there Astraphobic?

Sorry, not me. I love storms. When theres rain and lightning I run outside and start dancing in the rain as I watch the lightning flash! It's exhilarating.

What is it about storms that makes you afraid. Maybe if you can figure that out you wont fear the majestic beauty that is a good thunderstorm.

The lightning, thunder, and the sudden darkness they can bring. The absolute feeling of being powerless and being trapped in the dark in the night for who knows how long. Being unable to see what's around you. The boom and roar of thunder is also unpleasant to me, especially when it shakes the entire house.

:( I'm sorry, Joey. I don't suffer from astraphobia. In fact, I am very much like Syra, I love a good storm.

However, I can sympathize with you at least a little. My dog is extremely astraphobic. He starts whimpering, barking, and hiding at the smallest clap of thunder or flash of lightning.

What I'd suggest is trying to face your fears bit by bit. Very slowly. It may work(it's what got me over my arachnophobia), but then again, it may not (I'm still intensely pyrophobic, and this approach hasn't worked for me with this). I'd suggest trying it though. The next time it storms, do something little that's not TOO uncomfortable, but is still slightly out of your comfort zone.

Maybe the first storm, try to watch the storm through a window. Observe the lightning and rain in the darkness.

Maybe the second storm, try to watch it for a longer period of time.

Maybe the third storm, turn off all other sounds in the house so you can hear the thunder with clarity. Listen for it while watching the storm. I often count the seconds between a lightning bolt and the thunderclap it brings. :) The difference is usually approximately 15-20 seconds. This way you can start to expect it, and perhaps you will be less frightened or startled if you expect it.

:) Feel free to add me and talk to me anytime. I'm always here if you need to talk or need help.

My folks are also a factor. When I was little and we were expecting a storm, they kept telling me to find a flashlight like the power was gonna go out everytime. It freaked me out whenever it did.

That makes sense. Parental paranoia definitely has a tendency to rub off on children. I can understand why you'd get freaked out - they acted as if the lights going off were an ever-possible worst-case-scenario, and you viewed it as one because it was all you knew. At 23 years old, your folks shouldn't be as big of a factor now as far as present situations are concerned. I think you should give my steps to approaching thunderstorms and facing your fears a try. Maybe rely on your girlfriend for support.

You need to face your fears(if that works) on your own, but do not misunderstand. You should NOT BE ALONE. What I mean is, you need her or someone else you trust to be there for you and support you, but they can't face the fears FOR you. If they're astraphobic, too, then they could face their fears WITH YOU, but they really can't do it for you. This may seem like an obvious concept, but a lot of people lose sight of this.

I get reallly paranoid during storms too. I'm not sure if I have Astraphobia, though I wouldn't doubt it. I get nauseated sometimes during storms. I get tense too. I can't sleep. So I know what you mean, even if not to the same degree. It's tough. It can be draining too.

khboy0's advice sounds like it may be helpful. I have yet to try to get over it myself simply because I never knew how. But I hope it works out for you!! Feel free to message me/add me if you want :)

I often sleep right through storms. ^^;;;

I also get too anxious to eat until the storm is over.

I like them, though there was one storm ,which I was sleeping through, but then it got so loud that it scared me awake and I feel out of my bed! XD

I don't think that I've ever been afraid of thunder and lightning. For as long as I remember, I'd go outside and watch the storm. Though nowadays, I absolutely LOVE watching lightning. I think that it's absolutely beautiful. The way that it flashes across the sky in some of the most unique ways. Or just the design itself. But the only thing that remotely scares me is the thunder, and that's just when it catches me off guard and startles me. But sometimes it's a bit freaky when it sounds like the sky is exploding because of how powerful the thunder can get XD.

But I'd say that instead of being fearful of the storm, try and see the beauty in mother nature. Like how you may take interest in the shape of a cloud, the look of rain, and more.

The only thing that I worry about during storms is the possibility of a flash flood, or the HIGHLY unlikely tornado. But the flash flood is what I'm most concerned about. We've had bad floods out here in Nevada before. And I just lost my train of thought of what I was about to say next XD

Aw, I'm sorry. Thunder and lightning worry me, but they never scare me that much. A storm can be quite exhilerating.
And I wouldn't come to Cyprus if I was you, especially in the winter. There are always storms and power cuts here. :S

I used to be afraid of thunder storms but now I can handle them during the day time. At night though they still kind of freak me out, but not as much as they used to.

My dog has it...? No really, when I was younger I was scared of it, but then I did the counting thing and figured out that it was no where near me so I have nothing to worry about. (: