It's Not Aquaphobia?

Simone stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her reflection staring back at her. She examined the dark circles under her eyes, then the slight oiliness of her hair. Picking up her hairbrush, she sighed deeply, and stared at the bristles for what seemed like eternity before running them through her raven tresses. Once she started brushing, it felt wonderful on her scalp, scratching and scraping the itchiness away. Tiny flakes of dandruff followed the bristles through her hair, sitting like snowflakes against its inky darkness. Lightly brushing the flakes away with her fingertips, she set the brush back down and turned to leave the room.

The shower stood to her left, it's curtain a thin barrier between them. She briefly considered the idea of taking a shower but discarded it almost instantly. It was Wednesday. Not shower day. Shower day was always Friday evening. It sometimes bothered her that she didn't shower more than once a week, but the thought of getting wet was just too distasteful. Now, the interesting thing is that once she got into the shower, with the hot water running over her body, it felt amazing, and she didn’t want to get out. That was the paradox.

It's not that she didn't like water, and she wasn't afraid of water, it's simply that she didn't like to get wet, and it was a lot of hassle getting ready to take a shower, then dry off and get dressed again. It simply wasn’t worth it.

And it wasn't just the shower, though that was the main issue, she also disliked getting her hands wet which meant that she didn't wash them as often as she should. She knew all of this and knew that it was wrong, but she just simply couldn't get around it. When she did wash her hands, she always dried them off as quickly as possible and still felt slightly creeped out until they were totally dry. She often reminded herself of a cat, though her therapist didn't think that was funny.

Her therapist had talked to her in detail about this unreasonable distaste for getting wet and lack of proper personal hygiene. Simone had asked her once if she had Aquaphobia but was told no it wasn't that it was a symptom of the depression that Simone suffered. They made a plan that Simone would shower twice a week instead of only once, but after only one week she was back to her old routine. They hadn't even discussed the lack of hand washing or the fact that Simone detested the rain.

The funny thing is that she didn't dislike getting wet in all situations. She dearly loved going swimming pretty much anywhere that she could find, but swimming was a rare treat that didn't happen very often - maybe once or twice a year. She knew there was something wrong with her and, depression or no depression, she was disappointed in herself for not having better self-care. If she would just remind herself of how wonderful the shower felt once she was in it, she might actually do it more often.

She hadn't always been that way. Just two years ago, she had showered every day and washed her hands whenever she needed to. She had even once set out in the middle of a torrential downpour, letting the rain wash over her, soaking her to the skin. But that had all changed. Something had changed her, and some way, somehow, she needed to change back.

Now Simone’s issue had nothing to do with how clean or unclean the shower might be. It had nothing to do with the shower being cold, because it was never cold when she got in. And it had very little to do with being cold once she got out. It was simply the fact that she hated getting wet.

So she made a decision to reaffirm her promise to her therapist to shower twice a week instead of just once, she would remind herself that she enjoyed the shower once she got in and the feeling of being clean when she was out but, since it was Wednesday and shower day was Friday, it didn't make sense to do it today. She would wait until Friday, then shower again on Tuesday. That made more sense anyway. Pleased with herself for making a decision, she straightened her blouse and left the bathroom.

The interesting thing is that Simone isn't alone in her dislike of getting wet. If you do an online search, you will discover others who have the same issue. The majority of them, however, may be more revolted by the shower floor then actually getting wet, though many of them have Simone’s issue as well. It seems that this problem is not as unique as it might seem at first glance. There are a lot of people who suffer from this, and if you are one of them, there is hope for betterment and change. And if you know someone, love someone, who is going through this, be patient with them. Try to understand that it's not easy for them, that it's not strictly stubbornness or being nasty, there are emotions involved that are strong and compulsive. {This is not a clinical opinion, just my opinion, but it is almost like a backwards Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).} They need your understanding and support if they are to overcome their aversion to water.