If the mere threat of a thunderstorm is enough to send you cowering into abasement corner, a University of Iowa study may be for you. A psychologicalresearcher is planning to look more closely at people who suffer from whathe calls “severe weather phobia.” The people have so much anxiety aboutstorms that it makes it difficult for them to function.Professor John Westefeld is director of the U-of-I’s counseling/psychologydoctoral program. He’s formulating a way to treat people who are debilitatedby the threat of severe weather.Westefeld borrowed the basic plan for the group therapy sessions fromanother more common phobia…the fear of flying.Westefeld hopes to link up with a meteorologist from a Cedar Rapids T-Vstation to provide group counseling for people who are profoundly afraid ofstorms.
