Reddit reviews Sounds of Nature - Thunderstorm (Thunderstorm & Rain)

Maybe some acclimatizing? Like, get a thunderstorm CD and play it at low volumes while you guys play, then ramp it up to louder and as loud as you can ... start it at odd times, and always a treat as the BOOM! hits, to distract and counter some of the existing anxiety ... then, in a next phase you ramp down the energy level at the BOOM! by paying less and less attention to it until finally you just ignore it.

I kind of did that with the vacuum cleaner when our Viz was a pup, and at this point he ignores the vacuum until I get within a couple inches, then he ambles away.

As @Requi3m points out, they pick up cues from you - another thing we did to limit reaction to noises like that was that if we were there when they happened (as we made sure to be for the first few Independence Day fireworks times) then we made sure we had his attention on us (playing or talking, whatever) and if he barked/reacted much we made a disappointed sound and turned away. But if he ignored the sounds, so did we.

what is it about the thunder and lightning that you dislike? Is it the sounds? The lights? Or what is going on outside? From your post it sounds like you have astrapophobia (fear of just the lightning).

Either way, there are a few things that you can do.

• Research your fear. Yes it falls under the whole "knowledge is power" and "power over your fear" categories. Trying to understand them more may help you to fear them less.
  
  
• Try listening to something like this while you sleep. Keep it low. The thought here is that you have knowledge that there is no storm going on while simultaneously listening to a storm. It may help you to get accustomed to the sounds while you are aware there is no activity outside.