What are Phobias?
Phobias are classified within anxiety disorders. They are divided into three different types: Agoraphobia, Social Phobia and Specific Phobias. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a situation where asking for help may be difficult or embarrassing. Social Phobia is the fear or anxiety of social interaction situations in which the person may feel analyzed by others. Finally, specific phobia is the fear or anxiety limited to specific objects or situations, which we call phobic stimuli.
Types of Fobias
Zoophobia: Many times this fear of animals is not associated with the belief that the animal may harm them, but rather they think of the possible unpleasant sensations or of losing control (running away). In the case of spider phobia or phobia of small animals (rat phobia), the fear is often accompanied by disgust or revulsion.
The most common are:
- Arachnophobia: fear of spiders.
- Cynophobia: fear of dogs
- Entonophobia: fear of insects
- Ophidiophobia: fear of snakes.
- Ornithophobia: fear of birds
Methods to calm phobia
Psychotherapy is very beneficial in the treatment of phobias such as Zoophobia. During the psychological process, the true origin of the phobia and how to cope with it can be discovered through exposure and anxiety management techniques such as relaxation, negative thought control and gradual exposure.
Aerophobia: It is estimated that up to 90% of people who travel in an airplane do so with a certain unpleasant sensation during the flight. However, only 3% of the population has a real fear of flying that prevents them from getting on an airplane or keeps them for months fearing and anticipating the future flight. The sensations that people with aerophobia have are: fear of perceiving instability in the airplane, of having an accident, of not being able to escape from the airplane in mid-flight or of losing control during the flight and suffering an anxiety crisis.
Methods to calm phobia
When you are already on the plane in mid-flight and you are experiencing something similar to a phobia attack, breathing practices and sound techniques help. Thus, for example, it is advisable to 'sing' the 'a' and 'i' sounds, which, according to experts, allows you to control your psychophysiological state. To combat the fear of flying, it is best to practice abdominal breathing in the airplane seat and also some relaxation techniques.
Acrophobia: Fear of heights is an intense, excessive and irrational fear of heights. Although there is no objective danger, the person feels a sensation of instability, dizziness when looking at the ground and sweating. It can occur when leaning out from balconies or precipices, but also in soccer stadiums, theaters or cinemas.
Methods to calm phobia
- Cognitive techniques: consist of giving information and explaining the nature of the problem to the patient. Here they are made to see that their problems of fear and anxiety are magnified and they give them too much importance. The specialist helps the patient to reduce the importance of the problem and not to be continually thinking about it.
- Relaxation techniques: the patient has to learn to control anxiety and nerves in situations that involve the appearance of fear.
- Behavioral techniques: gradually exposing oneself to heights instead of avoiding them.
Claustrophobia: Up to 3% of the population suffers from this fear of small, enclosed spaces. The fear is triggered in places such as elevators, small basements, tunnels, subway tracks, etc. It usually manifests itself in breathing difficulties, fear of not being able to escape and being locked in and the belief that they may run out of oxygen.
Methods to calm phobia
When you feel tense in an enclosed space, focus your thoughts on mentally visualizing previously trained pleasant images. If you are accompanied or there are other people in the place that makes you anxious, talk to them about any topic, no matter how banal it may be.
Thanatophobia: Thanks to the fear of death, we can say that we keep ourselves alive and ensure the survival of the species on the planet. However, an excessive and irrational fear can limit people's freedom. Thanatophobia can block and freeze a person when he or she hears news of a catastrophe on the news. It can also cause a person to avoid walking near a hospital because of the association between illness and death. People with this phobia will avoid going to cemeteries and mortuaries.
Methods to calm phobia
- Restructuring of thoughts associated with fear of death.
- Relaxation techniques.
- Gradual exposure to control the anxiety generated by thanatophobic stimuli.
A physician may recommend that a person with thanatophobia receive treatment for an anxiety disorder, phobia, or for the specific underlying cause of their fear.
Treatment includes a form of behavioral or talk therapy. This therapy attempts to teach the person to refocus their fears and work on them by talking about their concerns.
