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Animal Phobias

Helminthophobia – Fear of Being Infested by Worms

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Infested by Worms: Real Fear, Imaginary Problem

Imagine that you are playing football in the backyard of your home. You end up on the ground where you see some worms. The sight of their slimy bodies slithering and squirming sends a shiver through your body.

This may also happen: You’re taking out the garbage on a hot, summer day, when you open the garbage can and catch a glimpse of maggots at the bottom of the can. You drop the lid and let out a screech.

If you identify with these scenarios—and it causes a severe mental or physical reaction—you may be suffering from helminthophobia, or the fear of worms or being infested with worms (fear of maggots). The mere sight of worms or squirming maggots grips you with terror and you feel yourself choking up with dread. Subconsciously you may feel that the worms are crawling inside you or on your skin.

You’d like to explain your fears to the people around you, but you find you can’t do that for fear of being ridiculed or misunderstood, right? So, how do you deal with the morbid thoughts of these worms crawling inside you?

The key to overcoming any phobia is to understand what initiated the fear in you. You need to try to discover why you have a fear of worms. With this knowledge, you’ll have more control over your physical and psychological symptoms. You’ll also be better mentally prepared to overcome your deep fear of worms and maggots.

Let’s first take a quick look at some facts and features of helminthophobia.

What Is Helminthophobia?

Helminthophobia is the fear of being infested with worms phobia. It originates from the Greek word helmintho meaning “worm” and phobia meaning “fear.” The mere sight of a worm, or even something that closely resembles one, is enough to send a person with this phobia into a panic attack or experience extreme anxiety.

While such a fear is no doubt abnormal, it is real to a person suffering from it. Their fear exists no matter how hard anyone tries to explain how illogical or irrational it is.

So, what causes such a phobia?

Pinworm or ringworm are a part of growing up. Being infected with intestinal worms is fairly common in childhood, especially if you were brought up to play outside in your early years. Simply playing in the dirt or on the ground can lead to simple parasite infections in a child. Kids do not remember to keep their hands out of their mouths, especially younger ones. This writer remembers an incident where a young nephew picked up a piece of dog waste and, yes, put it in his mouth. The nephew was only a year old and these types of scenarios are quite common for that age group. The point being, catching parasites is not out of the ordinary.

The infected child may have been administered medicines to treat the infection, and you may have seen these creepies crawling in the feces. The memory remained in your subconscious, potentially leading to a lifelong fear of being infested with worms.

Or it may have been a movie like Squirm that did it to you. Many researchers say that the fear of worms is evolutionary as well, stemming from the fear of poisonous snakes, reptiles etc., as worms closely resemble them.

Psychologists also say that a fear of worms may stem from a deep-rooted memory of a traumatic sexual experience which the mind may have repressed. While less common, this can be a cause of fear of worms and maggots.

A person doesn’t need to be exposed to worms to experience helminthophobia. At times, it is their subconscious that creates such a situation. The brain initiates momentary impulses and reactions even in a situation where the subject of the phobia is not present. This generates surprise, anxiety or stress that relates very similarly to their fear of being infested with worms.

Symptoms of Helminthophobia

Helminthophobia affects both the mind and body of an individual. Mostly, an individual who suffers from helminthophobia experiences sudden panic attacks. These attacks happen so quickly that the individual feels helpless and distressed. Thus, anyone who has helminthophobia should learn how to cope with these sudden situations. Such panic attacks also give rise to a number of physical symptoms.

Given below are some of the physical symptoms of helminthophobia:

  • Chest pain or feelings of suffocation in the chest
  • Sweating
  • Elevated blood pressure and heart rate
  • Trembling
  • Nausea
  • Breathing difficulty
  • Dry mouth
  • Headache
  • A sensation to go to the toilet
  • Fainting or loss of consciousness
  • Inability to move

But the list does not end here. In severe cases, you may experience hyperventilation and other psychological symptoms as well.

The psychological symptoms of helminthophobia include:

  • Fear and anxiety
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Fear of fainting
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Irritation, anger, and mood swings
  • Feeling uncomfortable with other people
  • Feeling ashamed or guilty
  • Fear of losing control of oneself
  • Scary memories and thoughts
  • Fear of death or injury
  • Feeling disconnected from everything

Treatment for Helminthophobia

Almost every individual suffering from any kind of phobia tends to avoid situations that trigger their phobia. This may seem to be a good control measure at that particular time. But it may not be enough in all situations. For instance, how do you escape from your thoughts?

Most phobias have proven to be curable. The pace and extent of recovery depend on the mental state of the patient and the severity of helminthophobia that the person experiences. There are also cases when a combination of treatment measures may facilitate recovery.

Self-Help for Helminthophobia

While self-help is the first step towards tackling helminthophobia or phobias of any kind, you should remember not to rely solely on self-treatment if your condition isn’t improving.

This doesn’t mean you are helpless, however. As discussed before, the first thing you must understand is what led to or initiated your fear. You need to acknowledge that it is irrational and unreal. Most importantly, you should remind yourself that you are not to blame.

Reach out to family and friends for help and support. Sure, they may at first treat you with disbelief and perhaps even ridicule, but when they understand the gravity of the situation, they will be sure to step in and do the right thing to help you deal with the fear.

Seeking professional help can also set you on the path of recovery. Once diagnosed, you may be able to overcome this fear by nipping it in the bud.

Professional Help for Helminthophobia

Seeking professional help is the best way to overcome any kind of phobia. You should always consult a psychologist or any other mental health specialist as part of your recovery process.

As in the case of every other phobia, the fear of being infested with worms does not have a particular cure. But many general phobia treatment methods can be applied here too.

Talk Therapy

Talk therapies can be highly effective in treating helminthophobia. These are very calm and peaceful treatments in which the person suffering from helminthophobia talks to an expert and trained professional about their feelings, thoughts, and fears. Such therapies help you understand and evaluate yourself, solve your complicated thoughts, and spend some quality time with a person who listens to you and understands your situation.

Just like the other forms of treatment, talk therapies also provide mental and emotional support to the individual to facilitate their recovery process.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the concept that our behavior is deeply influenced by our individual perceptions and thoughts. When an individual experiences anxiety or stress, his perception of reality gets distorted. Cognitive behavioral therapy analyzes such perceptual distortions and takes up strategies to resolve these misperceptions. In other words, CBT helps you to differentiate reality from your fears.

Medication has not been a recommended treatment method for helminthophobia. Counseling sessions, therapies, and other mental stimulation programs are more suited to addressing the phobia. However, a doctor may prescribe a short-term course of medication to help you cope with anxiety and depression.

General Tips to Overcome Helminthophobia

The most basic tool to overcome helminthophobia is to believe in yourself. With or without any other assisted therapy, you can avoid the occurrence of phobias by taking up some important strategies in your daily life.

  • Identify your fear and realize that it exists only in you.
  • Set small and practical goals that give you confidence when you achieve them.
  • Imagine and set up a destructive mechanism against the situations that develop your phobia. Change these strategies regularly when you achieve your goals.
  • Realize that being afraid is perfectly normal. Every human being fears something and has experienced anxiousness because of it.
  • Encounter your fears with a calm and cool mindset. Remind yourself that you will overcome your helminthophobia. This will provide you with greater motivation to continue the recovery process.

Bottom Line

Helminthophobia is no different from other phobias. By adopting a strong mindset along with professional guidance, you can overcome your fear of being infested with worms. And what better way to celebrate than to score some amazing goals in your backyard yet again!

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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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