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Situational Phobias

Ablutophobia – Fear of Showers

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The Fear of Showers-Bathing: Dirty Business

Are you confronted with fear and anxiety each time you take a shower?

Do you feel lightheaded at the thought? Does your heart race? Do you find yourself struggling to catch your breath at shower time?

Perhaps you’re more apt to wash up at the sink rather than step into a shower stall.

If you feel like this before each shower, you might have ablutophobia or the fear of taking a shower.

If you identify with this fear, there’s no need to worry. There are treatments to help end this struggle, but the first step is knowing why you have it and what triggers this fear.

You can control it; awareness and seeking help are the first steps.

What Causes the Fear of Showers or Bathing?

Ablutophobia or the fear of showering or bathing, like any other phobia, is rooted in a traumatic experience or past events. You may not experience such events consciously.

Although most phobias develop in individuals because of a negative event, they can also be caused by someone we know or even a character from books, movies, or TV shows. Some horror fans suffering from ablutophobia claim that the shower scene of the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho caused their fear of showering.

Beyond that, this disorder can also result from secondhand fear passed on by a loved one or a relative who also has this phobia. It can be an internalized fear that the individual carries from childhood.

Ablutophobia is most common among children who have an aversion to bath time. It could be possible that this preference remains with them throughout adulthood.

What Is Ablutophobia All About?

You may remember how during childhood, showering felt like a chore after a fun day playing outside. But this phobia is about more than the tantrum you may have thrown when you were young.

Fear of showering, like any other phobia, is an anxiety disorder. Clinically, ablutophobia is known as a specific phobia. Healthcare providers will not quickly diagnose this phobia.

Although it is mainly a fear of showering or bathing, it could also be manifested in a complete aversion to all forms of washing.

Cleanliness is expected, especially in the modern world. Failing to shower regularly can cause one to smell unclean.

Aside from the personal implication to one’s health, the inability to shower can cause many problems, particularly social stigma.

This stigma can be a problem at school, work, and even in the person’s relationships. This isolation from loved ones and colleagues could cause further damage in their lives and put these individuals at a high risk of developing body image disorders.

Ablutophobia Symptoms

The symptoms of the phobia of fear of showering and bathing are similar to those of other phobias. These symptoms will manifest when a person living with the phobia is confronted with the act of showering or bathing.

  • Anxiety and extreme fear when a person gets close to the situation of showering or bathing
  • Panic attacks
  • Acknowledgment that the fear is irrational but being unable to stop the anxiety
  • Total or partial avoidance of showering and bathing; in some cases, avoidance of hand washing to avoid the fear is also seen
  • The person’s life and daily activities are disrupted because of the phobia
  • Sweating
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Fast or rapid heartbeat
  • When children have the aversion, they exhibit it by crying, clinging, and throwing tantrums

How to Deal with Ablutophobia

If someone you know is suffering with a fear of showers or bathing, encourage them to consult their healthcare professional.

Once the anxiety disorder is diagnosed, a mental health professional can provide therapy. A complete psychological evaluation will be done, including assessment of the patient’s social and family history, which will aid in the treatment of the phobia.

Dealing with the Phobia on Your Own

The fear of showering or bathing can take a toll not just on your relationships but also on your physical and mental health. Many who struggle with ablutophobia feel isolated, which can lead to anxiety and depression. But there are a things you can do on your own to alleviate it.

One thing that can be done is to gradually expose yourself to different degrees of your phobia.

For instance, in extreme cases, some are scared at the mere thought of hand washing. This can be harmful to one’s health, especially when it comes to warding off viral infections. Begin to tackle this fear gradually, by exposing yourself to hand washing.

Once you have gained some control of the fear, progress to showering or even bathing, but do so slowly and be patient with yourself. Don’t force the experience and don’t overexpose yourself to the fear.

A helpful way to manage your fear during this immersion is to employ deep breathing and be aware of what triggers the fear.

Some may have their fears activated just by watching movie scenes of people showering. Others can manage to shower quickly but get their phobia triggered at the mere thought of a bathtub. Learning what triggers your symptoms can help in the long run.

Treating the Fear of Showers

People who have this phobia might not seek treatment until their fear begins to pose a threat to their life. This might be because they don’t know effective treatments are available.

The first treatment type is called psychotherapy. This treatment plan includes exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.

In exposure therapy, as the name suggests, the person suffering from the affliction will be exposed to forms of washing and bathing. The person will learn to control their feelings of anxiety during each of the exposure sessions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy coupled with exposure therapy will equip you with techniques to change your perception about bathing and reduce your fear and anxiety.

These two treatment plans are still the most effective to manage the phobia and its symptoms; however, in some cases, medications might be prescribed together with psychotherapy.

Medication for fear of showering and bathing may include sedatives and beta-blockers. These medications do not treat the phobia itself, but rather help to relieve some of the physiological symptoms while you undergo therapy.

Besides psychotherapy, doctors will also recommend various lifestyle changes. You can incorporate lifestyle changes into your daily life to manage many of ablutophobia’s symptoms.

The first thing you can try is mindfulness exercises like meditation. Meditation involves breathing exercises and being mindful of your surroundings. These are known to help with panic attacks.

Speaking of deep breathing, getting into the habit of doing yoga, which promotes relaxation, could also be beneficial.

Other forms of exercise could help too. As studies have shown, the power of exercise helps the body manage stress and anxiety. Ablutophobia causes both stress and anxiety, so learning to handle these with mindfulness and exercise can significantly help when confronted with the phobia.

Learning to Cope with Ablutophobia

If you have a child suffering from the fear of showers

Children ages 1 to 2 are the population most likely to develop a fear of bath time. This is because at this age the brain is growing, and children are hyperaware of everything happening around them. Parents should not be worried as this aversion to water is highly unlikely to remain as they grow older.

Parents can do many things to combat this fear, from sponge baths to incorporating bath tub toys into their toddler’s bath. The child’s anxiety is rational at this age, so most parents won’t force their kids into a tub. During this time, a washcloth is often a parent’s friend at bath time.

Aside from using bath toys and other things to entice kids at bath time, parents can get in the tub with their children and join the fun. This helps your child understand that there is no reason to be afraid of bath time.

If you are suffering from the phobia

Phobias are anxiety disorders, and about 30 percent of Americans are afflicted with a type of phobia. You’re not alone in this discomfort. One of the most effective things you can do is to seek help as soon as possible. This will ensure the fear does not worsen. Treat it so you can be on your way to living everyday life as normally as possible.

Final Thoughts

Learn to cope with your fear of showers, because sometimes life’s pleasure is felt in something as simple as a warm shower after a hard day at work. Everyone deserves the experience.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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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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