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Body Phobias

Asthenophobia – Fear of Fainting

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The Fear of Fainting, Not Rare but Real

While at the mall, are you suddenly overcome with fear that you might faint when there’s no apparent reason for that to happen? Do your feelings of panic in the moment escalate your fear of fainting?

Or, while behind the wheel—out of the blue—has a fear of fainting ever kicked in? Have you hit the brakes and waited for the fear to pass? Again, there is no apparent reason for you to faint aside from your anxiety perhaps.

You, yourself, might find what you are feeling and experiencing to be weird, alarming, or scary. And it is. Most likely, what you are suffering from is asthenophobia.

When your fear of fainting sets in, you have to stop whatever you’re doing and wait for the fear to subside. Often, as an aftermath of your fear attack, you end up going home rather than completing the day’s tasks.

People within your circle might not understand what you’re experiencing. And it’s difficult for you to explain.

Talking about something you don’t fully understand is hard. People may understand the more common phobias such as a fear of spiders, heights, or enclosed spaces, but a fear of fainting is almost unheard of. People might dismiss it as an exaggeration.

Don’t be discouraged though, because those familiar with phobias will understand. And what’s more, there’s help in overcoming your fear. It is possible to control the fear and your reaction to it. Learning more about your condition is the first step in regaining control over it.

What Causes the Fear of Fainting?

Unfortunately, there is no clear cause of the fear of fainting and the ensuing panic.

But it appears that genetics and environmental factors could play a significant role in the development of any phobia. An example is if your family has a medical history of anxiety disorders or specific phobias. When you have household members with a phobia of fainting, you have an increased risk of developing the same condition.

Another reason would be a previous traumatic experience. For example, you or someone you know had a fainting episode that resulted in dire consequences. Ever since the event, the fear of fainting has stuck with you.

No matter the reason, because of your phobia, you associate fainting with extreme danger. Anytime you are triggered, your anxiety escalates.

What Is the Fear of Fainting?

Asthenophobia is considered a specific phobia. Most who have this condition know that the fear is irrational. Still, when triggered, people with asthenophobia experience overwhelming apprehension.

In extreme cases of asthenophobia, even the mere thought of fainting is enough to trigger panic.

Symptoms of Asthenophobia

All phobias, including yours, need attention. Depending on the severity of your condition, you can experience several symptoms, both physically and psychologically.

The aftermath of your symptoms can often leave you overwhelmed and at times unable to function. That’s why individuals with asthenophobia strive to avoid triggers to their condition. Doing so, however, results in limiting the activities they pursue. This may lead to a lower quality of life.

Below are the physical and psychological symptoms that sufferers of this phobia may experience. You’ll notice many of these symptoms, if not all, are also those that appear in other forms of phobias.

Physical Symptoms

  • Disorientation
  • Dry mouth
  • Feeling faint
  • Headaches and dizziness
  • Hot flushes or chills
  • Hyperventilation
  • Nausea
  • Numbness or pins and needles
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Ringing in your ears
  • A rise in blood pressure
  • A sensation of butterflies in the stomach
  • Sweating and trembling
  • Shortness of breath
  • Tightness in the chest

Psychological Symptoms

  • Anger, irritability, or mood swings
  • Anxiety and fear
  • Confusion
  • Difficulty in concentrating
  • Fear of losing control
  • Fear of fainting
  • Feelings of dread
  • Feeling sad or hopeless
  • Feeling disconnected
  • Fear of dying
  • Fear of getting hurt
  • Guilt, shame, or self-blame
  • Withdrawing from others

How to Deal with Asthenophobia?

This phobia may cause you to make adjustments in your life. It has no fixed triggers, and you can’t schedule your feelings of panic. As such, asthenophobia is disruptive and can have an impact on your work and social relationships.

You don’t need to settle for this kind of lifestyle. You can take control of your life.  Several options are available to help you deal with your fear of fainting so you can enjoy the better things life has to offer.

Things You Can Do to Help Yourself

Even if you’re surrounded by friends and family who are supportive and offer encouragement, the effects of your phobia can only be felt by you. If you’ve had it for years, you’ve most likely established a pattern and have identified your most common triggers.

In this case, learning several self-help techniques will go a long way as you cope with your condition.

One of the things you can do is make a list of your most common triggers and how you react to them. Which among your triggers cause you to feel dizzy to the point of actually fainting? Which trigger gives you the least symptoms and side effects?

Once you’ve identified these triggers, you can then focus on improving your overall health. Find activities that will benefit your physical and mental well-being. By making yourself stronger, you’ll be able to hold your ground. Yes, you may still have incidents of fear, but you won’t go into hiding anymore.

Professional Treatment for Asthenophobia

Talking with a therapist about your condition is one of the hardest steps in getting professional treatment. Bearing your soul, weaknesses, and fears to someone you just met is rather difficult—with or without a phobia.

During this professional treatment, expect some counseling and other forms of talk therapy. Some of the techniques presented to you are cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, yoga, and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Looking into your lifestyle and making changes might also be in order. These could include checking your medication’s side effects (if you’ve been prescribed one) and making changes to your diet (for example, reducing your caffeine intake).

Learning to Cope with Asthenophobia

With phobias such as the fear of fainting, a cure is not yet available. Even with therapy sessions, expect that your phobia will trigger from time to time. The available treatments for specific phobias are intended to improve quality of life. The goal is to not have phobia limit you in pursuing activities you enjoy. With self-help and professional help,  you have better control over your fear and reactions. The fear may always be there, but you’ll have the tools you need to cope.

 

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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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