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Ballistophobia – Fear of Missiles or Bullets
Other Phobias

Ballistophobia – Fear of Missiles or Bullets

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Excessive Fear of Missiles or Bullets

People are respectful and wary of guns, and for good reason. But what if merely seeing a gun can cause you to panic?

Do you find yourself getting dizzy after reading yet another headline about a mass shooting? When you watch an action film where the hero gets riddled with bullets, can you at times feel the pain of the injury?

You may wonder, what if you actually see someone get shot in real life? Or worse, what if you have to deal with a bullet wound yourself?

When a car backfires, do you feel your heart pounding in your chest? Are your palms damp? Do you have cold sweat running down your back? If you hear a loud bang in a shopping mall, do you run for cover?

Those around you may not understand what’s going on. And you’re too embarrassed to admit it to yourself, but there’s a problem. To grow out of this fear, first try to identify why you feel such intense fear of bullets and projectiles. Once that’s done, you can to learn to overcome it.

Ballistophobia – Fear of Missiles or Bullets

What Is Ballistophobia?

Ballistophobia refers to the fear of missiles, bullets, and guns. Anything which could hurt you that is forced out like a bullet or moves at high speed can trigger this reaction.

The fear comes down to this: being shot.

Unless you’re in the military or police force, the likelihood of getting a gunshot wound is low. The average American is more likely to die from Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, or a heart attack. Having guns in the house is one factor that can increase the chances of getting shot. But people who suffer from ballistophobia seldom own guns in the first place.

This condition can arise in those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is common in soldiers and law enforcement officers. But it can also come out of the blue. Genetics, biology, and brain chemistry play an important role as well. If you have someone close to you who has a fear of missiles, guns, or bullets, you’re at a higher risk to develop this phobia too.

Symptoms of Ballistophobia

Each case is unique, just as we all have different ways of interpreting images and sounds connected to missiles and bullets. A scene that may terrify one viewer may cause a milder reaction in someone else.

It can be challenging to diagnose ballistophobia, because different people show such a wide range of symptoms. They can be mental, emotional, or physical and range from mild anxiety and fear to panic attacks.

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Shuddering at the thought of missiles or bullets
  • Avoiding TV shows and video games with bullets and missiles
  • Not able to function normally due to constant anxiety
  • You are aware that your fears are unreasonable, but you have no control over them
  • Running away from the cause of fear
  • Fear of fainting

Physical Symptoms

  • Increased heart rate
  • Dry mouth
  • Shaking
  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea or an upset stomach
  • Feeling a knot in your chest
  • Numbness or tingling feeling
  • Hot and cold flashes (as if you’ve run for miles and your face feels cold/warm)

How Can I Deal with Ballistophobia?

One of the best ways to overcome ballistophobia is to accept that you have this fear and study your thinking patterns. Seriously consider why this fear is irrational and learn to identify fearful thoughts as they happen.

If you think you can trust someone, share your fears with them. They can listen to you which can help you feel more safe. Sometimes, all you need is to remove all those negative emotions from the mind. You can even write down your feelings in a journal. Once it’s on paper, you’re less likely to continually repeat those thoughts.

Try watching an action movie with a trusted friend or family member. It could help you get used to the idea of people getting injured by guns or missiles. After each scene, look around and see that you’re safe and remind yourself that what you’re watching is a work of fiction. It’s only a means of entertainment; nobody’s going to harm you.

Seeking Professional Help

Ballistophobia ranges from mild to severe, so when you think you’re losing control over your reactions, consult a professional. Ask your family doctor to suggest to you someone who specializes in phobias.

Professionals make use of several different treatment options that help people overcome their phobias. Behavioral therapy is the most common treatment. It employs systematic desensitization, a method that aims to expose you to your fear and slowly get you used to it. Therapists will also teach you how to relax when you come face to face with bullets, missiles, or images of them. These strategies allow you to control and manage your reactions better.

The therapist can help you work on your thoughts and feelings. Here’s an example. When you experience anxiety or dizziness in response to your fear, your body feels as if you are in danger. Just telling yourself that “It’s okay, it’s just dizziness” can replace that feeling with safety and calm.

Cognitive behavioral therapy helps to change your thinking patterns and your actions related to them. It could take about 10 to 20 weeks to see a marked improvement and up to a year to see a significant change in the way you react.

Of course, the results of these treatments depend on your therapist and on how well you respond to the therapy. Other options are available, including medications, which are sometimes used along with other therapy methods.

How to Avoid It Altogether

As we know, you may not be guaranteed a 100 percent cure for your phobia. That may be in part because certain therapies work on the symptoms and not the root of the issue. A therapist can help you, but you also have to put in the effort to deal with ballistophobia.

Alongside the therapy, it’s good to continue with positive self-talk, writing your thoughts down in your diary, and meditation. Meditation involves deep breathing, which can help you relax when you encounter a trigger for your phobia. The next time you get a dizzy spell or shortness of breath, remember these tips.

In Conclusion

Guns are often featured in the news, movies, and TV shows, so learning to deal with this fear can lessen your stress. You may not get the hang of it immediately, but don’t worry. It requires time, patience, and a strong will to conquer your phobia. Eventually, you’ll find yourself rooting for the hero as he defeats the villains in a gunfight.

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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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