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The Fear of Small Enclosed Spaces
Situational Phobias

Claustrophobia – The Fear of Small Enclosed Spaces

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The Most Famous Phobia of All: Claustrobobia

Have you suffered through endless nightmares where you are stuck in a doorless and windowless room while the walls close in on you? Do you take the stairs just to avoid getting into an elevator?

Does entering a tunnel make you shake in fear? If you find these situations relatable, then you may have claustrophobia.

While everyone around you questions your choices for taking the stairs, you know it’s the only option you have. You couldn’t bear the thought of standing in a tiny, windowless elevator.

The fear of small spaces has made life more difficult for you with all the avoiding and re-routing, and although you can’t explain your ordeal to anyone, you are tired of experiencing it.

Don’t lose faith just yet. You can overcome your fear by taking certain small steps.

But first, let’s take a close look at what’s causing it.

 

What Causes the Fear of Small Enclosed Spaces?

As with most of our fears, claustrophobia has roots in our childhood experiences.

It could be due to that one time where you were stuck in an elevator for an hour. Or maybe the bullying you faced as a child. You could also have inherited the fear from your parents.

The fear of small spaces is also said to have been an evolutionary phobia, developed because of our instinctual needs.

Another explanation is that people with a distorted spatial sense are more likely to develop claustrophobia. This spatial distortion can affect how they perceive the space around them. People with anxiety or panic disorders are also more prone to develop claustrophobia.

The traumatic experience makes one feel so suffocated that they start to associate it with the physical sense of being suffocated. Several such scenarios could have affected your way of looking at confined spaces. The physical space or the memory of the event, whatever the cause, can become so deeply rooted in the mind that it can’t be removed even after many years.

This fear can create problems in your daily life and make life difficult for you and your family members.

 

Claustrophobia Meaning

The term claustrophobia comes from claustrum, meaning “a closed-in space,” and phobia, meaning fear. The meaning of claustrophobia is much more complex and can’t simply be defined as a fear of enclosed spaces. This phobia has nothing to do with space itself. It is more of a conditioned response to being in that space.

Fear is also an effect of a dysfunction in the amygdala that impacts the fear response in a person. People with claustrophobia will imagine the worst-case scenario and have something similar to a panic attack. The situation doesn’t immediately cause them to panic but the imagined situation does.

Claustrophobia is a fear of situations. A situation that makes one feel out of control and suffocated, like being choked or unable to escape.

Of all the phobias, claustrophobia ranks at number seven in terms of how common it is.

Different people may experience different types of claustrophobia. Some may feel suffocated in a windowless room while others feel the same in a crowded space. As a person with claustrophobia, you are always aware of the space you are in and try to avoid entering confined spaces at all costs such as an elevator, airplane, tunnel, cave, or even a public toilet.

 

Symptoms of Claustrophobia

A person with claustrophobia may experience various physical and mental/emotional symptoms. Sometimes, the fear arises from the thought itself and the mental and emotional symptoms then contribute toward physical ones.

Physical Symptoms

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Extreme anxiety in windowless rooms
  • Thoughts of suffocating
  • Thoughts of running away or escaping
  • Thoughts of being buried alive

People with claustrophobia may experience one or more of these symptoms. These symptoms can be triggered while the person is present in such situations or even by the mere thought of a possibility of such situations.

 

How Do You Deal with Claustrophobia?

Claustrophobia is an irrational fear and many people may only have mild symptoms that can be managed. But for those who are suffering from a case of extreme symptoms which are obstructing your way of life, it may be time to talk to a professional.

Remember, the best treatment is that which addresses the root cause of your phobia and not just hides the symptoms.

 

Self-Help: What Can You Do to Help Yourself?

Helping yourself may sound like an impossible task but it’s worth trying. Understanding the nature of your fear may help you gain a better understanding of it, thus helping you find a way to deal with it.

Learn to observe yourself. When was the first time you became aware of the fear? How rational is it? Is the threat real or only perceived?

Start from thoughts that are easy to tackle and then move on to the more difficult questions. Self-help is as difficult as it is successful.

Since you have a better understanding of your experiences, remind yourself repeatedly that your fear is not real. Look at situations that induce fear in you and realize how unlikely it is that they will ever happen.

Try to go through the fear-inducing situations. Try to talk to yourself through the activity. Do this a few times to get used to the way of thinking and the activity itself. The repeated nature of an act makes it less daunting and the more you get out of such situations safe and sound, the more you start to look at it rationally.

Practice relaxation techniques. Try to count numbers as you take deep breaths. This helps shift your focus from the fear and keeps your mind busy. Do this whenever the fear feels too overwhelming.
 

Professional Help to Address the Fear of Small Spaces

Psychotherapy is the most effective here. The therapist will look for ways in which you can deal with the symptoms to slowly overcome the fear.

The most popular treatment used is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). With CBT, the therapist uses a variety of techniques to help you address negative thoughts, look at irrational beliefs and behaviors, and find healthy alternatives to overcome the fear.

Another technique used is called exposure therapy. Here, the person is exposed to a fear-inducing but non-dangerous, situation to help the person face their fears in a safe environment.

Other less drastic methods make use of relaxation techniques that teach the person to calm down and think rationally when fear-triggering situations arise.

All the above-mentioned treatments work to develop rationality around fear. The solution is simple but doesn’t apply to everyone the same. A mental health professional will have to find unique ways to help solve an individual’s fear mechanism. After all, the fear may be common but the root cause isn’t.

 

Learning to Cope with Claustrophobia

It’s important for you to understand that these techniques, although effective, don’t provide a guaranteed solution. Your fear may keep returning even after therapy. However, the techniques you learn will help you deal with the situation without panicking. Don’t go into therapy thinking it is a straight route with instant results. It is the nature of your fear and its root cause that will determine how quickly and effectively you overcome it.

Most importantly, be around people who reaffirm your belief in overcoming your claustrophobia. Family and friends can be a great support when it comes to changing one’s thought patterns.

Taking the effort to manage your symptoms, trying self-help, or seeing a therapist are signs that you are working on it. Keep in mind that you’re not alone, many around the world have some kind of fear. As long as you are trying to overcome it, you’re doing good.

The best part is when you start using these techniques and notice a slight change in your response to the same situations. The fear doesn’t seem so daunting anymore. You are slowly easing into the idea of a life without fear of enclosed spaces.  And what an awesome life that is!

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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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