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The Fear of Painful Bowel Movements
Body Phobias

Defecaloesiophobia – The Fear of Painful Bowel Movements

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Defecaloesiophobia: A Very Personal Fear

Have you ever felt afraid to go to the bathroom after a filling meal? Do you get freaked out by the thought of a painful bowel movement? If your answer to these questions is yes, then you may have defecaloesiophobia.

Now, bowel movements don’t exactly make for a fun topic of conversation. That probably makes it all that tougher for you to explain this fear to those around you. Not everyone may understand it. Some may even ridicule you or make fun of you.

Living with a fear like this is not easy by any means. However, don’t lose hope. You can overcome your defecaloesiophobia, but the first thing you need to do is find out why you have the fear in the first place.

What Causes Defecaloesiophobia?

In most cases, phobias arise from traumatizing events that may have taken place in the past. Many phobias can be traced back to a specific event that may have been the root cause of the fear.

Your upbringing can also play a vital role in development of your fear. If you were raised by someone who was afraid of painful bowel movements, then they may have transmitted some of their uncertainty on to you which resulted in you having defecaloesiophobia yourself. In some cases, it can also be genetic.

Disliking something is very different compared to having a serious phobia. If just the thought of a subject, in this case, painful bowel movements, fills you with a sense of dread or makes it difficult to go about living your life normally, then it may be termed as a phobia.

Defecaloesiophobia is an acute fear of bowel movements. To someone that hasn’t had to suffer through fear like this, it may feel silly or redundant. But for those with defecaloesiophobia, the fear is very real. Some may even gradually stop eating enough during meals because of this fear.

Quick Question & Answer

What is the fear of pooping?
The fear of pooping is the excessive fear and anxiety you may experience before or during a bowel movement.
Why am I afraid to poop?
The main reasons you may be afraid to have a bowel movement is the fear of having intense pain. This may be caused by past experience with constipation or hemorrhoids.
Is there a phobia of pooping?
Yes, the phobia of pooping is called defecaloesiophobia.

Symptoms of Defecaloesiophobia

Defecaloesiophobia is a mental anxiety disorder. Those with defecaloesiophobia will try to avoid all objects or situations that could potentially trigger the phobia.

Those with a fear of pooping may experience any number of symptoms, or even none at all. Some symptoms of defecaloesiophobia are listed below.

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

Sometimes, in severe cases of defecaloesiophobia, you may undergo a panic attack triggered by the phobia. The fear may also lead to other mental/emotional symptoms such as:

  • Fear of losing control
  • Dread
  • Fear of dying
  • Guilt
  • Withdrawing from others
  • Feeling disconnected
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Anger
  • Anxiety

Physical Symptoms

Sometimes the mental/emotional symptoms such as anxiety and guilt can cause actual physical symptoms as well. Some of the physical symptoms you may experience if you have defecaloesiophobia are listed below:

  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Difficulty breathing
  • A rapid increase in heartbeat
  • Pain or tightness in the chest
  • Nausea
  • Headaches and dizziness
  • Feeling faint
  • Numbness or pins and needles
  • Dry mouth
  • A constant need to go to the toilet
  • Disorientation
  • Hyperventilation
  • Chest pain
  • Increased blood pressure

It’s  important to remember that each person is different, and so are the symptoms they suffer. Not everyone may be able to understand what you’re going through as a sufferer of defecaloesiophobia.

Like all other phobias, defecaloesiophobia is an irrational fear. But knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. However, if this fear is getting in the way of you living your life normally, then now may be the time to do something about it. You may even consider seeking professional therapy.

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

Before you consider seeking professional help, consider trying to help yourself. You could start by trying to convince yourself that you can overcome your fear. The mind tends to believe what it hears over and over again, so tell yourself it will be ok. You could even try whispering kind words of reassurance to yourself when you feel your fears being triggered.

Relaxation techniques go a long way in helping in situations like this. Breathing exercises and meditation, even counting numbers in your head, could help you calm your mind from all the anxiety it is feeling. Replace all the negative thoughts you have concerning your fear with positive affirmations.

Another technique you could try is to expose yourself to that which you fear. Reassure your mind that it won’t be as painful as your subconscious is making it out to be. You may soon find that with the right amount of effort, your levels of anxiety will eventually begin to decrease until they are so low, they won’t even matter.

You could use any or all of the above-mentioned techniques to help you overcome your fear of painful bowel movements.

Professional Help for Fear of Painful Bowel Movements

Many with defecaloesiophobia don’t feel they need treatment. You yourself may feel like you have control over the issue, because you may believe you can avoid painful bowel movements. However, sometimes avoiding painful bowel movements may not be possible or may lead to entirely different problems altogether.

In order to treat the phobia and prevent the situation from getting worse, sometimes professional therapy is needed. Talk therapy is one form of professional therapy which has proven to be an effective method in treating the fear of painful bowel movements.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may also be an effective way to overcome your fear. The treatment plan is built on the concept that whatever we think or perceive affects our behavior. CBT aims to identify whether or not your fear is a real depiction of reality, and if not, then what strategies could help you overcome it.

In some cases, medication for anxiety or depression may also be prescribed along with other therapies.

Learning to Cope with Defecaloesiophobia

None of the above-mentioned techniques can guarantee a complete recovery from defecaloesiophobia or any phobia in general. However, it will help you gain some amount of control over your fear and reduce your level of anxiety.

By starting to understand defecalosiophobia and learning how to overcome it, you have taken the first and most important steps towards leading a more normal lifestyle. So the next time you feel your fears get triggered, just take a deep breath and assure yourself that it’s going to be alright.

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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