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Beliefs

Demonophobia – The Fear of Demons

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The Fear of Demons, Not Only for the Religious

Do you feel the presence of demons in certain places and avoid going there? Does the thought of leaving your home terrify you because you think you might risk crossing paths with a demon?

If that is the case, you may have demonophobia or daemonophobia. This is an irrational fear of demons. Demons are evil-minded supernatural beings that sow chaos, despair, and destruction. They’ve been feared throughout history by various religious or occult groups.

However, as demons don’t physically exist, the fear you’re experiencing could be a sign of an irrational phobia.

What Is Demonophobia?

Demonophobia, also referred to as daemonophobia, is the extreme or irrational fear of supernatural beings that are known to cause harm. On the surface, this phobia of demons may seem harmless because you cannot see demons.

However, to someone dealing with this phobia, it can be a nightmare. Demonophobia can cause undue anxiety at the mere thought of demons. These thoughts can occur while walking down empty corridors in the middle of the night or even looking in the mirror. Like most phobias, demonophobia needs to be addressed and can be managed.

Demonophobia Causes

There are countless ways in which demons are portrayed in their interactions with humans and entering the human realm. In movies like The Exorcist, they’ve been shown to possess and take over children. In some TV shows, they’ve been known to wander dark woods and seedy spaces.

To the mind of someone suffering from a fear of demons, all these situations are linked with demons. This means that a person with demonophobia doesn’t need to see an actual demon to experience anxiety or feel panic. Anything that calls to mind the idea of demons or shares symbolism with demons can scare them pale.

The exact cause behind demonophobia can be tricky to pinpoint because it’s quite complex and sometimes rooted in belief or superstition. Perhaps the bane of it all is that demons aren’t normal; they’re what’s referred to as paranormal. This means, demons may or may not exist, but they are definitely beyond the scope of scientific understanding.

This is what makes it especially difficult to treat those with demonophobia. Not only is it difficult to establish the roots of this fear, but it’s also not easy to desensitize them from something no one fully understands. The main thing to remember about phobias is that they are, by definition, irrational and usually rooted in negative experiences or false knowledge.

Some Possible Causes of Demonophobia

  • Watching too many movies that portray demons
  • Motivated by religious ideology
  • Negative and inexplicable encounters or experiences with the supernatural
  • Conspiracy theories and books

Symptoms of Demonophobia

Since demons aren’t something you actually see or encounter daily, the symptoms can emerge because of anything that can be connected to the idea of demons. Here are some examples of things that may give someone with demonophobia strong anxiety:

  • Darkness
  • Horns
  • TV shows depicting demons or demonic possession
  • Symbols associated with satanism or other cult ideologies about demons
  • Certain kinds of music
  • People with traits that recall demons

Sufferers of demonophobia will experience varying symptoms based on their level of fear.

Physical Symptoms

  • Dizziness
  • Sweating
  • Prickly sensations
  • Dry and sticky mouth
  • Migraines
  • Insomnia
  • Restlessness

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Fear and anxiety
  • Feelings of dread
  • Depression
  • Paranoia
  • Loss of concentration
  • Uncontrolled thoughts

The fear of demons can affect your life in different ways and even trickle down to your everyday social interactions. Because of the nature of demons and the volume of stories or mythologies that surround them, the fear is more likely to be felt very strongly.

And the more a person learns about this concept, the more their fear can deepen.

How Can You Deal with Demonophobia?

The problem lies in the root of the fear. If the fear is based on religion or superstitions, it’s arguably more difficult to root out. You would have to analyze and break down the entire ideology that contextualizes demons. That’s no easy task, because these topics are still controversial.

However, the fear of demons can spiral out of control and cause people to act in irrational ways. Depending on the pervasiveness of your fear, you can go the self-help route or seek professional help.

Self-Help

If you’re afraid of demons and are reading this, the good news is you’ve already started helping yourself overcome this fear. But there’s still a long way to go.

The first step would be to analyze how this fear affects you personally. What everyday things does it stand in the way of? If your responses to the idea of demons are far outside your control, you may need professional help.

Otherwise, you can overcome this fear yourself by transforming the way you think. An important step is to start breaking down your beliefs and explore new ideas. Similar to the fear of demons, there are probably people out there who fear God, too.

Whether or not these entities actually exist is not what you should spend time thinking about. Instead, try to think about your own experiences that have led you to these convictions. There’s nothing wrong with having a belief, but if it’s making your life miserable, you need to be open to change.

Professional Demonophobia Treatment

If you are experiencing symptoms of demonophobia often or strongly, seeking professional treatment is recommended. It showcases resilience because it takes bravery to talk openly with someone about your fears and let them break it down.

Here are some of the most common courses that mental health professionals use to treat those diagnosed with demonophobia.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy works by putting people into a trance-like hypnotic state, which helps them locate their inner strengths and resources. It helps you help yourself overcome your fear of demons. This form of therapy is practiced by licensed mental health professionals.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy is simply a technical term for talking. Cognitive therapy involves talking to a professional about your history, experiences, emotions, family, and friends. Therapy helps you to better understand the relationship between your thoughts and feelings, which is useful for overcoming fear.

Desensitization Therapy

This works by recreating in small steps situations that cause you anxiety. Doing this can increase your tolerance. It’s a form of therapy that’s often used for treating phobias and is known to be effective. However, research is yet to indicate its effectiveness in treating demonophobia.

Coping with Demonophobia in the Long Term

Having to constantly deal with the idea of demons can no doubt be difficult. Monsters and ghosts don’t compare much to the level of horror demons inflict, so it’s completely natural to fear them if you believe they exist. And you don’t have to stop believing they exist in order to overcome this fear.

The best long-term strategy is to welcome new ideas about demons. In the meantime, identify ways in which phobia deprives you of a full life and find a way to overcome each of those problems individually.

Final Thoughts

Demonophobia, despite its long history, is still a complicated fear, and much remains to be understood about it. The key thing to remember about phobias is that they cross the line from simple fear when they disrupt your life. And every phobia needs to be addressed. With the right attitude, there is nothing you can’t overcome, not even demons.

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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