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Body Phobias

Fear of Farting – Flatuphobia

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Understanding Flatuphobia – The Fear of Farting

Breaking wind, passing gas, floating an air biscuit, cutting the cheese, butt burp, that was a mouse, rectal turbulence, or the medical term flatulence, this bodily function generally causes embarrassment or humor. But for some, it is the source of a deep, excessive fear.

Ever been in a situation where someone farted, and you got blamed for it? Does your mind go blank at the mere mention of farting?

Do you flee when you hear a fart? Does the slightest odor bring fear that you may be blamed? Does the thought of such a situation make you tremble?

You may have flatuphobia, a fear of farting. Flatuphobia is on the irrational fears list, and it affects many people. It can escalate to the point where an individual cuts off social contact to avoid any such incidents. It can significantly restrict a person’s activities and cause anxiety and depression.

Is flatuphobia a phobia of Fear or Disgust?

But there are solutions available to help you overcome this fear. You can explore self-help methods, share your troubles with a loved one, and if all else fails, seek professional help.

Flatuphobia Basics

The main component of flatuphobia is the dread of passing gas, whether it comes from you or the person standing next to you.

You fear the sound that is produced, the smell that is expelled, but most of all, fingers being pointed at you.

Flatuphobia comes from the Latin word flatus, which means blowing. In other words, blowing refers to passing gas.

Of course, all people and animals flatulate; it’s your body’s way of releasing toxins or trapped air. But over time, society has come to view farting as a disgusting and unpleasant act.

Because of this, some people have developed a phobia related to farting and social interaction.

Some Flatuphobia Causes

To understand the root cause, you must first reflect on your previous interactions and experiences.

You may have been in a situation where you were with a couple of friends and someone randomly farted, causing everyone to make faces and vacate the area. That person must have felt embarrassed.

Perhaps that convinced you that you would never want to experience a similar situation. Or maybe you were the one who farted and vowed to never again be in that predicament.

Upbringing might be another possible cause. You may have been raised by a family member who had flatuphobia.

It could also be hereditary, with your parents or grandparents having passed down these anxiety-related traits to you.

Symptoms of Flatuphobia

People who experience flatuphobia symptoms frequently avoid being around things or situations that may trigger them. They may make an effort to suppress their thoughts about the source of their fear.

Flatuphobia can be very limiting. Others need not be physically present to trigger the fear reaction. The brain can trigger this phobia simply by imagining such a situation.

People react differently with different phobias, so symptoms vary. However, from a broad perspective, flatuphobia belongs to the group of anxiety disorders. It manifests itself in the form of physical and psychological symptoms.

Physical Symptoms

  • Running out of breath
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Hot flashes or chills
  • Pain or tightness in the chest muscles
  • Choking sensations
  • Shivers or sweating

Psychological Symptoms

  • Dread of letting go of control
  • Feeling alienated
  • Fear of passing out and dying
  • Confusion and attention issues
  • Dread of injury or disease
  • Shame, guilt, and self-blame
  • Mood swings, anger, and impatience

Depending on the severity of the phobia, individuals may experience some or many of these symptoms.

How Do You Deal with Flatuphobia?

Like all phobias, flatuphobia is irrational. However, if this phobia is affecting your daily activities, you might first try self-help methods. If those don’t work, seek professional therapy. There is no particular flatuphobia treatment, but there are general treatments available that work for most phobias.

Self-Help

To get over your phobia of farting, begin by taking good care of yourself. Make lifestyle changes, dietary modifications, add regular exercise, and improve your sleep patterns. Less flatulence, less fear.

A recommended alternative is to expose yourself to the very thing you fear. It’s a tough option, but the exposure will reduce the fart anxiety over time.

Join self-help groups where you will find people with similar issues. You will be able to share your fears without worry of being judged.

Alternatively, join online chat communities like Quora or Reddit where you can share your troubles. You’ll receive feedback and advice on how to take control of the situation from a larger community. You may even be able to help other people.

Implementing relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing and using positive affirmations also helps a great deal.

Professional Help

Consider reaching out to your therapist for help if you feel that this phobia is becoming too much for you to handle. Treatment options include talking therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Talking Therapies

Talking therapies can include visiting your psychologist, psychotherapist, or counselor. The goal of talk therapy is to help individuals identify the causes of their emotional or physical distress.

In the case of flatuphobia, the intensity of your fear can range from mild to severe, causing depression and anxiety. Talking therapy can help you identify the events and circumstances that have caused and continue to contribute to your fear of farting.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy also aids in understanding the negative thought patterns that are causing the extreme fear. This treatment gives you the tools you need to confront your fear of farting and overcome it with a more realistic and positive thought process.

Learning to Cope with Flatuphobia

Treating flatuphobia using the techniques mentioned above may not eliminate the phobia altogether. However, they can help reduce the intensity of the fear and allow you to return to your daily activities.

In Conclusion
The next time you go out, you might fart, but you might just end up chuckling at yourself and getting over it. Everyone farts, and it’s absolutely natural, so relax and let it go!

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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