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Sexual Phobias

Genophobia – Fear of Sexual Intercourse

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Genophobia: What You Need to Know to Overcome the Fear of Sexual Intercourse or Intimacy

If you feel sudden and unexplained anxiety, panic, or discomfort whenever you’re about to be intimate with your partner, then you might be suffering from genophobia or the fear of sexual intercourse and intimacy.

Genophobia can be a frustrating health condition because it can affect you physically and mentally. In many cases, the mere thought of sexual intimacy triggers the phobia, thus affecting how you interact with others.

If you suffer from genophobia, you do not simply dislike sexual intimacy, but rather you often feel intense fear and panic. Fortunately, treatment is available for this phobia.

Quick Fact: The fear of intercourse or coitus, is also known as coitophobia.

All You Need to Know about Genophobia

Genophobia can be complicated as it affects people in different ways. Genophobia is often referred to as erotophobia or coitophobia. It may be difficult diagnosing genophobia as sufferers feel the same fear and panic that are also shown in other phobias including heterophobia (the fear of the opposite sex) and gymnophobia (fear of nudity).

Genophobia can particularly harm those who are married or in a romantic relationship. Often, it’s not that you dislike the person, you simply can’t show intimacy because of this irrational fear. According to medical resources, the causes of genophobia are unclear. But what is clear is that these causes could be psychological or physical. It can also be a combination of both.

The good news is that like other phobias, genophobia is treatable. Your medical professional will need to identify the components that trigger your phobia. There could be several physical causes. If not, there might be underlying psychological reasons for the phobia.

For example, suffering intense pain during sexual intercourse might be a trigger, as you might not want to repeat the traumatic experience.

On the emotional side, you might be self-conscious of your body, which in turn can trigger anxiety. This can cause you to develop the fear of sexual intimacy, because you fear that you or your partner will no longer enjoy the pleasures of intimacy.

 

Common Symptoms of Genophobia

Physical Symptoms

Like other severe phobias, those with genophobia usually have physical symptoms. Common symptoms include:

  • dizziness
  • nausea
  • breathing issues
  • palpitation
  • excessive sweating

Psychological Symptoms

As mentioned, there are psychological symptoms of genophobia such as panic, anxiety, fear, discomfort, etc. These are all fairly common symptoms of any severe phobia. For genophobia, the specific psychological symptoms can arise for various reasons.

Religious Beliefs

One cause of genophobia may be religious or societal beliefs. It is said that many religions and societies do not condone sexual intercourse outside of procreation.

Experts say that growing up in a deeply religious family does not necessarily mean you’re going to develop genophobia. However, it may be a contributing factor.

Performance Anxiety

Medical experts further point to ‘performance anxiety’ as another psychological symptom of genophobia. As the term suggests, people sometimes don’t fear sexual intimacy, but fear the thought of failing at intimacy.

You might think you will fail because you have no previous experience, or your previous experience turned out to be traumatic. In some cases, the shame felt in an unenjoyable intimate experience or moment might be enough for people to develop this fear.

How to Overcome Fear of Sexual Intercourse

As mentioned, genophobia is treatable. It is a matter of identifying the root cause to determine the right treatment. The challenge is to specify these root causes. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is by far the most preferred treatment for phobias. CBT is a popular way of treating genophobia because of the underlying emotional reasons that might be the cause. However, your doctor might also need to examine if there are underlying physical reasons (trauma, for instance).

Self-Help

If you suffer from genophobia, perhaps the first step in helping yourself is to realize that you do indeed need help. Genophobia, if not treated, can wreak havoc on your social life. It also diminishes your chances of settling down or getting married.

You might also want to learn to relax and convince yourself that this phobia is treatable. Some will suggest learning relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises or meditation. You might also read up on the power of positive thought.

If you are in a relationship, it might help for you to be very honest with your partner and tell him or her about your condition. This way, you’re not dealing with the phobia alone, and you can count on someone you trust and know to help make the necessary steps to overcome the phobia.

Professional Help

If you’re ready for professional treatment for your genophobia, read on to discover your next steps.

CBT Treatment

For cognitive behavioral therapy, a counselor or therapist might be able to help you identify the psychological reasons for the phobia. Unlike other phobias, genophobia is truly a sensitive and personal matter. You need to be comfortable with your counselor (or sex therapist) so that your conversations will be fruitful and will hopefully lead to successful treatment.

Therapy

Your counselor or therapist might suggest ways for you to think about positive intimate experiences instead of focusing on negative ones.

Others might suggest retelling or reliving past traumatic experiences and examining them. This might be counterintuitive, but it is said that this method will allow you to learn more about what is causing your anxiety or panic.

Medications

Physical symptoms require different approaches. If your phobia is caused by physical trauma, then medications might be prescribed.

There’s a condition called ‘vaginismus’ which is described as clenching of the vaginal muscles. If this is one of the causes of genophobia, then treating it becomes the priority.

Treating Underlying Conditions

Male sufferers of genophobia might have other underlying conditions such as erectile dysfunction. The shame and embarrassment that might result from this condition is sometimes a cause for developing the phobia.

Post-traumatic stress syndrome or PTSD has also been identified as a cause of genophobia. Abuses in the past may leave an imprint in your mind and thus cause you to develop the fear of being touched, for example. Experiencing physical trauma or abuse doesn’t mean you’re going to develop genophobia. However, these past experiences could be contributing factors.

 

The Bottom Line

Genophobia can indeed be a serious condition if left untreated, as it can negatively affect relationships. In some cases, other serious emotional illnesses, such as depression, might also result from having this phobia. You should know that you do not have to battle genophobia alone. With the proper treatment and the support of your loved ones, overcoming genophobia is very possible.

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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