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Situational Phobias

Haphephobia – The Fear of Being Touched

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Excessive Fear of Being Touched without Consent

Do you shiver at the thought of being touched? Are you averse to the feel of someone else’s skin against yours?

Many are uncomfortable being touched without consent or by strangers. But in your case, being touched by other people— even by family or friends—elicits intense feelings of fear or perhaps even pain. The fear may persist for a long time and may be so intense that it destabilizes your personal relationships.

If this is the case for you, then you may be struggling with haphephobia, an anxiety disorder characterized by an extreme, irrational fear of being touched.

Quick Question & Answer

Other names for haphephobia?
The fear of being touched is also named thixophobia, chiraptophobia and aphenphosmphobia.

What Is Haphephobia?

Haphephobia is defined as a person experiencing extreme fear of panic when touched. In most cases, the fear is being touched by the opposite gender or a specific individual. But in some extreme cases, a sufferer of this phobia cannot stand to be touched by anyone.

For many sufferers of this disorder, the intensity of their phobia is linked to the condition’s cause. A few potential haphephobia causes include sexual abuse, a past experience of having been harmed, and a morbid fear of germs. In other cases, they might have inherited the trait from parents and guardians who also expressed an aversion to being touched.

The fear of being touched is also linked to two other mental disorders: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). OCD is an irrational desire to be in control of every personal situation. The thought of not knowing where other people’s hands may have been before the touching is a major concern. PTSD comes as a result of the sufferers’ memory of a traumatic event, such as an assault or rape.

To escape experiencing severe reactions, haphephobia sufferers avoid being touched altogether. They keep their distance and isolate themselves, putting a strain on their social relationships, careers, and quality of life.

Common Haphephobia Symptoms

Haphephobia is a devastating condition with severe symptoms and toxic coping practices. Fully convinced that a simple touch can harm them, those with this phobia experience extreme reactions whenever their condition is triggered.

Symptoms may include:

  • Freezing up
  • Shock
  • Panic attacks
  • OCD
  • Depression
  • Self-isolation
  • Anxiety disorder
  • Trembling
  • Becoming hysterical
  • Hot flashes
  • Cold flashes
  • Hyperventilation
  • Nausea
  • Shortness of breath

Self-Help for Haphephobia

While taking control of the situation is difficult, some self-help activities may help build positive coping skills.

Breathing Exercises

Practicing the art of taking long, deep breaths can help slow down the toxic effects and symptoms of your condition. Taking time out to breathe before or during a triggering moment is a proven way of diverting extreme reactions.

Physical Exercise

This is also a proven way of curbing stress and anxiety-related symptoms. Doctors recommend aerobic exercises to help improve a phobia sufferer’s overall mental health.

Meditation and Relaxation

Meditation and relaxation are also highly recommended for dealing with stress, depression, anxiety, and other phobia symptoms. Learning to focus one’s thoughts on the positives rather than the triggers is one of the best ways for an individual to cope throughout the healing journey and while learning to manage symptoms.

Positive visualization and practicing mindfulness while meditating can help keep track of thought processes and retain control of emotional reactions.

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is a known stimulant. A high caffeine intake can induce symptoms that mimic anxiety, such as nervousness, restlessness, and a fast heart rate. Phobia and other anxiety-prone patients are therefore advised against too much caffeine.

Professional Help for Haphephobia

Deciding to seek medical treatment is a significant step toward recovery. Today, a range of treatments are available to help people with haphephobia.

Talk Therapy

Talking out your problems and trauma with a qualified therapist or counselor is a great therapy for phobic sufferers. This approach offers you the opportunity to speak out your feelings and fears, and not just bottle them up inside or avoid confronting them.

The counselor also gets to offer feedback and advise you on what to do next in the course of the treatment. Discussing your phobia also helps you to keep things in perspective and provides clarity on the situation.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The most popular among available haphephobia treatments, cognitive behavioral therapy helps provide you with the tools you need to redirect your thoughts. It also help repattern your behavior to healthier, more rational responses.

Exposure Therapy

Slowly exposing you to your phobia triggers — in this case, touch — is what this treatment is all about. The process may include exercises where the medical provider encourages you to imagine circumstances in which human touch is involved. The therapist strives to create a safe environment where you can slowly allow yourself to become more comfortable with your fears. Exposing you to repeated positive experiences may slowly change your negative emotions toward touch.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is also a viable treatment option for phobic sufferers. This approach encourages vulnerability within a group with similar issues. It provides opportunities to see how others are coping with their symptoms.

The goal is to encourage you to keep pushing forward by letting you know you are not alone and that other people can relate to your situation.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis involves placing you in a subconscious state of mind and encouraging you to confront your innermost fears and thoughts until you can resolve the conflict. This type of treatment could take some time. Also, be aware that this approach is considered an alternative therapy and doesn’t always work on everyone. Nonetheless, hypnosis has been proven helpful in various medical conditions.

Medications

Your health care provider may also recommend medication for phobia, especially in severe or debilitating cases. The medication may ease symptoms and alleviate pain. Medication is only used short term, or until other therapies begin to take effect.

Preparing for the Treatment

If you’re suffering from phobia and thinking of getting help from a medical professional for the first time, expect a lot of questions from your medical provider. Be as detailed as possible when giving information about your condition. Doing so is important so that your medical provider can recommend the best treatment for you.

Common questions asked include:

  • What prompted you to seek therapy?
  • When did you first notice your symptoms?
  • When are your symptoms likely to occur? What thoughts go through your mind before your symptoms begin?
  • Do you notice things that make your symptoms seem better or worse?
  • How are your symptoms affecting you and the those around you?
  • What coping strategies have you tried so far?
  • Are you undergoing treatment for any other medical conditions?

Conclusion

People with hapnophobia, or the fear of being touched, can lead productive, fulfilling lives. If you’re suffering from haphephobia, know that you’re not alone, and help is available.

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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