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Environmental Phobias

Hormephobia – Fear of Shock

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Hormephobia: A Shocking Issue

Do you enter a state of denial whenever you hear bad news? Do you go out of your way to avoid hearing it? Or, do you perhaps obsess over a fear of being electrocuted? If you answer the questions with a yes, you may have hormephobia, the fear of shock.

Shock can be physical or emotional.

Hormephobia is a fear of shock, which includes fear of emotional shock, fear of electrocution, and fear of electric shock. You probably find it hard to explain to your loved ones the stark terror that grips you when you are near an electric device or why the lightning in the sky makes you hide in your room.

However, you’re not alone. Many people have one type of phobia or the other. You can take a look at the complete list of phobias to know more about the types of phobias.

If you have a fear of shock, there is help. But the first step is educating yourself on your fear. Keep reading to learn more about hormephobia symptoms, hormephobia causes and treatment, and more.

 

What Is Hormephobia

Hormephobia is defined as the morbid fear of shock, either emotional or by electricity. A person with hormephobia will avoid any situation that makes them vulnerable to shock. The person will go to extreme lengths to avoid getting shocked, whether in response to bad news or by electricity.

These individuals are trying to avoid trauma. Many go into a state of denial due to emotional shock. Similarly, when it comes to fear of electricity, some avoid altogether electrical appliances or wiring.

The fear can reach a level where the patient starts experiencing panic attacks. It is at this stage that their daily activities become limited. The person may not leave their house for fear of meeting people who may deliver bad news. They close themselves off from people and possibly even appliances, living a minimalist life. This affects their social and work life, stripping them of their happiness and peace of mind.

Initially, this social avoidance may look like the key they’ve been searching for. However, with time, they may get used to this isolation and may even develop other mental illnesses, which can be detrimental. Early diagnosis and consistent treatment are necessary to treat specific phobias like hormephobia.

 

Hormephobia Causes

Like all other phobias, the exact cause of the fear is unknown. However, a multitude of factors could contribute to the development of the fear. Some reasons why a person may develop this irrational fear of shock are:

Genetic Predisposition

When a person has a family history of a psychiatric illness or any type of anxiety disorder, the probability of acquiring hormephobia increases considerably.

However, the person will only develop hormephobia if they are exposed to situations that make them fearful of shock.

Experiences

If someone had an experience of being electrocuted or has seen someone else being electrocuted, the fight-or-flight response kicks in and the person starts fleeing from any situation that may cause shock. This eventually develops into a phobia of shock.

When a person fears emotional shock, the phobia may stem from past incidents, including receiving bad news via calls or in person, which led to trauma whether physical or mental. This may cause them to avoid revisiting this feeling at all costs.

There have been instances where people have gone into a state of unconsciousness after receiving a shock. Depending on the severity and length of the shock, the individual may have mental as well as physical injuries, which serve as reminders of the incident.

Someone who has suffered an electric shock can have burns or some other visible mark on the skin that reminds them of the shock. Also, some people have become averse to even touching a switchboard after receiving a shock.

Knowing Someone Close

Hormephobia may also result from seeing someone go through the phobia. The devastating symptoms one may have witnessed can make them fear going through the same.

Also, hearing the shocking news of someone dying after being electrocuted can instill a fear of shock.

 

Hormephobia Symptoms

Depending on the severity of the phobia, a person may face four or more of these symptoms:

Physical Symptoms

  • Dizziness
  • Vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Hyperventilation
  • Rise in blood pressure
  • Sweating
  • Hot or cold flashes
  • Trembling
  • Headache
  • Muscle tension

Physiological Symptoms

  • Fear of getting shocked
  • Anxiety even when thinking about shock
  • Withdrawing from everyone
  • Fear of dying
  • Sadness
  • Anxiety, anger, hopelessness

 

 

Hormephobia Treatment

Like all other phobias, the treatment for hormephobia is not specific. Also, while most phobias are entirely irrational, the fear of getting shocked or electrocuted is real and poses a real threat. So, it is not only people who have hormephobia who experience a fear of shocks.

However, if a person’s day-to-day life is limited due to fear, they should address it and work toward managing their fear. Some commonly used methods for treating phobias are listed below.

Self-Help

It is often said that self-help is the best help, and there’s truth to that. Although the fear of shocks is not entirely irrational, individuals with hormephobia make it the center of their existence. They constantly think about shock or being shocked.

However, patients are often aware that they need not worry or exercise so much control. Through self-help, they can work at their own pace, stopping when things get overwhelming and resuming when they calm down.

Those with this phobia are well aware of the internal turmoil and the triggers that set off the debilitating symptoms. With self-help methods, a person is their own guide and helps themselves build healthy coping mechanisms.

Meditation

Meditation is a fantastic way to fight stress and anxiety. It calms the mind and helps people overcome the turmoil they are facing. Through meditation, the mind becomes less preoccupied with negative thoughts as it has other things—like the breath or a chant—to focus on.

Psychology Therapy

Psychological therapies offer non-intrusive ways to help people overcome mental illnesses. Some therapies used to treat hormephobia are listed below.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Therapists frequently employ CBT to treat anxiety disorders. It is based on the premise that our thoughts and perceptions impact our behavior. The therapist uses CBT to help patients replace negative thoughts with constructive ones since phobias are irrational interpretations of reality.

Exposure Therapy

In this therapy, the patient is gradually exposed to the object of their fear in the presence of a health professional and in a controlled environment. It progressively accustoms the person to the object of their fear, so they can live with it without getting anxious.

Medication

Medication is only prescribed in extreme cases when a person is experiencing severe anxiety and frequent panic attacks. The medical health professional may prescribe medication like beta-blockers, antidepressants, and tranquilizers to relieve the symptoms of panic attacks.

 

Learning to Cope with Hormephobia

Living with hormephobia limits a person. It may reach a point where their normal functioning is affected. So, timely diagnosis and treatment are important. A person with this phobia needs to talk to a trusted family member or friend and seek medical help if self-help doesn’t seem to work.

Many professionals offer proven therapies and techniques to help individuals overcome their fear of shock and lead a normal life.

 

Let’s Conclude

Living with a phobia can be harmful to health, social, and work life. It affects an individual’s day-to-day functioning and often renders one lonely and prone to other mental health issues.

However, with timely help, a person can overcome their fear of shock to a large extent and live a fulfilling life.

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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