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The Fear of Loud Noises
Environmental Phobias

Phonophobia or Ligyrophobia – The Fear of Loud Noises

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The Fear of Loud Noises: Phonophobia or Ligyrophobia

Does your heart pound madly when you hear fireworks?

Are you easily startled by the boom of thunder or a sudden shriek?

Do you instantly panic when you hear a fire alarm or ambulance siren?

Do you get all fidgety whenever someone raises their voice? Do you want to run away from the roar of a cheering crowd? Does the sound of a wailing infant drive you out of your mind?

All of us feel a little startled when a loud noise takes us by surprise. But if you’re one of those who absolutely cannot bear this, chances are you’re suffering from phonophobia or ligyrophobia.

So, what does phonophobia or ligyrophobia mean? It’s referred to as the condition where a person is scared of loud noises. Read on to find out what causes this phobia and how you can deal with it.

The Fear of Loud Noises

What Is Phonophobia?

Before trying to understand phonophobia, it’s important to first understand what a phobia is. A phobia is a persistent, uncontrollable, and irrational fear. When exposed to certain triggers, a phobic person experiences a deep dread or even panic.

What is fonofobia or phonophobia? The term phonophobia comes from the Greek language. Phōnē means “voice” or “sound” while phobos means “fear”.

Those with phonophobia may develop fears of all loud noises or certain loud noises, such as shouting. This fear of shouting may make you feel hesitant to be in social situations. You might work to avoid crowds, such as those at concerts. Major events are a no-no.

How Common Is Phonophobia?

Is it normal to be scared of loud noises? You’d be surprised at the number of people who have a severe reaction to an ear-splitting noise. This condition can be manifested by people of any age group.

While this phobia is more common in children, adults aren’t immune to it either. Like any stimuli, loud noises are likely to get a reaction from small children. Luckily, they soon learn to cope with unexpected noises. If a child’s fear goes on for half a year or more, seek professional help.

Some people feel embarrassed to have this phobia. It can be hard to explain why you are terrified by everyday sounds, no matter how loud. Sufferers of phonophobia may hesitate to confide in their loved ones or even doctors.

What Causes the Fear of Loud Noises?

Have you ever wondered, “Why do loud noises give me anxiety?” While it is not possible to determine the exact cause of this phobia, certain factors make you more prone to developing it.

Some studies suggest that mental health issues like anxiety are associated with phobias. It may also be due to genetic factors as people who have a family history of phobias are prone to developing this condition.

External factors may also be responsible for the same. You may have experienced childhood trauma due to hearing a loud noise. As a toddler, you may have been terrified by a thunderstorm or family members shouting at each other. Children with autism are especially sensitive to stimuli, so they may also manifest this phobia.

It can be difficult to isolate the exact cause for your ligyrophobia. However, it’s enough for you to accept that this fear is real for you.

Symptoms of Phonophobia

How do you know if you have phonophobia? Those suffering from phonophobia are likely to experience a range of symptoms. If you experience any of these symptoms for a prolonged period of time, consider talking with your doctor.

Physical Symptoms

  • Dizziness
  • Shaky balance
  • Shivering
  • Breaking into sweat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Lightheadedness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Chills
  • Increased heart rate

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Feeling disconnected from reality
  • Having muddled thoughts
  • Being unable to express anything
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Panic attacks
  • Aggression
  • Frustration
  • Irritation

If you’re suffering from this phobia, you may feel withdrawn from everyone and everything. You might not have the motivation to do things that would expose you to your phobia triggers. This avoidance can be so extreme that it starts to have a negative impact on your life.

If you’re constantly worried about your dread of loud noises, stress is a given. It’s no wonder phobias can lead to more serious health issues. As they say, your mental state is as important as your physical health, if not more.

Self-Help Practices for Phonophobia

Before consulting a medical professional, you can try to work on your fears by yourself. To begin with, you need to have the determination to face your fears and confront them. In this battle against your fear of shouting, the only weapon you’ll need is a strong will.

Plan Your Way

The first step is to come up with a self-help program that will help you stand up to your fears. If you have trouble coming up with a plan on your own, consult a psychologist.

Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

You may need to make some changes in your lifestyle, starting with getting proper sleep, eating healthy meals, and getting regular exercise. It’s also a good idea to reduce your caffeine intake. That includes chocolate and coffee, unfortunately.

Control Your Reaction

Don’t forget to check out some relaxation techniques so that you can control your breathing. Activities such as yoga or meditation can also aid in attaining peace of mind, which is important. This way, being exposed to a blaring noise won’t send you into an uncontrollable panic attack.

Practice Visualization

Other than that, you can also work on visualization techniques. Here you’ll learn how to deal with your phobia yourself in a bold manner. Try to imagine how you’ll react if you hear a deafening noise. How will you feel? What will you do?

Join a Phobia Support Group

Having a phobia is no cakewalk, but you’re not alone in your journey of confronting your phobias. Participate in self-help groups or clubs that focus on this phobia. You can share practical tips and encouraging stories without fear of being judged or mocked.

Seeking Professional Help for the Fear of Loud Noises

If the above-mentioned self-help techniques don’t work, you must consult a medical practitioner. Several types of treatment can be used to cure this phobia.

Exposure Therapy

In this type of psychotherapy, you’ll be exposed to your fear repeatedly but under the guidance of your therapist. This is done in a safe, controlled environment. You can undergo this type of therapy in both individual and group sessions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This type of therapy is highly effective for curing specific phobias. It’s a combination of different methods that involve discussing the reasons for your fear. Your therapist will give advice that will help you manage your symptoms.

Medications can also help you face your fears but are used to help manage symptoms, not cure the phobia.

No two people have the same reaction to their fears, so what works for one person may not work for you.

How to Avoid It Altogether

Are you still bewildered about how to cope with noise anxiety? While you can’t avoid all of your triggers, you can still make positive choices to help you cope. Each decision is a step toward reclaiming your life from this unreasonable fear.

It can be an uphill battle, but it is possible to overcome the terror of loud sounds. Put up a strong front and be ready to win the fight against your phobia.

Conclusion

Phonophobia can be treated, provided you’re willing to devote the necessary time and effort. Whether this condition has been present since childhood or has been acquired during adulthood, you can still confront it.

Soon, your fear of loud sounds will be a thing of the past. Instead of crying in terror, you’ll merely shrug off a startling noise.

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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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