Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer
3K
3K
740
3K
Menu
Menu
static-img
Beliefs

Phronemophobia – Fear of Thinking

Share This Article
Share Post

Let’s Think about Phronemophobia

Thinking helps us make sense of our experiences and actions. But do you often keep yourself busy doing things you don’t need to just to avoid thinking?

Does being left unoccupied and allowing room for thought trigger anxiety and panic attacks? Does a sense of terror grip you when you are alone, for fear that you may start thinking?

You may have phronemophobia, or a fear of thinking or better yet the fear of thinking too much.

Living with phronemophobia can be difficult, and you may succumb to its irrational hold over you. You may also feel a bit skeptical about talking about it with others, as you fear being judged.

However, just like with any other phobia, you can treat phronemophobia with self-help and professional therapy, if necessary. To begin the healing journey, first try to find the root cause of the fear.

 

 

Phronemophobia Meaning

Phronemophobia is the dread of thinking or a phobia of thinking too much. Phronemophobia is caused by frightening thoughts or memories of things you shouldn’t have done and don’t want to look back at.

Disliking thinking about something is completely different than being terrified of the mere thought of thinking. Because of the prevalence of these thoughts that are often negative, the person may fear that they might do something terrible.

Those with phronemophobia tend to exhibit symptoms of attention deficit disorder, including difficulty concentrating, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity.

Those diagnosed with the fear of thinking often find it difficult to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

 

Phronemophobia Causes

Many things can trigger a phobia of thinking. But you may ask, “Why am I afraid of my thoughts?”

The fear of thinking is a phobia that most often finds its roots in an individual’s childhood.

You may have been a victim of bullying. Or you may have been ignored by even a loved one for long periods of time. You may have done things in the past that you regret. You fear that having a moment to yourself may lead you to think about these unpleasant experiences.

Consequently, you try to stay occupied and steer clear of any undesirable thoughts.

According to scientists, such fears may develop due to a combination of environmental and biological elements, including genetic propensities, brain chemistry, and other trauma.

 

Symptoms of Phronemophobia

A person with phronemophobia will distance themselves from activities, places, or objects that may cause them to think. As a result, this phobia can be limiting.

It can cause a range of physical and psychological symptoms, such as those listed below.

Physical Symptoms

  • Nausea
  • Trembling
  • Sweating
  • Panic attacks
  • Confusion and hyperventilation
  • Tightness in the chest
  • Dry mouth

Psychological Symptoms

  • Feeling disconnected
  • Depression
  • Fear of dread
  • Anger and mood swings
  • Fear of dying
  • Fear of harm
  • Self-blame and guilt

People with phronemophobia may experience a few or several of these symptoms, which can worsen over time if left untreated.

 

Phronemophobia Treatment

If you’re asking, “How do I stop being scared of thinking?,” the key is to acknowledge the fear and begin treating it.

You can deal with phronemophobia by using self-help techniques and/or with the help of friends and family. But if the mere possibility of thinking causes you severe anxiety and dread, consider consulting with a therapist.

Professional help is your best bet; however, there are many options to consider.

Self-Help: What Can You Do to Help Yourself?

There are various self-help options you can consider, including meditation, joining self-help groups, and making lifestyle changes.

Meditation

The body and mind are designed to work “in sync.” During meditation, you focus on your breathing pattern and relax your body. This, in turn, helps you to stay balanced and anxiety-free, which helps when confronted by your fears of thinking.

Meditating before you encounter a situation that may trigger your phobia can help alleviate your symptoms.

Self-Help Groups

Self-help groups are a successful form of therapy because they prevent individuals from feeling like isolated sufferers. Groups of individuals with the fear gather to discuss their ideas, experiences, and coping mechanisms.

Changing Lifestyle

Making lifestyle changes such as incorporating exercise, following a healthy diet, and developing regular sleep patterns can combat negative thoughts and help you better manage phronemophobia.

 

Professional Help for the Fear of Thinking

There is no specific therapy for phronemophobia, but the treatment options used to treat other phobias can help with this irrational fear, too.

Dialectical Behavioral Thinking

This therapy employs various methods to achieve emotional regulation. The client is instructed to elevate their mouth corners when the fearful thought enters their head, using a technique called “half-smiling.

In addition, the therapy trains the mind to stop focusing on the unpleasant stimulus.

Another DBT strategy called “coping ahead” calls for the client to calmly take a seat, consider the feared scenario, and plan what to do next.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

In rare situations, worry and distress can bend and alter one’s perspective of reality. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps determine whether your thoughts accurately reflect reality. It helps replace irrational thoughts with a more accurate representation of reality.

 

Learning to Cope with Phronemophobia

All of the above treatments do not guarantee that your fear will go away completely. However, they will definitely help manage your fear of thinking and allow you to lead a more normal life.

 

Conclusion

The fear of thinking can disrupt your everyday activities and hamper your personal and professional growth. However, with the right treatment and intervention, you can stop worrying about your fear of thinking and think of what to conquer next!

 

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.
0LikesShare Post

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.
This Pop-up Is Included in the Theme
Best Choice for Creatives
Purchase Now