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The Fear of God or Religion
Beliefs

Theophobia – Fear of God or Religion

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Fear of God Can Be Debilitating

Do you believe in God? Do you feel like his wrath will be let loose upon you at times? Do you feel a desperate need for forgiveness from God, not because of guilt but fear? If you do, then you may have theophobia.

Theophobia is the fear of God or religion. Stories such as that of Noah’s ark may make someone with theophobia continually fear for their life. Constantly fearing that God will judge you for your mistakes can be stressful if not exhausting. You may find yourself avoiding anything that has to do with God or worship.

It’s difficult to live with a fear like this day in and day out. If you’re ready to take steps to manage this phobia, first try to understand it.

Decoding Theophobia

As kids, most children are taught about a God that created us and the world around us. And although spirituality and faith may be important to many, that is not the case for everyone.

If you have theophobia, you may isolate yourself from God or anything religious. Not only would you avoid any form of spiritual activity, but you might also avoid those who practice religion.

If you have theophobia and it has begun to hinder your life, physically or even spiritually, it’s important that you take steps to overcome or at least better manage your fear.

What Causes the Fear of God Phobia?

Like all phobias, theophobia originates in your subconscious. You may start to fear God without even realizing it.

It is said that one’s upbringing plays a huge role in the development of fear. If you’re taught to be fearful of God from childhood, it is possible for that fear to escalate as you grow older. For example, some children are brought up in a strict religious environment. This can affect them one way or another as they grow up.

Sometimes, even certain traumatic events can cause an irrational fear of God. As kids, we often blame everything on God, and this can result in God being painted as someone to be feared in our minds.

For example, the death of a loved one, such as a parent, could plant a deep fear of God in the mind of a child who has experienced that.

Symptoms of Theophobia

Theophobia is an irrational fear of God. However, sometimes it isn’t a fear of God but a fear of the wrath of God. A person with theophobia may be terrified even thinking about things like “judgment day” or the concept of “hell.”

Let’s look at common symptoms experienced with theophobia.

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Constant thoughts about God’s wrath or punishments
  • Avoidance of going to religious places of worship like churches and temples
  • Avoiding visiting houses with pictures or idols of worship
  • Being repelled by religious activity
  • Feeling agitated by religious encounters
  • Panicking when having an encounter with religion

Physical Symptoms

  • Panic attacks
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Increased heart rate when at church or any other religious places
  • Uncontrollable crying
  • Frequent urination
  • Trembling
  • Uneasiness

How to Overcome Theophobia

An irrational fear of God mostly affects spiritual life. However, if you feel its effect seeping into other aspects of your life, consider seeking help for the phobia. You may not be able to completely overcome your fear of God, but you will see improvement.

Self-Help: How Do You Help Yourself?

While you can seek a professional if the phobia feels too much to deal with, you can always try to help yourself first. No professional could understand your relationship with God better than you.

And remember, just because you are God-fearing doesn’t have to mean you are not God-loving. Many have trouble understanding this.

If you decide to try to overcome your fear of God, start with something as simple as breathing. Keep yourself calm, meditate, or take long, deep breaths when your fears are triggered. If you’re fearful of church bells, for example, try to remain calm by slowly counting or using positive affirmations.

Another thing you can try is talking about your fear with someone. You can choose to talk to a friend, family member, or even with a priest. Talking may help you get the weight off your shoulders that you didn’t even know existed. You can even try talking to yourself by reassuring yourself that you’re okay.

Avoid putting pressure on yourself out of fear to live a sin-free life. While it may be great to follow God’s teachings, it should be done from a place of love rather than fear. Putting yourself under stress will only make things worse for you.

Professional Help

If the above-mentioned methods don’t help and you’re still experiencing this fear, it may be time to visit a professional. There are several effective treatments available for phobias such as theophobia.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is generally the most effective with phobias. CBT may be the first treatment a mental health professional will try in order to help you overcome your fear of God. Other widely practiced methods include hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). All of these methods are helpful in reaching the root of your phobia and addressing them at the fundamental level.

In extreme cases, when it becomes too difficult for you to cope with theophobia, your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication. These medications treat the symptoms only and should not be used without a prescription.

Learning to Cope with Theophobia

Theophobia is a fear that is often confused with atheism, but that’s not the case at all. Unlike atheism where one simply does not believe in God, someone with theophobia believes in but is afraid of God.

Deciding to try and overcome your fear is the first and often hardest step in coping with theophobia. Learning to better manage your fear of God can be a huge accomplishment. You may not be able to erase this fear completely, but having a handle on it is important.

The next time you have to go to church or attend a religious gathering, you can choose to do so because you want to or because you love God, not because you are terrified of God’s power.

While there is no easy way to overcome a phobia, all you really need to do is find the courage to take the first step.

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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