Fear of people (Anthropophobia): how to get rid of fear yourself?

Every day we come into contact with other people. Some people love to be social and are happy to carry on conversations not only with friends, but also with strangers. Others prefer loneliness and are reluctant to make contact with others. But there are also those for whom communication with people turns into real torture .
The reason for this may be personality traits, depression, depression, stress. If excitement, anxiety and fear appear from the mere thought of an upcoming interaction with others like oneself, then we are talking about social phobia.

Forms

The fear of people is called antopophobia. A person may experience fear not of all people, but of certain groups. Based on this, the forms of this fear are distinguished.

Absolute fear of people. Attempts to make contact with such a person or invade his personal space cause negative emotions and a feeling of discomfort.
Fear of certain people who remind you of events in the past, of trauma caused, for example, by an elderly, overweight or drunk person.
Ochlophobia. Fear arises in the presence of a crowd. For example, a situation where a person finds himself in a crush inside a vehicle.
Fear of strangers. A person can communicate comfortably with his immediate environment, but at the same time experiences fear when strangers approach.
Xenophobia. Fear arises in relation to people who are in some way different from the person himself, for example, skin color, height.
Fear of representatives of certain professions. For example, when a person previously had some serious illness, he had to end up in a hospital, endure a serious shock, pain, but now the health workers will cause fear.

Fear of electricity. Electrophobia, what is it? How to get rid of fear

Electrophobia is one of the types of phobic fears, based on the fear of electricity and all devices operating from the power supply. Since in the modern world almost all equipment (irons, computers, kettles, refrigerators, hair dryers and other appliances) work from the electrical network, this phobia is considered one one of the most painful. Most often, fear is based on an electric shock suffered in childhood or adulthood, as a result of which a person may later have a painful attitude towards everything connected with electricity.

Symptoms of electrophobia

A clear sign of electrophobia is the fear of electricity.

In addition, the phobia has physical manifestations of the following nature:

a sharp increase or decrease in blood pressure;
cardiopalmus;
dilated pupils;
tremor in the limbs;
increased sweating;
change in skin color
and etc.

Cause of electrophobia

Fear is a basic reaction that is designed to protect a person in a dangerous situation. It doesn’t matter whether the situation poses a real threat to life or an imaginary one, fear always works the same way.

The causes of electrophobia can be very diverse. Psychologists associate the development of a phobia with the influence of one of the following factors:

The genetic aspect - electrophobia, could arise as a result of related transmission. Perhaps in your generation, someone experienced the same fear and now you have inherited it.
Traumatic event in childhood - in most cases, the source of the development of fears is a traumatic event that occurred in childhood. Due to the fact that the event was of a long-standing nature, it was forgotten in the conscious mind and deposited in the subconscious.
Bad experience - if a person performed an action and it brought a result that was not expected, then fear may arise as a result.
Imposed fear - since a person belongs to a social species, he is accordingly subject to the influence of his fellows. Fear is a contagious phenomenon, so electrophobia could arise as a result of information received from friends, the media, books, films and other sources.
Depression - mental disorders and stress greatly exhaust the body. As a result, the resources to maintain an active state are becoming less and less. Which leads to the emergence of various phobias and fears.

How to get rid of electrophobia?

The simplest and most famous way to get rid of electrophobia is to overcome this fear through willpower. However, in practice, not everyone is capable of this. Therefore, in psychological practice, she uses slightly different approaches.

Pharmacological approach

To treat fears, as well as other psychological disorders, drugs of different groups are used.

Tranquilizers: Afobazol, Phenazepam, Tenoten, Trioxazin;
Antidepressants: “Amizol”, “Reboxetine”, “Autorix”;
Hypnotics: Zopiclone, Relaxone, Zolpidem;
Neuroleptics: Aminazine, Clopixol, Eglonil.

Please note that self-treatment can lead to unpredictable consequences. Since many of the drugs listed here have a large number of side effects. Only the attending physician can determine the dosage and duration of the course.

Psychological approach

Most often, I use a psychological approach to treat fears and phobias. Its use is justified because it allows you to achieve quick and sustainable results. The most common practices among psychologists are the following:

Psychotherapy - the root cause of fear is determined with the patient. After which, it is worked on at a deep level of the subconscious.
Psycho-correction - the essence is to simulate special situations, having coped with which, a person gets rid of fear.
Hypnosis - a specialist takes a person into a trance state in which he imposes the correct reaction to a stimulus.
Autogenic training - as a result of regular autogenic training, a person’s stress level decreases. Which accordingly makes his condition easier.

In medical psychology, complex methods and approaches are mainly used to overcome fears and phobias. Of all their diversity, the NO Fear course stands out. With its help, you can overcome fear in just 14 days. The effectiveness of the technique used has already been recognized by many practicing psychologists.

Possible reasons

Excessive nervousness can influence the development of anthropophobia.
The most common factors that influence the development of anthropophobia include:

unfavorable family environment;
emotional trauma;
regular intimidation;
ridicule from peers;
frequent (or excessive) punishments;
terrible social conditions;
resentment towards mom and dad;
deception on the part of the inner circle.

The presence of these moments in a child’s life leads to the fact that he loses trust in other people. The baby feels more confident when left alone. If such conclusions are not prevented in any way, as the child grows up, he will begin to withdraw into himself and decide that other people are unsafe for him. This is exactly what will become the report on the path to the development of anthropophobia.

This fear is more likely to develop in people who:

experience increased anxiety;
They have low self-esteem;
suffer from frequent neuroses;
too self-critical.

Such individuals believe that they are not needed by society, are insolvent, and inferior. This opinion can develop as a result of frequent criticism from other people and their disapproval.

Sometimes such fear can arise in those who did not experience severe shocks in childhood and had favorable conditions for growing up. In such a situation, the individual characteristics of the person will be to blame. For example, when a phobia develops in those who have radically changed their appearance, for example, lost extra pounds. Panic occurs when overweight people approach.

In addition to the above reasons, this phobia can develop against the background of bipolar disorder. It is also worth considering that it may be mistaken for autism.

Fear of the dark - what is this phobia called, why does fear arise and how to fight it

People in the world are afraid of different things. It is difficult to list all the imaginary and real threats that are accompanied by negative emotions. Of these, fear of the dark is the most ancient fear, so familiar to many.

Name and definition of fear of the dark

Of all the phobias known today, fear of the dark remains the most common among children and adults. Few people have not experienced fear when suddenly left alone in pitch darkness. Psychologists distinguish between fear and phobia. Real acute fear includes the instinct of self-preservation: there is danger, you need to save yourself or defend yourself. Such a reaction cannot be called a phobia.

Neurotic unreasonable fear is already a phobia. A person experiences unaccountable, persistent fear even in a safe situation. Anxiety is accompanied by certain symptoms. That is, phobias are fears expressed more strongly and vividly, which negatively affect a person’s well-being and activities and interfere with his normal life. They are considered a mental disorder. According to statistics, more than 10% of the world's population is susceptible to a phobia called nyctophobia.

By definition, nyctophobia is an uncontrollable fear of a dark room or unlit area. Sometimes nyctophobia is confused with a fear of enclosed spaces. This is wrong. A person suffering from a fear of the dark can safely stay indoors as long as there is light there.

Symptoms of a phobia

Not everyone knows what the fear of the dark is scientifically called. Any healthy person in a dark room or area feels uncertainty and discomfort. The sense of self-preservation prompts one to be wary of dark streets, basements and entrances. When extreme horror and panic sets in, and you want to scream and run for your life, this is nyctophobia.

Characteristic physical symptoms of the disease:

strong heartbeat;
dyspnea;
tinnitus, dizziness;
increased sweating, chills;
weakness in the body, loss of voice;
tremor of the limbs;
pressure surges;
headache;
insomnia, nightmares;
nausea, diarrhea;
the appearance of hallucinations.

Symptoms

Why are people afraid of the night and darkness?

Not everyone understands what Nyctophobia is. The fear of the dark goes back to the primitive past, when our ancestors felt unprotected in the dark. The natural fear of being caught by surprise at night by enemies or predatory animals forced us to look for or build a reliable shelter and come up with different methods of protection. Uncontrollable fear of the dark is a special emotional state that occurs for a number of reasons:

Genetic roots. Our distant ancestors left us a legacy of fear and anxiety in the face of the unknown, fraught with many threats, darkness. Fear sharpened the sense of self-preservation and helped to survive in the wild.
Physiological. Without light, human organs receive little information to avoid danger.
Psychological trauma. Negative childhood experiences and severe fear can develop into a phobia.
Loneliness. Often a person experiences a heightened sense of insecurity in the evening and at night when left alone in a room. The darkness intensifies his fears many times over.
Developed imagination. Some children and adults, thanks to their imagination, can see the most unusual and bizarre shapes in the dark. They imagine fantastic creatures, ghosts and robbers.
Stress. Due to strong emotional experiences, a person begins to imagine danger everywhere.
Lack of vitamins and microelements. The lack of essential substances in the diet disrupts mental stability, causing anxiety and panic attacks.
Threat of death. This is the main subconscious reason for the appearance of nyctophobia. Human consciousness connects death and darkness.

Characteristic manifestations

Fear of making new acquaintances, avoidance of communication with other people indicate the presence of anthropophobia

This condition can be determined by the presence of the following symptoms:

the appearance of red spots;
numbness;
lack of air;
hand tremors;
possible diarrhea;
nausea, vomiting is possible;
hyperemia of the skin of the face;
tachycardia;
increased sweating.

Symptoms that indicate that fear has acquired the status of a phobia include:

the feeling of being under someone's surveillance;
fear of being embarrassed;
a feeling of horror at possible social communication;
fear of making an acquaintance;
avoiding places with crowds of people;
scared of a certain group, such as older people;
desire to be a recluse;
expecting people to suffer a moral blow;
searching for negative character traits in others;
fear that personal space may be violated by other people.

Associated syndromes

Although scopophobia is a single disorder, it has much in common with other irrational fears. Specific phobias and syndromes that are similar to scopophobia include erythrophobia - fear of blushing (usually develops in young people) and epileptic fear. Scopophobia is also often associated with schizophrenia. It is not considered indicative of this diagnosis, but rather is seen as a psychological problem that is investigated independently.

Sociologist Erving Goffman suggested that avoiding random glances on the street remained one of the characteristic symptoms of public psychosis. Many people with scopophobia develop habits of voyeurism or exhibitionism. Another related but very different one is syndromescopophilia (excessive enjoyment of searching for erotic objects).

Possible consequences

Without proper treatment, anthropophobia can influence the formation of mental and neurotic disorders.

What is a phobia

Anthropophobia is the fear of large companies and individual people, regardless of their age, gender and appearance. It often develops in adolescence, can progress into adulthood, and is equally common in women and men. The feeling of fear arises randomly and suddenly, sometimes in the form of a reaction to certain types of people.

Often anthropophobia occurs as a result of a psychoneurotic disorder, fear of shame and disgrace - scoptophobia. When joining a team, a person fears that his actions will be condemned by new people. Fear of all strangers can progress from a phobia to a disease and become the cause of neurosis.

Ways to fight

People's fear can take on a pathological form when a person cannot make contact with people and is afraid to even leave the house. In such a situation, you cannot do without taking medications, as well as psychotherapy.

The specialist will prescribe medications that will calm the patient’s nervous system.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is applicable.
Social skills will be practiced, with the therapist focusing on relaxation.
The specialist will prescribe goals for combating the phobia and help you work through every step on the path to recovery. The psychotherapist will teach you how to engage in self-regulation and self-analysis.
Automotive training aimed at overcoming obsessive fears can help.
Art therapy will also be useful, which will allow you to use art to depict your phobia and try to overcome it.
Group therapy has worked well, where people with similar problems try to improve their social communication skills.

It is important to understand that many fears are born in childhood, so the task of parents is to monitor the child’s condition. If you see the first alarm bells, act immediately. If you want to prevent the development of anthropophobia in your child, respect his opinion and protect him from aggression and negative shocks.

Traditional medicine methods

If you have already been interested in how to treat anthropophobia, then you probably know that there are no special medications intended for this purpose. Antipsychotics and neuroleptics may be prescribed, which simultaneously harm other body systems and have significant side effects. Doctors themselves often suggest using traditional medicine. However, self-medication in this case is unacceptable.

Beetroot juice. Calming influences the human condition. Take a third of a glass of freshly squeezed juice and put it in the refrigerator for three hours to steep. After this, mix in a one to one ratio with honey. The finished medicine must be consumed throughout the day, taken half an hour before meals.
Mint infusion. Take a tablespoon of dried plant leaves per glass of boiling water, leave to steep for 15 minutes, then filter. If necessary, add honey. This drug is taken at night.
Motherwort juice. This plant is an excellent sedative. The grass is crushed, the juice is squeezed out of it, and thirty drops are drunk three times a day.
Ginseng. Is a stimulant of the nervous system. Use crushed root and leaves in equal proportions. Twenty grams of the resulting mixture is poured into 200 ml of boiling water, left to steep for half an hour, and then filtered. The medicine should be taken one teaspoon in the morning.
Carrot juice. You need to drink freshly squeezed, a glass every day.
Melissa infusion. For three hundred ml of boiling water, take one and a half tablespoons of the crushed plant (its leaves), leave to infuse for 15 minutes, and then filter. You need to drink half a glass three times a day.
Hawthorn. A tablespoon of the plant (its fruits) is ground, poured with boiling water (one glass), and left to steep for two hours, preferably in a thermos. After this, filter. You need to take two tablespoons before meals three times a day.

Story

Phobias have been known since ancient times. The concept of social disorders was mentioned as early as 400 BC. e. One of the first references to scopophobia was by Hippocrates, who commented on an overly shy individual, explaining: "Such a person loves darkness as light and thinks everyone is watching him."

The term “social phobia” (phobie sociale) was first coined in 1903 by French psychiatrist Pierre Janet. He used the term to describe patients who exhibited a fear of being noticed in daily activities such as talking, playing the piano, or writing.

In 1906, the psychiatric journal Alienist and Neurologist described scopophobia:

“We called the fear of being noticed scoptophobia. To a minor extent, this is painful shyness when the patient covers his face with his hands. He avoids guests and tries to disappear from sight where possible. Scopophobia is more common among women than men.”

Later in the same work, the disorder is defined as "the fear of seeing people."

Adviсe

A new hobby can help fight a phobia

Work with your inner state.
Clear your thoughts, start thinking positively, and treat yourself well.
There is no need to live in past events or try to blame others for your problems.
Try to take up some hobby, find a hobby or devote yourself to sports. This way you can improve your health and psyche, and you will feel more relaxed in communicating with other people.
There is no need to be too biased towards yourself. Remember that everyone can make mistakes. No one will blame you for this.

Now you know what the fear of people is called, what kind of phobia it is. You need to understand that in the presence of such a condition, a person’s life cannot be full. He will lack normal communication, the opportunity to coexist with other people, and to develop comprehensively. There is no need to isolate yourself, protect yourself from others, or live in your own little world. If you notice that you or someone close to you are exhibiting characteristic signs, it is better to immediately begin treatment; do not be afraid to seek help from a psychotherapist.

Diagnosis of pathology

A competent psychologist can diagnose pathology after a detailed conversation with the patient, during which he finds out the person’s mental abilities and his physical development. Children are recommended to be with their parents when they see a psychologist, as it is sometimes difficult for a child to describe his problems and talk about his fears. In some cases, a test is performed. There are different types of testing for phobias, it depends on what kind of fear the person is facing.

It is very important to understand that a person suffering from social phobia will never be able to seek help on their own, much less agree with the need for treatment. As a rule, these people do not admit their destructive mental state for a long time, even to themselves.

How to behave in society

When an individual withdraws into himself, he loses communication skills. Every exit into a public place turns into a test, but without communication there is no full life. While in society, you need to:

Don't be afraid to speak and express your opinion. Often a person is afraid not of conversation, but of resistance and a negative reaction. It is necessary to realize that if they do not agree with the expressed opinion, nothing terrible will happen;
Come to meetings. You should not refuse invitations to events or walks. Having received an invitation, a person must realize that he is welcome, otherwise they would not invite him;
Do not avoid communication, answer phone calls. You won’t be able to immediately avoid anxiety during a conversation, but you don’t need to remain silent either. You need to speak calmly and measuredly, not forgetting to inhale and exhale in time.

Note! After spending a long time without communication, speaking skills are lost and diction deteriorates. People are not only afraid, but also cannot structure their speech correctly. To feel confident and ready to answer a question, you need to do exercises to develop diction and read books. A good speech always adds confidence.

Symptoms

The main symptom of anthropophobia is fear of people. In advanced cases, exams, large gatherings of people, and public speaking can cause trembling throughout the body, shortness of breath, panic, nausea or numbness, as well as an irresistible desire to quickly hide from prying eyes.

There are a lot of symptoms by which you can tell that your friend has a fear of people. So, for example, many people suffering from it say “I’m afraid to look people in the eyes”, “I’m afraid and don’t know what to do, how to react if someone approaches me.” Specific features in another person can also frighten an anthropophobe - beard or mustache, eyes, baldness, a certain age. Such people may experience fear if someone stranger is nearby, fear of the touch of a stranger.

Many people say that they feel a sense of fear at the thought that strangers might be looking at them, or if they are simply in a crowd. Some people experience fear of strangers, some people have fear of strangers, and some people simply have a fear of communicating with anyone. Fear of drunk, red-haired, fat, or noisy people may develop. And for some, anthropophobia may be expressed through a fear of speaking in front of others (including reports, exams and other public speaking).

An anthropophobe is especially afraid of looking into the eyes of others or the possibility that the eyes of strangers will look at him. Why is that? The underlying fear is fear of being judged by others.

This is how this phobia is described by anthropophobes:

“I always feel like there’s something wrong with my appearance or clothes; if I have to do something, everything comes out awkward, wrong and funny to those around me, and I’m afraid to look into their eyes, lest I see how they they laugh at me";
“When I have to communicate with someone, I am constantly haunted by a feeling of discomfort, excitement, my heart, as they say, jumps out of my chest, my palms sweat, I’m scared to look into his eyes, I want to quickly end this conversation and be left alone”;
“When communicating with others, I constantly get confused, I stammer, I’m afraid to look my interlocutor in the eyes, I stumble, I drop things, so I’m terribly worried, and I don’t know what to do to stop being so awkward”;
“When I realize that I will have to communicate with others or go to some event, I experience a feeling of panic that I cannot get rid of”;
“I constantly think about what and how I can do to avoid communicating with others.”

If the phobia is mild, you just need to make certain volitional efforts to overcome the feeling of fear. But if the patient’s phobia is in an advanced state, then all these symptoms progress, and he, not knowing what and how to do to get rid of it, can completely withdraw from communicating with people.