Fear of touch is a modern phobia of megacities. People are starting to live more and more individually. The degree of nervousness and distrust of people in big cities is increasing. Personal boundaries are expanding, fewer and fewer people live in villages and communal apartments. Habitual hugs and handshakes may be unacceptable for people suffering from this phobia.
What is the fear of touch called?
The name of the fear of being touched by strangers is not known to all people who suffer from this phobia. It is called haptophobia and is an irrational fear of being touched by strangers , and in rarer situations, by loved ones. Discomfort and hostility are caused by both targeted and accidental touches.
This mental disorder goes by several names:
- thixophobia;
- aphenfosmophobia;
- haptophobia.
Fear of touch is a fairly rare phobia . It causes serious inconvenience to a person, significantly complicating not only his personal, but also his usual social life.
The reasons for the occurrence of such a phobia
All the reasons why touch phobia develops are divided into two groups - internal and external. Fear often appears against the background of several factors, but one of them is always dominant .
The most common external causes of haptophobia :
- nervous tension;
- autism;
- hormonal imbalances with consequences in the form of decreased libido;
- chronic diseases of the nervous system;
- hereditary predisposition.
Among the internal reasons are character traits . People who are most prone to haptophobia are reserved, reserved people, introverts, who keep to themselves and who like to spend time alone. Such adults and children perceive any intrusion into their personal space extremely painfully and aggressively.
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Also, the reasons for the development of haptophobia can be racist beliefs , and in women - hostility towards men against the backdrop of sexual violence.
How does it manifest itself?
Haptophobia is directly related to a person’s personal boundaries and violations of his personal space . A person who is afraid of being touched reacts very strongly when someone gets too close to them and accidentally touches them. If for ordinary people this can only cause discomfort, then for a haptophobe it can cause an attack of an unmotivated panic attack.
The main signs of fear of touch:
- severe dizziness;
- drop or increase in blood pressure;
- nausea, vomiting;
- trembling in the arms or legs;
- increased sweating;
- increased heart rate.
People suffering from haptophobia try to avoid traveling on public transport and visiting crowded places, and cover their body and arms with thick and closed clothing. In case of accidental tactile contact, the haptophobe shudders sharply, becomes frightened, can become aggressive, trembles and may develop an attack of suffocation.
Androphobia: symptoms
An unpleasant feature of androphobia is an incorrect interpretation of the patient’s condition. A woman who suffers from a panicky fear of men is often classified by society among the ranks of ardent feminists, and for the majority, the question of her mental health does not arise. At the same time, ladies with androphobia often mistakenly believe that they have every good reason to avoid interaction with members of the opposite sex. Almost all women, dependent on panic fear of the powers that be, are convinced that they do not need contacts with men, and such contacts are fraught with disastrous consequences.
The presence of an abnormal fear of men often prevents the essence of the problem from being recognized and prevents patients from seeking medical help in a timely manner. The most comfortable option for a person with androphobia is to choose protective behavior for themselves. Persons who are afraid of men deliberately limit to a minimum or completely eliminate any contact with male representatives. They rarely communicate with male colleagues. Such persons do not have friends and acquaintances among the guys. Ladies do not go on romantic dates, ignore the benefits of intimate relationships, and do not make attempts to create a strong family.
A person who is terribly afraid of men does not visit public places where there may be a crowd of men. Such a subject will never end up in stadiums or become a regular at a beer bar. In severe cases of the disorder, the subject completely turns into a house “prisoner”, since any outing into the world is fraught with a meeting with males.
When confronted with male objects, a person with this disorder rapidly develops symptoms of panic attacks. In case of crisis in a subject:
- the skin turns pale or takes on a bright red color;
- internal trembling and chills are felt, followed by hot flashes;
- tremor of the limbs is determined;
- heart rate increases;
- blood pressure jumps sharply;
- there is a feeling of lack of air;
- there is a feeling of loss of balance;
- the urge to urinate becomes more frequent;
- sweat secretion increases.
In severe cases of the disease, the subject may become addicted to drugs or alcohol, with the help of which he tries to minimize the experience of fear. In the future, addictions often provoke suicidal thoughts and become the cause of suicide attempts.
Types of haptophobia
Depending on the severity, there are three forms of haptophobia, each of which has its own specific characteristics :
- Mild - hostility is quite tolerable, most often it arises exclusively in relation to strangers. It responds well to treatment.
- Medium – the unpleasant feeling extends to loved ones.
- Severe – advanced stage, at which any touch to another person causes panic fear.
A severe form of haptophobia makes social life impossible , in which case urgent psychotherapeutic help is required.
What problems can a phobia be confused with?
In some cases, haptophobia can be confused with other problems that have similar symptoms.
Among them we can highlight:
- schizophrenia;
- paranoia;
- agoraphobia;
- avoidance disorders;
- psychoses;
- asexuality.
But haptophobia can be confused not only with a variety of psychological problems , but also with the specific character of a person - for example, a narrow personal space.
Why are children afraid of touching?
Most often, fear of other people's touches develops in children from single-parent families or those whose parents are emotionally cold. They have not taught the child warm communication and tactile contact with other people, so any touch causes him to panic.
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Causes of haptophobia in children:
- Physical punishment;
- sexual violence;
- cruelty in treatment by relatives.
In adolescence, boys most often suffer from haptophobia . They fear that touching a girl will provoke sexual arousal and attract everyone's attention to him.
Adults
Fear of touch in adults can be caused by a wide variety of factors. The most common ones include :
- Diseases of mental and neurological origin - psychasthenia, psychosis, obsessive and depressive states.
- Intellectual development disorders - autism, retardation.
- Pathological passion for cleanliness - any contact with another person causes increased disgust and a desire to immediately wash your hands or wipe them with an antiseptic.
- Abuse , physical punishment, or sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence.
- Nazism and racism - panic fear is caused only by tactile contacts with people of certain nationalities.
Phobia of people touching can be caused by the personality traits of a haptophobe. Such people have extremely limited personal space - they do not tolerate any intrusion into it by others.
Causes of fear of men in women
Hemophobia - what is it?
There are several reasons for this pathological condition. The most famous of them are:
- Negative life experiences gained during close relationships with men;
- Tendency towards non-traditional sexual orientation;
- Memories of childhood abuse;
- Subconscious desire not to get married and not have children.
If a professional psychologist has diagnosed androphobia, not everyone will understand what it is. This term entered practical psychology relatively recently. Fear of the male sex has an interesting feature: it intensifies in public places and transport, which significantly worsens the patient’s quality of life.
Girls may be afraid of meeting a guy in person because they are not confident in their own appearance or figure. Here ladies are afraid not of the men themselves, but of the risk of looking ugly or ridiculous in their presence. In this case, the correction will be slightly different and will take longer. This disorder is more common in young girls than in older women.
The disorder is often diagnosed in women who grew up in dysfunctional families
How to get rid of this phobia
To get rid of haptophobia, it is necessary to establish why the touch of others causes an attack of panic fear . During the conversation, the specialist clarifies all the details of the haptophobe’s childhood and establishes the fact of sexual and physical violence. Depending on the severity of the disorder, treatment is carried out using psychotherapy sessions or medications.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy helps to get rid of haptophobia even in severe advanced stages . Various psychotherapeutic methods are used for treatment - individual conversations and group sessions, hypnosis, psychoanalysis and methods of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. The main goal of such classes is to gradually bring the patient closer to his fear and adequately perceive the touch of other people.
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Medicines
Medicines are prescribed if haptophobia is accompanied by complications , develops against the background of another mental disorder or hormonal imbalance in the body.
To treat phobic disorder, antidepressants and medications from the group of beta-blockers are prescribed.
What kind of phobia is this
Fear of men is a disorder that prevents girls and women from having relationships with men. Statistics say that 20% of the fairer sex cannot find a partner precisely because they deliberately avoid any communication with men (guys). This phobia may seem strange to some, but nevertheless it exists. It is called androphobia because “andros” is translated from Greek as “courageous”. It is known that this fear:
- More often diagnosed in younger rather than older patients;
- It prevents girls from living and working normally and causes quite a lot of everyday inconvenience;
- May last for several years, gradually intensifying;
- It manifests itself differently in all women.
The main feature of this disease is that it is not possible to completely eliminate the stress factor from the patient’s life, so the phobia needs more careful correction using group and individual methods of psychotherapy.
Is it possible to cope with fear on your own?
To get rid of the fear of touch on your own, you need to try to overcome it. This can be done in a variety of ways - taking acting classes, dancing classes or signing up for group sports.
It is advisable to visit crowded places more often - cafes, discos, shopping and entertainment centers, and travel to work by public transport. When an attack of panic is approaching, breathing techniques are used - such exercises help to relax.
In what cases is specialist help needed?
If the phobia is seriously advanced, it is extremely difficult to get rid of it on your own . In such cases, it is impossible to do without the help of a specialist. As haptophobia progresses, a person tries to isolate himself from society as much as possible, which makes professional activity and personal life impossible for him.
