Index
WHAT IS ALGOPHOBIA?
The algophobia is a specific type of phobia highly prevalent among the population elderly and children. This alteration is characterized by greatly fearing any type of experience related to any type of pain.
PAIN PHOBIA
People with this disorder can develop a high obsession with any situation, circumstance or element that can produce pain sensations .
In this way, this aversion can significantly affect people’s quality of life and modify their habitual behavior.
In short, in this type of aversion, the phobic element is pain as an experience and / or sensation, highlighting that what a person fears with it is the subjective perception of pain.
SYMPTOMS OF ALGOPHOBIA
Anxiety disorders are characterized by producing a specific physical symptomatology.
In the case of the same, the physical symptoms experienced can vary remarkably depending on each case.
Therefore, anxiety responses can take different forms and different modalities in each person.
In this sense, you can experience increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, pupil dilation, excessive sweating and muscle tension are some of the most visible symptoms.
Similarly, headaches or stomach pains, the feeling of vertigo, dizziness, and experiences of unreality are other physical symptoms that can appear in this phobia.
On the other hand, the other group of symptoms that define the anxiety response are those related to the individual’s thinking and cognition.
In fact, physically noticeable symptoms are always accompanied by a series of feedback thoughts .
Thoughts can be presented in different ways depending on each case, and cognitions related to the fear of the feared stimulus tend to be numerous and difficult to control without the help of a specialist.
Similarly, all of them are characterized by having a highly negative content on the phobic stimulus.
Therefore, people who suffer from algophobia will develop a lot of negative thoughts both about the experience of feeling pain and their ability to cope with these types of situations.
HOW TO TREAT ALGOPHOBIA
It is important to note that the therapy that has been shown to be the most effective in the intervention of algophobia is undoubtedly cognitive behavioral treatment .
The factor that could increase the anxiety and fear responses of this phobia is the avoidance that people perform on the stimuli that can cause pain.
In this way, the basic aspect that is treated is the exposure to said fear gradually , preventing the individual from avoiding their feared situations and approaching them until they overcome the phobic fear.
In some cases, direct or live exposure can be difficult for the patient to assimilate, so imagination exposure is also frequently used.
Also, cognitive therapy is invaluable in changing all those distorted thoughts about pain and illness.
Alexa Clark specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She has experience in listening and welcoming in Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy. It meets demands such as generalized anxiety, professional, love and family conflicts, stress, depression, sexual dysfunction, grief, and adolescents from 15 years of age. Over the years, She felt the need to conduct the psychotherapy sessions with subtlety since She understands that the psychologist acts as a facilitator of self-understanding and self-acceptance, valuing each person's respect, uniqueness, and acceptance.
