Athephobia (fear Of Ruins): Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
In the area of anxiety disorders, we know that there are many rare phobias; Surely, many of them we don’t even know. Perhaps this is the case of the phobia that we will discuss in this article: athephobia, which consists of the phobia of ruins
Here we will see what it consists of, what its predominant symptoms are, its causes and possible treatments framed in psychotherapy that we can use to combat it.
Athephobia is a type of specific phobia, which consists of an intense, irrational and disproportionate fear of ruins.
When we talk about ruins, we mean remains of human architecture That is, structures that have been destroyed over time, either partially or totally, as a result of depopulation, wars, natural disasters… Ruins do not have to cause fear, although they may acquire a mysterious or “ghostly” air. , Especially at night.
In scary, horror or suspense movies, for example, ruins are often used as an element to generate a certain tension in the viewer. If, in addition, the scenes where ruins appear are set at night, this generates more concern or fear.
Disproportionate fear
Still, ruins are not something that can harm anyone (unless they are actually in a state where certain structures could fall), and it is for this reason that, in and of itself, they are not something that “ It must be scary.”
In athephobia, however, there is this intense fear of them. It is important to remember, in this sense, that Phobias are usually generated towards objects or situations that do not have to be scary (or if they do, they do not generate symptoms as intense as phobias).
Precisely for this reason they are phobias, because they are disproportionate fears of a specific object or situation; Phobias also generate interference in the individual’s life, and cause discomfort, in addition to other symptoms that we will see throughout the article.
What are the most frequent symptoms associated with athephobia, beyond discomfort and interference in daily life? Let’s get to know them.
1. Fear or intense anxiety
The main symptom of athephobia is an intense, irrational and disproportionate fear of ruins. These can be of different types: very old or not so old, large or small…
Fear appears in the presence of ruins, or in some cases it is only enough to imagine them to feel it. This fear, in reality, is about a feeling of anxiety and anguish generated by the phobic object and can be of different intensities.
2. Avoidance
The second typical symptom of specific phobias is avoidance of the phobic object or stimulus Thus, in the case of athephobia, one avoids being in contact with ruins, or near them. You also avoid seeing them on television, in movies, newspapers…
It may be that the person, instead of avoiding them, “faces them”, resisting seeing them or being close to them, although, yes, with high anxiety.
3. Psychophysiological symptoms
In athephobia, psychophysiological symptoms also appear, as occurs with most phobias, at the idea of seeing ruins or in the presence of them.
These symptoms translate into various reactions and physical sensations, such as: fast heart rate, sweating, chest tightness, migraines, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath agitation, rapid breathing, feeling of “losing control”, fear of dying, etc.
Many times, these symptoms feed back on themselves, and they also feed back the catastrophic thoughts also associated with phobias, in this case, such as: “I will hurt myself”, “something will fall on me”, “there will be someone hidden who will help me”. will hurt”, etc.
Furthermore, what often happens in athephobia is that the person feels “something” that makes them uncomfortable at the idea of ruin (or a small fear) and that they end up interpreting those physical (or cognitive) sensations in a very catastrophic way, in a very catastrophic way. way that This “wrong” interpretation of the symptoms ends up generating the symptoms of the phobia itself
That is, this entire process ends up becoming a kind of feedback loop that is totally maladaptive for the person because the objective reality (phobic object) will not really hurt you (in fact, this is what phobias are about).
Causes
The most probable and frequent cause of athephobia is a potentially traumatic event or situation experienced in ruins. For example: having gotten lost in them, having been scared in them, having been hurt when something fell, having been very scared in them for “X” reason, etc.
However, a traumatic event is not the only probable cause of athephobia; This may also have developed as a result of hearing negative stories experienced in ruins (for example through television, from friends, family, books…). That is to say, Phobias can also be acquired through vicarious or verbal conditioning
Watching movies where very negative things happen in ruins (for example murders, accidents…) can also be related to the origin of athephobia; If we add to this a certain individual vulnerability (because we are very sensitive, for example, or because we have “inherited” a certain biological predisposition to anxiety disorders in general or to specific phobias in particular), this can facilitate and explain their appearance.
Treatment
In psychotherapy, the treatment of athephobia, like that of most specific phobias, is usually of two types: exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
1. Exposure therapy
In exposure therapy, The patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus or situation, gradually and through a hierarchy of items (from least to most anxiety-inducing, in order). This list of items is prepared jointly with the patient.
In the specific case of athephobia, the following can be chosen: start by seeing ruins through photographs, films, etc., and little by little expose the patient to the ruins in person.
That is, accompany him to visit some ruins (although later he can – and must – do it alone); The first few times, for example, he must get closer to “X” place, and little by little get closer until he touches the ruins and remains in them without anxiety (this will be the objective).
In exposure therapy, the patient must “resist” the anxiety that appears in front of the phobic object , and learn to combat it (for example through a state of relaxation, more typical of Systematic Desensitization). The objective is that the psychophysiological symptoms are finally “disassociated” from the phobic stimulus, and, in the case of athephobia, that they do not appear in the face of the ruins.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is another treatment that we can apply in cases of athephobia. In her, Priority will be given to providing the patient with the necessary resources and strategies to deal with the phobia
More specifically, you will be trained in relaxation techniques, breathing, etc., that is, in different coping techniques that you can use to reduce anxiety when it appears.
Furthermore, CBT also works with the patient’s dysfunctional thoughts associated with the phobic stimulus (for example “I will get hurt in a ruin”, “I will not be able to escape from it…”), helping the patient to replace them with more realistic and adaptive (for example “I don’t have to hurt myself”, “the ruins are not dangerous”, etc.).
