Selacophobia (fear Of Sharks): Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
If we think about some of the most fearsome predators in the seas and oceans, probably the first creature that comes to mind is the shark.
It is one of the most lethal and effective predators in the aquatic environment, which has thrived for millions of years. There are many legends and myths that tell us about its powerful jaws and its reputation as a man-eater, something that has permeated our society and made us fear it.
But although it is not strange that there is concern and fear in the presence of these creatures (after all, they are large predators), for some the mere possibility that there may be something that reminds them of them or even seeing them in photographs can lead to the appearance of anxiety attacks. We are talking about selachophobia or extreme fear of sharks
It is called selakophobia the phobia or panic of sharks or sharks As a phobia that involves the existence of an irrational or excessive fear in relation to the potential danger that the appearance or existence of a specific stimulus may entail. This fear generates a high level of anxiety that tends to cause physiological, cognitive and emotional symptoms.
Symptoms
The fear generated by the possible presence of the stimulus, or any element associated with it, can cause tachycardia, hyperventilation, hypersweating and in some cases it could lead to anxiety crises (in which thoughts of losing control of one’s body, of dying or suffering from cardiac arrest could appear).
Likewise, this fear and/or the anticipation that the stimulus may appear generates the need to escape the stimulus that makes you think of sharks or to avoid at all costs any situation or environment in which there may be a risk of the feared stimulus appearing.
In the case of selakophobia, the fear of sharks is part of the specific phobias linked to animals, and in fact it could be considered a subspecification of ichthyophobia or phobia of fish. Thus, the subject with this problem will feel intense fear when seeing sharks, whether directly in nature or from films or even photographs.
It should be taken into account that this is a phobia that has to do with animals and in this case a dangerous one, so the existence of a certain concern in their presence may be natural. However, the phobic reaction in the case of selakophobia is excessive or remains constant. in situations where there is no real danger that sharks may appear.
Although on a daily basis and for most people contact with sharks is not frequent, selakophobia can have important repercussions on a person’s daily life especially when it comes to enjoying leisure in aquatic environments or when it comes to hindering the development of certain professions.
The fear of this type of animal causes us to avoid not only the sharks themselves (which are difficult to find on a daily basis), but this fear can be generalized and include associated stimuli, such as movements of fins on the surface of the shark. water, jaws or teeth that resemble those of a shark or even the vision or idea of ​​walking along the coast, going to the beach, bathing or sunbathing near the water or even in some cases seeing bathers or even a surfboard. surf.
At a professional level, individuals such as marine biologists or lifeguards may find their capabilities severely limited due to the fear of having to deal with sharks. Also surfers and swimmers They may end up developing a general fear of water by association with the risk of being attacked.
In this sense, a phobia that may appear to be associated with selakophobia or ichthyophobia is thalassophobia, or phobia of the ocean or of swimming in large areas of water. In this case the link would be given by the fact that it would be in this context that real contact with sharks would be possible, which makes it very significant and anxiety-inducing for the subject with selakophobia. Likewise, the presence of fear of sharks can contribute to increasing the fear generated by large expanses of water for subjects with thalassophobia.
Causes of fear of sharks
The causes of selakophobia are not completely known, although There are multiple hypotheses and ideas about it and it is considered that there is no single original cause but rather that this fear comes from a host of factors.
One of the hypotheses being considered in this regard is Seligman’s preparation theory, which stipulates that some phobias have a phylogenetically inherited component that makes it easier for us to fear certain stimuli.
This theory is usually associated with the fear of spiders, snakes or insects, since our ancestors had to learn that some of these creatures were dangerous and could cause death. Those who avoided them would probably have a better chance of surviving, so the tendency to avoid them could be easily transmitted.
The same goes for sharks. Although They are not as aggressive as the literature and cinema in which they are drawn and the number of deaths they cause is relatively low, the truth is that they are really powerful predators with lethal potential. When our ancestors began to navigate the seas and oceans, encountering these animals could mean death, so fear may have spread in the same way.
Another factor to take into account is the way in which they attack their prey: generally the sharks attack from below, from the depths, so that many of their prey cannot see the attack coming. The surprise and uncertainty of being stalked can increase the level of fear generated by approaching environments where these animals may exist.
In addition to this, another possible explanation or factor to take into account is the existence of some traumatic event that has to do with sharks. Among them may be having suffered an attack or having witnessed one, having seen a death caused by a shark or the circumstantial association of one of these beings with a moment of great pain or suffering.
In this sense It is also worth taking into account the role of cinema (in fact there was a rebound in this type of phobia due to the Jaws movies) and fictional literature, where the figure of these beings is drawn as murderers who seek to devour human flesh (an exaggerated and erroneous figure, since in its most do not attack human beings except by mistake).
Exposure to this type of films and documents can provoke a learning or association between the animal and death or pain, which can become fixed in a cognitive scheme that awakens with some type of stressful event.
Treatment
Selacophobia is a condition that fortunately can be treated successfully in therapy. As a general rule, phobias are usually treated through exposure therapy or systematic desensitization which are based on exposure to the phobic stimulus until anxiety is reduced by itself or through habituation to performing a behavior incompatible with it.
Both techniques suppose that the subject faces the phobic stimulus, albeit gradually, and seek not so much to eliminate anxiety and fear as to achieve the ability to manage it successfully (something that in the long run can take its toll). disappearance).
To do this, a hierarchy of stimuli is established that generate different levels of anxiety, which are negotiated between therapist and patient and then ordered based on the level of anxiety generated by each of them. Little by little and starting with those that generate medium anxiety, The subject will face increasingly more anxiety-inducing stimuli (To move from one stimulus to another, the subject must report at least two consecutive occasions the reduction of anxiety to minimal or non-existent levels).
This type of exposure can be complex to carry out in vivo, something that could complicate treatment. Even so, it is possible to carry out exposures to situations such as walking along the beach, swimming or sailing in the sea or even going to an aquarium to see these animals.
In addition to this, today technological development has allowed the generation of immersive and interactive environments through the use of virtual reality , which can greatly help treat selakophobia or other phobias whose phobic stimulus is difficult to access. Sometimes exposure in imagination is also used, and sometimes hypnosis is even useful.
Another type of therapy relevant in these cases is cognitive behavioral therapy, specifically cognitive restructuring. Through this, the set of maladaptive or dysfunctional cognitions, fears, expectations and beliefs that can generate or maintain fear can be treated.
Those situations that may have created fear should also be treated, especially if we are facing a traumatic event experienced by the subject. Information regarding the danger of sharks and existing myths regarding them should also be discussed.
Relaxation techniques can be helpful to learn to control anxiety levels, in addition to being able to be used as an incompatible response to anxiety in systematic desensitization. Finally, if necessary, the use of anxiolytic drugs can be used to reduce anxiety in situations that generate excessive levels of anxiety.
