A phobia simply refers to fear of a certain thing. It is quite normal to have fear but excessive fearing without any solid reason is not normal and it requires treatment. Most of us suffer from some kind of phobia or the other. The root cause of all phobias is our mind. If we constantly worry or fear about something that the amount and intensity of fear for that particular thing increases in our body and it gradually takes form of a phobia.
As it is all mind game, we need to avoid free spins of our mind and try to control our thoughts. There are hundreds of phobias and in this article we are going to talk about two most common phobias – Clinophobia and Misophobia.
Clinophobia means the fear of going to bed. There are many people who fear at the very thought of going to bed. Night and darkness fill them with fright and panic. Like many other phobias, Clinophobia can easily be identified by the victim. People often get confused between treatment and cure. Treatment can only give partial relief, but cure means to get completely rid of the illness. All the phobias are completely curable provided the victim has will power and willingness to come out of the phobia. There are many therapies, which can help the sufferer overcome Clinophobia.
1. Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy means putting yourself in increasingly stressful situations and overcoming the fear or the phobia involved. In this therapy, the victim describes the fear to the therapist and any incident of the past which contributed to its severity. The therapist accordingly prepares a treatment plan. The plan will include a list of situations that lead to or trigger the fear. The victim will then have to face each situation one by one under the supervision and guidance of the therapist. Gradually the victim realizes that panic and fear lessens within a few minutes after encountering the fear. Deep breathing and relaxation exercises help reduce the fear.
2. Self-help Therapy
Self help therapy means overcoming your fears on your own. The fact is that any therapy works only when the sufferer is ready to accept the treatment process and respond to it accordingly. All kinds of phobias involve the mental ties that stop the person from doing something causing fear and anxiety in them. Self-help therapy means breaking those mental ties which cause fear when going to bed. This therapy involves anything that can help someone feel relaxed.
3. Talk Therapy and Group Therapy
Group therapy involves talking to people who are going through same problems. Sometimes, talking to such people and following their techniques help overcome the fear. Talk therapy includes behavioral therapy, which focuses on helping an individual change their behavior, which may lead to change in how they feel and react. A well trained and qualified psychiatrist can help the victim, deal with fear and phobias, by helping him gain control over unwanted behaviors.
4. Yoga and Meditation
A Clinophobe often experiences anxiety, dizziness, inflated heartbeat, heart palpitation and a feeling of terror and panic. Yoga and meditation help in relaxing the muscles and attaining composure. Yoga and meditation also help in correcting behavioral response to any kind of phobia. There is a common saying that, "Healthy mind rests in a healthy body" and yoga and meditation keeps the body and mind fit and healthy. In severe cases, the sufferer may also be given anti-anxiety medication. Like any other phobia, Clinophobia must be treated at the earliest possible stage else it may become a debilitating condition affecting the overall growth and performance of an individual.
Dealing with Misophobia
Misophobia also called Mysophobia and germophobia is a fear of germs and dirt. Misophobia is a common symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder that involves unwanted thoughts and excessive and compulsive actions like constantly washing hands. It is good to be hygienic, but anything that exceeds limit needs immediate check and control. Mysophobe is a term used for people dealing with this fear. The mysophobe considers any exposure to dirt and germs as harmful causing serious illness. Phobia of any kind is an irrational fear of an object or situation and should be dealt at the earliest.
The mysophobe may avoid shaking hands with people, sharing items with anyone even known’s, avoid touching anything used or touched by another person or use an excessive amount of soap or hand sanitizer. Other people may think of them as a paranoid and corner themselves from such people leading them to isolation. There are several treatments, which can cure mysophobia completely although it mainly depends on the sufferer for he has to change the perceptions and accept the change.
Hypnotherapy
Germs are a regular part of the environment, and we come in contact with them on a regular basis. Hypnotherapy corrects the thoughts working in the subconscious mind that lead to fear of dirt and germs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the therapist guides the sufferer through a series of situations where the sufferer has to deal with the situations he fears the most. The therapy starts on a very basic level and gets toughen after each step. It may start from a simple handshake to more intense exposures such as touching the garbage. Everyday exposure to germs and dust helps develop strong immunity system which help in fighting with common diseases.
Energy Psychology
Energy Psychology although based on the roots of Acupuncture doesn't involve needle piercing. Rather it can be called an emotional puncture without the needles. This therapy helps change the behavior quickly and easily. Thought patters change rapidly. The sufferer learns to relax and focus on better things in life than germs and dirt.
Self Help Therapy
The sufferer needs to know the actual cause of the fear. The reason could be something unpleasant related to past. The sufferer needs to control the negative thoughts as negative thoughts are strong enough to wash away any positive thought. Deep breathing, yoga, muscle relaxation also helps avoid the negative thoughts. The sufferer may take the help of his family and friends to overcome this phobia.
