Contents
Hello, dear readers of the site! Apeirophobia is a panic fear of infinity and eternal life. And today we will explore why it occurs and by what signs it can be determined.
What is it like?
Powerful personalities of different times devoted their whole lives to the search for the philosopher’s stone, wishing to gain immortality.
And most people are afraid to die. The only thing that supports them is the idea of paradise, which makes it possible to exist in the afterlife. To build relationships with those who also ended up there, to meet acquaintances, relatives and just rejoice, experience peace and tranquility.
But for apeirophobes, the situation is completely opposite. Even the thought of eternal existence, even if it is young and beautiful, leads to panic. Understanding how huge our Universe is, or rather, that it is infinite, is frightening to the point of horror and loss of consciousness.
After all, then it turns out that a person is an insignificant insect invisible because of its tiny size in the solar system. Especially if you compare its size with the distances between galaxies, black holes and so on.
Some are terrified by the idea that at some point they realize that they have felt and known everything that is possible. It’s just that nothing can be changed. And then it turns out that they are simply stuck in this eternity. Doomed to torment and suffering from the hopelessness of their condition.
Symptoms
At the moment of an attack of fear, it seems to a person that he is about to die. Because his heart will stop or he will suffocate.
Indeed, during a panic attack, breathing becomes frequent and superficial. This leads to excessively high levels of oxygen in the blood.
Then there is dizziness and a feeling that there is not enough air. And if you think about the fact that after death, eternal life awaits him, the panic will only intensify.
Which will lead to complete disorientation due to the loss of control over one’s behavior and the ability to think rationally, adequately perceive the environment.
For example, with screams, he can jump out into the street in search of a safe place, but not notice an oncoming car and get into an accident.
Also, the most characteristic somatic signs that occur in principle with any phobic disorder are nausea, vomiting, tremor of the limbs, diarrhea, increased pressure, sweating, and pain in the chest and stomach.
Usually, all these symptoms arise when talking about the vastness of the Universe, life and death, watching films about space and just suddenly appearing thoughts about eternity and the meaninglessness of one’s existence.
They affect the emotional sphere of the personality so much that it often loses sleep along with peace. And insomnia, as you know, leads to poor health, both physical and mental.
After all, at night it is important for the body to restore the resources that were spent during the day, to provide energy to all systems so that there are no failures in their work. But all this does not happen, respectively, there is apathy, nervous exhaustion, depression, and so on.
And if you do not seek help in time, the disorder will develop into a severe form. When an apeirophobe simply stops leaving the house, chatting with friends, and taking care of himself. You will learn about the name of this condition and how to deal with it in this article.
Causes
If a person has been in a stressful situation for a long period of time, his psyche at some point may fail in the form of a phobic disorder.
For example, someone may have disturbing thoughts about dogs that can bite them to death. And someone is excited by ideas about eternal life and endless space.
And if you do not get qualified help in a timely manner. Or at least support from loved ones — then the condition will gradually worsen. Until it becomes critical.
Also, viewing some kind of scientific or fantastic, mystical film about the Universe, the other world or the despair of immortal entities can also affect the occurrence of apeirophobia.
Particularly impressionable personalities are so imbued with what they see that they subsequently simply lose their peace.
In general, the tendency to mental disorders is often inherited. Yes, and children who were brought up by adults with certain phobias adopt their ways of reaction and type of behavior in critical situations.
Treatment
Apeirophobia is not well studied by specialists, if only because it was discovered quite recently, around the end of the 20th century.
Despite this, you should immediately seek medical help as soon as you encounter the first manifestations of the disorder.
A psychotherapist will help you figure out why you are bothered by obsessive thoughts and are so afraid of the possibility of living forever, albeit outside the physical body. What is behind these fears and why do you need them at all.
For example, some people have some sort of irrational fear that keeps them safe. That is, they take less risks, do not get involved in dubious adventures, and so on.
Hypnosis has proven itself well in the treatment of phobias. In this case, by contacting a hypnotherapist, you will be able to change the type of perception of frightening stimuli by immersing yourself in a trance.
The psychiatrist, in addition to accurately diagnosing your condition, will be able to prescribe accompanying medications. Let’s say the same sleeping pill that is not available without a prescription or a sedative to calm down in moments when emotions are too intense.
Methods
Self help for panic
If you have a panic attack, breathe into your hands. The carbon dioxide released on exhalation normalizes the level of oxygen in the blood, which will allow you to recover a little, calm down.
Then try shifting your attention away from the frightening thoughts to your surroundings. Just look around, what do you see, hear? Do you feel your body, how it is in contact with some surface? Is someone close to you? What does he look like, what is he wearing?
These simple questions will gradually allow you to return to reality and regain control over your mind.
affirmations
Positive affirmations are specially formed statements. Which are perceived at the subconscious level and allow you to change the quality of life. Attitude towards it and even the style of behavior, human reactions to various stimuli.
Most often they are used to increase self-esteem. Love yourself and believe in your strength, achieve success and prosperity. But affirmations are quite effective in the fight against phobias.
You need to write a short sentence in the present tense without using the «not» particle. For example, instead of: “I am not afraid of space and the afterlife,” write: “I calmly react to thoughts about the vastness of our Universe.”
And in the mornings, as well as in the evenings, repeat the phrase you personally invented, depending on the desired effect, 20 times. You can also write it on small pieces of paper and hang it around the house.
To enhance the effect, it is recommended to use affirmations in the process of meditation. Because during the period of peace and tranquility, our brain produces certain impulses, thanks to which thoughts materialize. You will learn more about how it works in the article about alpha rendering.
Awareness
Take a sheet with a pen, and, choosing the moment when you will be completely alone, think about why exactly you need this fear of infinity. Try to sketch at least 5 options for its usefulness directly in your life.
This task may seem strange and unrealistic. But diseases, in particular mental ones, often perform certain functions, bringing a person, so to speak, dividends.
For example, when he has certain restrictions, society is not so demanding on him. Or he himself is less engaged in self-digging and self-flagellation.
In general, try to realize, what if your psyche is trying to satisfy needs in this way that cannot be realized in other ways?
Completion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! There is another phobia associated with an irrational fear of space, the universe.
It is, of course, a little different from apeirophobia, mostly terrified by the starry sky, but still. Click here and you will learn in more detail what astrophobia is and how it is treated.
Take care of yourself and your peace of mind!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina