Hello, dear readers of the site! Ommatophobia is a panicky, irrational fear of the eyes, eyeballs. A person is so afraid that he cannot force himself to even look at his interlocutor, a random passerby.
And today we will try to figure out why this phobia occurs and how it usually manifests itself.
What is it like?
Ommatophobia is a rather rare form of the disorder, but it leads to the emergence of social phobia in a person.
That is, the fear of other people, communication with them. And all because even with the shortest eye contact, he has a panic attack.
Therefore, in order to avoid intense experiences, it is easier for him to distance himself and isolate himself from society. So, at least less disturbing.
For example, having stopped leaving the house, or appearing among people only at night, when you can’t really see faces, let alone eyes.
Only now loneliness against the background of the lack of close relationships provokes depression. Which may well lead to such strong emotional and physical exhaustion that suicide will seem the only way out of this situation.
Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, or rather, the creator of psychoanalysis, suffered from ommatophobia. It was for this reason that he worked with the patient, sitting next to him while he lay on the couch. This allowed him to avoid eye contact, and thus to focus on his work rather than his fears.
Symptoms of manifestation
Behavioral
Ommatophobe seeks to hide his face in order to avoid direct looks with other people. Therefore, you can recognize him by sunglasses, even indoors, a hood on his head or a cap, a hat that is strongly shifted to his forehead.
Naturally, seeing someone with the above set of accessories, you should not jump to conclusions about the mental state. We can talk about a phobia if a person really appears to people only in this form and clearly makes it clear that he is not going to look into anyone’s eyes.
And if he takes off his glasses and directs his gaze to the face of the interlocutor, then he looks directly at the nose or lips. But in no case not in the restricted area. Basically, he tries to stand not opposite, but next to him.
If it does not come out, then it simply does not raise its head. When addressing someone, he may even look at the shoes, both his own and the one to whom he spoke.
Somatic
If it so happened that an ommatophobe saw an eyeball, say, somewhere in the picture, or accidentally made eye contact with some passerby, he may have a panic attack.
It lasts an average of five minutes, but sometimes drags on to several hours. The most minimal time of residence of the state, when the panic seizes, is about a minute.
How quickly a person calms down and comes to his senses depends on how much he is aware in principle about this condition, about what this panic attack is and how to deal with it. And were there people nearby who know how to influence the fob, return it to normal.
Because, realizing that this is not fatal, then at the moment of its occurrence, horror and anxiety will not increase, because of the thoughts that this is all.
For example, it usually pricks in the chest and it is difficult to breathe. This, of course, suggests that he had a heart attack or even something happened to his throat, lungs, and now he will die of suffocation.
The brain receives a signal of danger, respectively, goes into self-preservation mode. That is, it is released from excess fluid in the body so that the weight becomes lighter and you can run faster.
After all, in case of danger, there are 2 types of reaction — to run or freeze. Basically, at the level of instincts, the “flight” program is laid in search of a safe place where you can hide.
So it is not at all surprising that at the moment of horror a person is thrown into a sweat, he has a dry mouth and wants to go to the toilet. There are frequent cases of diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Arms, legs, chin and voice may shake. Yes, and in principle, the gait becomes shaky and uncertain. Some, on the contrary, become active and aggressively push those who stand in the way of the saving exit.
Causes
Ommatophobia begins its development mainly due to experienced severe stress, psychological trauma. Unable to cope with the tension, which turned out to be either too intense or arose when a person did not have resources and energy, the psyche fails in the form of a phobic disorder.
Direct fear of the eyes can manifest itself if, in that traumatic situation, the person fixed his attention on them.
And subsequently, each eye contact became a trigger, subconsciously reminiscent of a terrible event and lived feelings.
The child’s psyche is not able to cope with most of the information that an adult can fully master.
For example, after seeing a fragment from a horror movie where someone’s eyes were torn out and, say, eaten, the child will be so frightened that the image of eyeballs will not give him rest, provoking panic and nightmares.
Also under attack are impressionable individuals who are prone to anxiety.
They, like children, are advised to limit access to films, news and other material that causes shock and horror in order to avoid a deterioration in well-being.
Treatment
As soon as you notice a manifestation of a phobia in yourself or a loved one, be sure to immediately contact a specialist.
Ommatophobia is a mental disorder, there is nothing terrible in it, but it cannot be ignored either. Especially if it leaves a mark on the social life of a person, his health and emotional state.
A psychiatrist will be able to diagnose its presence or absence, so that you yourself do not fantasize and do not suffer from guesswork, is there or not?
He will also prescribe antidepressants. They will help stabilize your mood. Sleeping pills will help normalize sleep, because at night you need to rest and restore resources, and nightmares or insomnia, on the contrary, exhaust the body.
Sedative drugs relax the nervous system, causing the level of anxiety to decrease, or even disappear altogether.
In the process of therapy with a psychotherapist, it will be possible to figure out why you ended up in this state, what exactly provoked the onset of ommatophobia.
And also with life situations that have led to a dead end and prevent you from enjoying every day, developing and moving forward.
In general, receiving qualified help, you will again be able to look people in the eye without experiencing discomfort and anxiety.
Completion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Take care of your health, both physical and emotional.
For example, meditate to find inner harmony, relieve tension after a hard day at work, do not accumulate emotions in yourself.
Limit communication with toxic personalities who only destroy your peace and provoke anger and pain.
If you have an addiction to alcohol, drugs, etc., take it up. Since often mental disorders arise due to addictive behavior and destructive forms of thinking, stereotypes of behavior.
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Take care of yourself and be healthy, happy!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina