Haptophobia is a specific phobia defined by the fear of physical contact. The patient is afraid of being touched by others or of touching them himself. Any physical contact triggers a state of panic in the haptophobe. Like specific phobias, the treatments proposed to fight against haptophobia consist in deconstructing this fear of being touched by gradually confronting it.

Definition of haptophobia

Haptophobia is a specific phobia defined by the fear of physical contact.

The patient is afraid of being touched by others or of touching them himself. This contemporary phenomenon has no connection with mysophobia which defines the fear of being in contact or of being contaminated by germs or microbes.

The person with haptophobia exaggerates the normal tendency to preserve their personal space. Any physical contact triggers a state of panic in the haptophobe. Hugging someone, kissing or even waiting in a crowd are very difficult situations for a haptophobe to handle.

Haptophobia is also known as haphephobia, aphephobia, haphophobia, aphenphosmophobia or thixophobia.

Types of haptophobias

There is only one type of haptophobia.

Causes of haptophobia

Different causes can be at the origin of haptophobia:

• A trauma, like a physical assault, especially sexual;
• An identity crisis. To cope with a lack of esteem, the judgment of others, the person suffering from haptophobia keeps control over his body;
• The modification of Western thought: to respect for each person’s origin is gradually added respect for each body. Touching the other then becomes disrespectful in this current of thought.

Diagnosis of haptophobia

The first diagnosis of haptophobia, made by an attending physician via the description of the problem experienced by the patient himself, will or will not justify the establishment of therapy.

This diagnosis is made on the basis of the criteria of the specific phobia of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders:

• The phobia must persist beyond six months;
• The fear must be exaggerated vis-à-vis the real situation, the danger incurred;
• Patients avoid the situation that caused their initial phobia;
• Fear, anxiety and avoidance cause significant distress that interferes with social or professional functioning.

People affected by haptophobia

Women are more concerned with haptophobia than men.

Factors promoting haptophobia

Some of the risk factors for haptophobia include:

• An entourage suffering from haptophobia;
• An education with little contact, a lack of tactile stimulation in early childhood.

Distance from others

The haptophobe tends to maintain a distance from other people and even objects.

Feeling of disrespect

The haptophobe feels disrespectful when a person touches him.

Anxious reaction

Contact, or even its mere anticipation, may be enough to trigger an anxious reaction in haptophobes.

Acute anxiety attack

In some situations, the anxiety reaction can lead to an acute anxiety attack. These attacks come on suddenly but can stop just as quickly. They last between 20 and 30 minutes on average.

Other symptoms

• Rapid heartbeat;
• Sweat ;
• Tremors;
• Chills or hot flashes;
• Dizziness or vertigo;
• Impression of breathlessness;
• Tingling or numbness;
• Chest pain ;
• Feeling of strangulation;
• Nausea;
• Fear of dying, going crazy or losing control;
• Impression of unreality or detachment from oneself.

Like all phobias, haptophobia is all the easier to treat if it is treated as soon as it appears. Different therapies, associated with relaxation techniques, make it possible to search for the cause of haptophobia, if it exists, then to deconstruct the fear of physical contact by gradually confronting it:

• Psychotherapy;
• Cognitive and behavioral therapies;
• Hypnosis;
• Cyber ​​therapy, which allows the patient to be gradually exposed to physical contact in virtual reality;
• The Emotional Management Technique (EFT). This technique combines psychotherapy with acupressure – pressure with the fingers. It stimulates specific points on the body with the aim of releasing tensions and emotions. The aim is to dissociate the trauma – here linked to touch – from the discomfort felt, from fear.
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or desensitization and reprocessing by eye movements;
• Mindfulness meditation.

Taking antidepressants may be considered to limit panic and anxiety.

Difficult to prevent hematophobia. On the other hand, once the symptoms have eased or disappeared, the prevention of relapse can be improved with the help of relaxation techniques:

• Breathing techniques;
• Sophrology;
• Yoga.

The haptophobe must also learn to speak about his phobia, in particular to the medical profession, so that the professionals are aware of it and adjust their gesture accordingly.