Contents
We are glad to welcome you, dear readers of the site! Phasmophobia is the panicky fear of ghosts, monsters, and anything else your imagination can come up with.
And today we will try to figure out why it occurs, and what steps can be taken to be completely calm in complete darkness and old buildings. Not thinking that some poltergeist is about to decide to come and ruin your life.
What is it like?
It is quite natural for a person to be afraid of something unknown, something that he cannot scientifically explain. What defies logic makes our psyche seem to be in limbo.
But this, so to speak, she does not like, which is why she strives to “close” the issue without fail, no matter what the cost. This phenomenon is called an incomplete gestalt.
Therefore, some people so easily believe in the existence of ghosts that the souls of the dead return to take revenge, no matter who and for what. That the dark force wants to get the energy of living people and so on.
And one has only to mention in the presence of a phasmophobe about a poltergeist and the like — he will experience horror. And, it is quite possible that he will not fall asleep at night, since all these frightening images will appear and be heard to him. How can you close your eyes?
Almost every child has this phobia. They still do not understand the structure of the world and are afraid of a lot of things. It is easy for them to inspire any fear, since critical thinking is not yet particularly developed.
Gradually, anxiety at thoughts of ghosts passes, but not for everyone. Some adults experience stress when the lights are turned off or it becomes necessary to go to the toilet at night, go to the basement for a jar of jam, and so on.
Symptoms
The most characteristic signs
- A person constantly listens to the sounds that surround him. Carefully examines the space in which it is located. He is so focused on external stimuli that he can notice even a slight change in lighting. Sometimes this behavior resembles paranoia;
- Claims that someone is watching him, touching him, pushing him, or just constantly being around him;
- Naturally, he categorically refuses to be completely alone. If he suddenly remains alone in the house, he calls someone, writes, trying to distract himself from terrible thoughts;
- Basically, he tries to avoid talking about monsters, spirits, watching related videos, and so on. But there are times when the situation is completely opposite. The person becomes literally a fan of ghosts and zombies, looking for any information about the other world;
- Well-being usually fails, because due to insomnia, he does not have time to restore the spent resources at all. Which, by the way, go to a greater extent on attempts to cope with experiences;
- If he finds himself in a new area for himself, he tries to find a secluded corner where he will feel safe;
- When a panic attack occurs, his arms and legs are shaking, sweating profusely and blood pressure rises. It squeezes in the chest and it seems that there was a heart attack, and there is still not enough air. Which suggests thoughts of imminent death, either from suffocation, or from a heart attack. Sometimes there is diarrhea, nausea, loss of consciousness and pain in the stomach.
How to determine in children
Not always the baby is able to openly talk about what worries him. But the presence of phasmophobia is easy to diagnose by the following signs:
- Under no pretext does he agree to remain alone in the room. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night.
- Starts at sudden and sharp sound;
- Has become withdrawn, looks as if something is bothering him, and he is trying to come up with a solution to deal with the problem. But he does not share with his parents about what is eating him;
- Sleeps restlessly, screams in sleep, often rolls over or wakes up from nightmares;
- Enuresis (urinary incontinence during sleep) is not uncommon.
Causes
childhood trauma
Fantasy in most children works in such a way that many adults could envy. They are able to transform any sound into monsters. Who hides under the bed and waits for everyone to fall asleep in order to get out and, let’s say, eat them.
And when they share their experiences with their parents, the most common reaction is devaluation. Adults do not know how to calm the child, so they say that he invented everything and that in fact there is nothing to be afraid of.
Sometimes these fears are ridiculed, or worse, punished. For example, a father can turn off the night light and close the door to the nursery in order to instill fearlessness in his son.
In general, if you do not support the child at a time when he needs help, this can lead to psychological trauma. And, accordingly, to phasmophobia.
Negative experience
I mean not the experience of meeting a real ghost, which was not very successful. And, let’s say, if adults did not take into account the characteristics and condition of the child and took him to the funeral, without really explaining what was happening. Or, even worse, being in grief, they forgot about him in the process of these very funerals.
It happens the other way around, believing that when he sees a loved one dead, he will get scared, so they simply don’t tell that mom or dad is no more. And in every way they avoid answering questions about when the parent will return.
Naturally, the baby does not understand what is happening, but feels that nothing is good. Especially if he observes the suffering of those who care about him.
Anxiety from ambiguity, incompleteness will «get out» with the help of various stories about ghosts, monsters and so on.
In mature people, in principle, sometimes it happens the same way. When they try to ignore some of their experiences, they, of course, do not disappear anywhere and manifest themselves in the form of obsessions, fears.
Media and cinema
They provoke the development of phasmophobia, as it were, real stories about ghosts filmed in a photo or video wandering around the house.
Poltergeists that move objects on the table, break dishes or open the door. The souls of the dead, leaving the body at the time of the accident, or in the hospital during the operation.
In general, an impressionable person, having seen such shots, will believe in their reality. And also in the fact that there is an other world, which is quite dangerous and terrible.
Treatment
If phasmophobia affects your life and health, be sure to contact a specialist. A psychologist will help you discover the reasons why you lost your peace and began to believe in the other world.
Or rather, that he invades yours, trying to harm and cause negative emotions, to drive you crazy.
Also in the process of therapy, you can come up with ways that will be useful in combating this phobia. And who will support you and “bring you to life” if you lose control of yourself out of fear.
The psychiatrist, if necessary, will prescribe medications to improve well-being. It will also diagnose the condition.
For example, auditory or visual hallucinations may actually be a sign of the presence of schizophrenia or some other mental disorder in the personality structure. Which definitely requires attention and treatment.
Recommendations
Creativity
Children tend to be afraid, they thus develop. Suppose five-year-olds are not able to consciously declare that they are actually afraid of death and the loss of a loved one, rejection or depreciation.
They let adults understand this through images. That at night terrible zombies crawl out of the graves and look for their home in order to turn their parents into the same monsters.
That it is not clear where the missing grandmother now comes in the form of a ghost and is trying to say something. Either the pet is actually a werewolf and is out for the blood of its owners.
In general, there are as many fantasies as there are people. Therefore, you are able to help your child, not interpreting his fears in your own way, but directly asking questions.
Ask him when he thinks about monsters, what they look like and, in his opinion, why they come to him? Ask these questions as if they really exist. Indeed, in fact, for your child they are real, although they “live” in the head.
Try to find out what these monsters themselves are afraid of. Yes, everyone has weaknesses and they are no exception.
Perhaps they are afraid of the light, as it destroys the shell? In this case, indeed, a night light on the bedside table will come in handy.
Or maybe they are terrified by cute plush toys that, when the owner is sleeping, come to life and protect him? Then put them under the bed. Or is it enough to say a magic word and how all the monsters will disappear in an instant?
There are a lot of solutions, most importantly, be close to the baby at the time of their search. Support his ideas, share your experiences from childhood, how you yourself dealt with your anxiety.
I think many of you are familiar with the method of covering with a blanket with a head through which, for some reason, not a single monster is able to break through.
The child, having received support, will acquire a resource that he will rely on in the future, especially at times when you are not around. And this will ensure his development, instead of the formation of a phobia due to the psychological trauma in which he is “stuck”.
The ban on mysticism
In order not to ask questions about what bogiphobia is, the fear of ghosts is also called, or how to recover from it, exclude mystical programs and films from viewing.
Avoid talking about real cases of encounter with the ghost of some distant relative of a friend or neighbor.
In general, your peace of mind is only in your hands, so if you know that, in fact, you are impressionable enough — protect yourself from unnecessary information that will only hurt.
And practice yoga, meditation to restore mental balance. Seek support from loved ones who can provide it to you. And at least once a day, make time for an activity that brings you joy.
Logic
In moments when a panic attack overtakes, the most productive way to deal with it is logic.
Rational explanations allow you to reduce the intensity of the feelings experienced, which gradually leads to calmness.
So, you noticed how a shadow flashed across the wall, instead of indulging in panic, try to think of at least 5 reasons why it arose.
Let’s say the wind outside the window sways the trees, or the air that got into the room stirred the curtains, and the shadow from them, in turn, was reflected on the wall. Or a pet ran through, if you have one, someone from the household opened the door, and so on.
In general, develop your rational thinking, if you are used to focusing more on intuition and feelings, it will certainly come in handy in life.
Completion
Fear, for example, of being eaten by zombies can lead to thoughts of one’s own madness.
And then a completely different phobia begins to develop — the fear of going crazy. What is the name and how it can be diagnosed, as well as cured, you will learn from this article.
Take care of yourself and be happy!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina