Hello! Photophobia is the fear of the flash of a camera, which arises due to an excessive sensitivity to light. But there are other types of phobias that make a person simply terribly afraid of being captured on camera.
And today we will look at each of them, and also find out why they begin their development and how you can be cured.
What is it like?
So there is
Dysmorphophobia — This is a mental disorder in which a person believes that he has not just an imperfect appearance, but a directly defective one.
Why any attempt to take his photo ends in a panic attack. After all, then his “deformities” will not only be noticeable to everyone who sees the picture, but will also remain as evidence for an indefinite amount of time.
Therefore, even if he undergoes plastic surgery and forgets about his defects formed at birth and growing up, then, having accidentally come across a picture, he will again remember what he was like before.
Autogonistophobia — this is directly the fear of the camera lens. Basically, this phobia occurs among representatives of the older generation, they begin to literally suffocate in horror, even if you just point the camera in their direction.
Photophobia the easiest in comparison with the others, as it implies a fear of the outbreak itself. Therefore, if you turn it off, a person will be able to take pictures without experiencing panic and anxiety.
Often, the three above-mentioned forms of mental disorder are observed simultaneously, which greatly complicates a person’s life.
Indeed, now it is difficult to meet someone who does not like to take selfies, who does not try to capture a beautiful landscape or just a part of the city, people passing by on camera.
Plus, there is a need to take photos for documents. If at the holiday you can still try to avoid a group photo, then at the end of the institute, school — no way.
Symptoms
As soon as the phobe notices that they want to photograph him, he starts having a panic attack. Which is usually characterized by symptoms such as:
- Difficulty breathing, it becomes frequent, resulting in hyperventilation of the lungs. It seems to a person that the throat is narrowing, and at any moment he will simply die of suffocation;
- dizziness, loss of consciousness;
- Pain in the chest, resembling a heart attack in symptoms;
- Those who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then there are also pains in the stomach. Vomiting and diarrhea may be present;
- Tremor of the limbs;
- Increased blood pressure, rapid pulse and palpitations;
- Narrowing of consciousness. A person loses the ability to adequately perceive the surrounding reality. When panicking, he does not see anything around, so most often, if he tries to hide in a safe place, he risks getting into an unpleasant situation. That is, crash into a door, a wall, jump out onto the roadway, fall out of a window or fall into a hatch.
At first glance, it may seem that the photophobe is just flirting, stating that he does not want to be photographed. But the very thought of it can drive him to panic.
So by sheer force of will, he is not able to pull himself together and calm down. How to force to pose. And attempts to put pressure on him will cause the opposite effect — the desire to distance himself, to minimize contacts.
Causes
- Religious beliefs. There is a theory among some believers that when a person is photographed, a part of his soul remains on the film, which can now belong to the devil. Or simply deprive him of a certain segment of life, happiness, and so on.
- Negative experience. Mostly found among children. When in some picture they turned out badly, they became the cause of ridicule among classmates or even relatives. The fear of being ridiculed is connected, so the child begins to avoid camera lenses and categorically refuses to pose.
- Low self-esteem. As already mentioned, dysmorphia manifests itself in the form of fear that other people will notice flaws in appearance. This, of course, is due to low self-esteem, complexes, psychological traumas that the psyche could not cope with, which is why they affected self-identification and self-perception.
- Features of education. If parents overly criticize their child, then gradually his attitude is distorted not only towards the world, adults, but also towards himself. He can become too shy and as critical of himself as his family. Or if, on the contrary, mom or dad sought to emphasize their status of having a talented or beautiful child, which is why they forced him to constantly demonstrate his strengths and abilities. This provokes an acute rejection of everything that is connected with attention. Therefore, at first, dysmorphia occurs as a protest to pose, and then feelings of disgust and fear become so intense that they provoke the development of a mental disorder.
Treatment
Naturally, at the first symptoms of a phobia, you should contact a psychotherapist, as well as a psychiatrist.
To receive advice and specialized treatment. After all, usually phobic disorders do not go away on their own.
In the absence of the involvement of specialists in the process of recovery, they, on the contrary, tend to intensify and become more complicated, leading to more serious consequences.
For example, a person may well stop leaving the house, lose sleep and peace.
Contacts with the environment will be so limited that it will lead to its degradation, that is, the loss of knowledge and skills that it previously possessed, as well as to a feeling of total loneliness, which usually ends in a protracted depression.
Which is characterized by a tendency to commit suicide. People are so tired of being afraid and experiencing mental pain that they decide to take extreme measures, if only everything would end soon.
The psychiatrist will just be able to prescribe sedatives, antidepressants and tranquilizers to relieve anxiety, which simply cannot be eliminated by meditation.
Also sleeping pills, because the body needs to restore its resources, the nervous system, working for wear and tear, only worsens the general condition. Therefore, it is extremely important to relax, calm down at least for a while and get enough sleep.
A psychotherapist will help you figure out exactly what reasons provoked your fear of taking photos. Will provide support and, if necessary, share ways that will allow you to achieve a sense of inner balance.
In addition, when a person is overtaken by the realization of why he fell ill, this already alleviates the condition and allows the recovery process to be ensured.
Completion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! In fact, there are a lot of phobias, there is not only a fear of being photographed, we gradually introduce you to each of them. If you are interested to know what else causes people to panic, go to the «Phobias and Fears» section.
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Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina