One fear can trigger another: phobophobia, or fear of fear, arises as a state of alarm even before a phobia is triggered. There is no a priori no real external stimulus. This situation of anticipation, paralyzing in society, can be treated by gradually exposing the subject to his initial fear or to the symptoms that trigger the phobophobia.

Definition of phobophobia

Phobophobia is the fear of being afraid, whether the fear is identified – fear of emptiness for example – or not – we often speak of general anxiety. The phobophobe anticipates the sensations and symptoms experienced during a phobia. There is no a priori no real external stimulus. As soon as the patient thinks he is going to be afraid, the body sounds the alert as a defense mechanism. He is afraid of being afraid.

Types of phobophobias

Two types of phobophobias exist:

• Phobophobia accompanied by a specific phobia: the patient initially suffers from fear of an object or an element – needle, blood, thunder, water, etc.–, of an animal – spiders, snakes, insects, etc. .– or a situation – empty, crowd etc.
• Phobophobia without a defined phobia.

Causes of phobophobia

Different causes can be at the origin of phobophobia:

• Trauma: phobophobia is the consequence of a bad experience, emotional shock or stress related to a phobia. Indeed, after a state of panic related to a phobia, the body can condition itself and install an alarm signal related to this phobia;
• Education and parenting model, like permanent warnings about the dangers of a particular situation, animal, etc. ;
• The development of phobophobia can also be linked to the patient’s genetic heritage;
• And many more

Diagnosis of phobophobia

The first diagnosis of phobophobia, 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 for specific phobia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

A patient is considered phobophobic when:

• The phobia persists beyond six months;
• The fear is exaggerated vis-à-vis the real situation, the danger incurred;
• He avoids the object or the situation at the origin of his initial phobia;
• Fear, anxiety and avoidance cause significant distress that interferes with social or professional functioning.

People affected by phobophobia

All phobic or anxious people, i.e. 12,5% ​​of the population, can be affected by phobophobia. But not all phobic people necessarily suffer from phobophobia.

Agoraphobes – fear of the crowd – are moreover more prone to phobophobia, due to a stronger predisposition to panic attacks.

Factors promoting phobophobia

The factors contributing to phobophobia are:

• A pre-existing phobia – object, animal, situation, etc. – untreated;
• Living in a stressful and / or dangerous situation linked to a phobia;
• Anxiety in general;
• Social contagion: anxiety and fear can be contagious in a social group, just like laughter;
• And many more

Anxious reaction

Any type of phobia, even the simple anticipation of a situation, can be enough to trigger an anxious reaction in phobophobes.

Amplification of phobic symptoms

It is a true vicious circle: the symptoms trigger fear, which triggers new symptoms and amplifies the phenomenon. The anxiety symptoms related to the initial phobia and the phobophobia come together. In reality, phobophobia acts as an amplifier of phobic symptoms over time –the symptoms appear even before being afraid– and in their intensity –the symptoms are more marked than in the presence of a simple phobia.

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, phobophobia 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 the phobophobia, if it exists, and / or to gradually deconstruct it:

• Psychotherapy;
• Cognitive and behavioral therapies;
• Hypnosis;
• Cyber ​​therapy, which gradually exposes the patient to the cause of the phobophobia in virtual reality;
• The Emotional Management Technique (EFT). This technique combines psychotherapy with acupressure – finger pressure. It stimulates specific points on the body with the aim of releasing tensions and emotions. The aim is to dissociate the trauma from the discomfort felt, from the fear;
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) or desensitization and reprocessing by eye movements;
• Reproduction therapy for symptoms without exposure to fear: one of the treatments for phobophobia is to artificially reproduce panic attacks, via the ingestion of a mixture of CO2 and O2, caffeine or adrenaline . The phobic sensations are then interoceptive, that is to say that they come from the organism itself;
• Mindfulness meditation;
• Taking antidepressants may be considered to limit panic and anxiety. They make it possible to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain, often in deficit in phobic disorders as a result of the potential anxiety experienced by the patient.

Some tips to better manage phobophobia:

• Avoid phobogenic factors and stressful elements;
• Regularly practice relaxation and breathing exercises;
• Maintain social relationships and exchange ideas so as not to get locked into your phobia;
• Learn to dissociate a real alarm signal from the false alarm linked to phobophobia.