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Hello, dear readers of the site! Haptophobia (affenfosmophobia, haphephobia, haphophobia, tactylophobia, thixophobia) is a pathological fear of touching people and bodily contact. Today we will analyze where it comes from and the main methods of treating this fear.
What is it like?
Hapophobia is mostly found among women. Most likely because they are more likely to be victims of sexual violence. Because of which a post-traumatic syndrome is formed, when any touch threatens to cause a flashback.
This is such a psychological phenomenon when a person mentally unconsciously returns to a situation that turned out to be traumatic for him.
Moreover, he experiences the same feelings, sensations and experiences that bothered him at that moment. Why the line between memory and reality is blurred, it seems that everything is repeating itself again.
This phobia causes many difficulties. Just imagine that you accidentally touched a Gaphobe in a public place, confusing it with your friend. He turns and starts screaming loudly, begging for help. That’s the situation, isn’t it?
Naturally, you will have thoughts that he is not all right with his head. And the mood will be spoiled for a long time. In the same way, this unfortunate person will have to face shame for his reaction and behavior. Which will only increase the development of his disorder.
Often thixophobia is confused with allodynia — a disease in which any, even a slight touch on the skin causes hellish pain.
This is not the same thing, a person diagnosed with allodynia has quite rational reasons to protect the boundaries, reacting harshly to the slightest approach to his body.
Causes
Negative experience
As already mentioned, the fear of even the slightest touch can arise due to a negative experience that has caused emotional as well as physical trauma.
Subjected to periodic beatings, a person will react to any attempt to approach him with anger and panic. Since in his perception, touching the body has a threatening effect. And they are not associated with warmth and tenderness, love.
Have you ever met a homeless animal that was previously abused by someone cruel? If you try to approach him, stretching out your hands to stroke him, he will perceive this gesture as a danger.
As a symbol of the fact that now it will become painful again and shrink, try to escape. Or vice versa, he will try to show how aggressive he is in order to scare him away from himself.
This is exactly what happens with people. It’s just that a person has more opportunities to get support, help.
Some psychological traumas are pushed into the subconscious because too intense feelings cause. Why, there is hostility to touch, but it doesn’t work to understand where it came from.
Basically, such a protective function of the psyche is activated after suffering violence. For example, if a child has become a victim of harassment, growing up, he may not remember what happened, but he will sincerely be afraid of any approach to himself.
Features of puberty
During puberty, most boys have a fear that their excitement, which has begun to actively make itself felt, may be noticeable to others.
Such a physiological feature causes a lot of shame. It seems to them that this is terrible and wrong, that now they will be laughed at and, in general, rejected. Therefore, they try to avoid bodily contact so as not to provoke an erection.
Physiological features
Tactylophobia is often a symptom of another disorder. For example, neurosis, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism.
In this case, the touches of other people and, in general, their attempts to get too close cause not only horror, but also a lot of aggression.
In the perception of such people, intimacy is a danger, a threat to health and life. Source of trouble and torment.
With a decrease in the level of certain hormones in the body, asexuality occurs. That is, the complete absence of sexual desire, both for the opposite sex and for one’s own.
Such a person does not need a physical relationship; moreover, the very thought can already cause rejection and disgust.
Professional deformation
There are a number of professions where a person has to constantly face disgust. For example, police officers are in contact mainly with people who lead an immoral way of life.
That is, they have the smell of vomit, urine, feces. All this eventually becomes so annoying and becomes habitual that in some, disgust simply disappears. But for others, on the contrary, it is activated, and even with violations.
Or dermatologists, knowing how dangerous the touch of strangers really is, will eventually also begin to try to avoid contact even with loved ones and relatives.
Heredity
The tendency to phobias is inherited. If a close relative in the family suffered from any mental disorder, it is highly likely that other family members will also have problems.
The fact of raising a child in the conditions where a person with haptophobia lives is also important. The kid, observing the behavior of a significant adult, will copy him.
Evidence
Symptoms, in principle, as with other types of phobias. A person experiences anxiety, his pressure and pulse rise. Thoughts in my head are confused, my hands are trembling. I want to run away and hide in a safe place.
In some cases, panic attacks make themselves felt. This is when there is not enough air from the horror lived, it seems that death is about to come, and there is nothing worse in the world than this moment.
The heart is pounding very quickly in the chest and there is a feeling that a heart attack is about to happen, or it will simply stop from fatigue. Because of this, dizziness appears, up to loss of consciousness.
In rare cases, a person experiences an urgent need to go to the toilet, only the stool will be liquid. Pain in the stomach and nausea.
You will learn more about what a panic attack is, how to deal with it, and what signs of phobic disorders exist in general from an article dedicated directly to this topic.
Stages of development
Stage 1 is the easiest. It is easier than others to correct and treat, and quite quickly. A person experiences quite tolerable dislike if a stranger touches him. He treats his loved ones calmly, but not with particular enthusiasm takes his hand, hugs him.
Stage 2 — medium. Here it is already necessary to be on the alert, since the manifestation of aversion to touch extends to friends and family members.
Tactylophobic experiences stress throughout the day if in the morning he had to endure other people’s touches. This will affect appetite, and the quality of sleep, and his general well-being, mood.
Stage 3 — heavy, so to speak, neglected. There is a refusal of any form of contact with the environment.
Treatment
Treatment of haptophobia should be started as soon as the first signs are detected, until the disorder has left a serious imprint on your life. Since over time it can lead to depression, social isolation, and as a result, to degradation.
The fear of touch begins with just unpleasant sensations, a person is wary of people who come closer to him than a meter.
But in the end, it ends with the fact that he stops leaving the house, communicating with loved ones even by phone. Therefore, there can be no talk of any sexual, romantic, family or friendly relationships with such a phobia.
So contact the experts immediately as soon as you suspect something is wrong. With the help of a psychotherapist, you will understand the causes of this fear, explore ways to help you cope with it in critical situations, especially when a panic attack occurs.
A psychiatrist will prescribe medications that will reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and stabilize mood.
Completion
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The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina