We know many animal phobias, such as nomophobia or fear of insects. And within this category is myrmecophobia, which is the fear of ants. Those small animals that for some are a source of inspiration due to their effort and perseverance, for others are the cause of extreme fear taken to the limit. We tell you more about myrmecophobia in ours.
What is myrmecophobia?
There are people who like to stay watching how the work. It is a meticulous and organized, constant and hard work and for many it is worthy of admiration. However, there are other people who just by thinking about ants can even suffer an anxiety attack, among other things.
Myrmecophobia is the terrible fear of ants. And it may seem like a strange or surprising phobia to you because what harm can a few little ants do to you? The truth is that there are species of ants with quite annoying bites or to which you may be allergic. But beyond these special circumstances, we already know that phobic disorders are characterized by an irrational and excessive fear of something.
Symptoms of myrmecophobia
If you are terrified of seeing a line of ants, you may suffer from myrmecophobia. That feeling of terror will be accompanied by dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, palpitations, and shortness of breath. You may even have if you cannot react as your body asks you to that are, running away, avoiding that stimulus that causes fear.
You also have to take into account the psychological symptoms, such as that feeling of unreality, the fear of losing control or low knowing that your fear is unfounded and excessive. Distorted thoughts about the danger implicit in ants make you feel differently, and the number of situations you avoid to encounter ants can harm your social and family life.
Causes of myrmecophobia
We have all seen movies in which ants became fearsome animals that destroyed everything. And anyone is aware that in certain situations, such as when you sleep outdoors, some ants can complicate your night. But one is an unreal situation and the other is a situation that we don’t usually expose ourselves to in our day to day.
Myrmecophobia can originate from a traumatic experience. These situations usually occur in childhood and are accompanied by a strong negative emotional charge. A field day in which ants bit you and you experienced a moment of great, for example, is reason enough to develop this phobia.
Especially if, in addition to a negative experience, you suffer from an anxiety disorder that makes your negative emotions magnify and causes you to suffer more than usual. In addition, the basis is alertness, fear of danger, real or supposed.
Treatment of myrmecophobia
If you suffer from myrmecophobia, you may not worry because your life is not too altered. It’s not like you have social phobia or agoraphobia or even a phobia of any certain color. It is true that you do not have to expose yourself to your fear of ants regularly, but the presence of a phobia is in turn a symptom of other emotional disorders.
So even if your phobia does not bother you, it must be treated. And the treatment goes through a psychological therapy that helps you face your fear and stop avoiding it. In addition, the psychologist will teach you the relaxation techniques you need not only to overcome your phobia, but also to reduce your anxiety.