There are phobias that are more common, while others we have never heard of but they exist. There are also phobias that a large number of people have felt to a greater or lesser intensity at some point in their lives and this is the case of claustrophobia. Hasn’t it ever happened to you that you felt certain nervousness in a small, enclosed space? The fear of enclosed spaces is one of the most common, but at what point does it become a phobia?
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces. If, in addition to being closed, they are small places, the fear becomes even more intense. But what kind of places? You may be terrified of entering a cave and absolutely nothing happens because it will not affect your life. But you do have a problem if you can’t get into an elevator, subway, car, or small office.
The fear is not of the place itself, but of what can happen in such a closed place and the most common fears are suffocating or being trapped. To some extent this phobia is logical, because what would happen if you were locked in an elevator for a long time? Claustrophobia can also be the origin of another very common phobia such as aerophobia or the fear of flying.
Symptoms of fear of enclosed spaces
The person who suffers from claustrophobia tends to avoid those closed and small spaces. He does not always succeed, but the symptoms of the phobia not only manifest when he has no choice but, but they can even appear just by imagining it.
Phobias and anxiety always go hand in hand, so the symptoms are the same. Dizziness, a feeling of unreality, tingling in the extremities, difficulty breathing, tachycardia, sweating or the dreaded panic attack that will confirm your suspicions that you are facing a dangerous situation.
Causes of claustrophobia
Fear is a defense mechanism that we need to survive. Faced with a potentially dangerous situation, our body reacts by preparing to fight or to flee and that is why anxiety is triggered. On the other hand, the phobia is an irrational and excessive fear that does not help us to survive, quite the opposite.
Phobias develop as a result of an anxiety disorder. With high anxiety levels, any situation, object or emotion can be presented as dangerous. That is why it is important to go to that first cause that has caused claustrophobia.
It is also common to find an origin of the phobia of enclosed spaces in a traumatic experience. If you ever got stuck in an elevator when you were little, if you saw someone die in a small place, or if someone had a panic attack while in a small place.
How to end this phobia?
The first reaction when you have a phobia of this type is to propose exposure therapy so that the person gradually confronts the situations they fear. But this is not something you can do yourself, because the consequences can be dangerous.
The treatment of phobias must go hand in hand with a professional and in most cases it is cognitive behavioral therapy that manages to leave fears behind. Due to its relationship with anxiety, relaxation and breathing exercises are also very helpful in treating claustrophobia.