What for some is a pleasure, for others is an unpleasant moment characterized by anxiety. Some phobias can be very surprising, adding the misunderstanding of others to the problems that any phobic disorder already causes. On this occasion we talk about coitophobia or fear of sex.
What is coitophobia?
Coitophobia is the fear of sex, of having sexual relations or of the sexual act. The person who suffers from coitophobia not only cannot enjoy her sexual life, but tends to avoid it. The problems that this can generate in their affective relationships are more than evident.
We are not talking about the typical doubts or reluctance due to complexes that we sometimes have in bed, nor about the low self-esteem that leads will you to think that you are not doing well or that no one like you. Coitofiba is a specific phobia and is an important problem that must be treated as soon as possible.
Characteristics of coitophobia
You can tell if a person suffers from coitophobia by some characteristics:
- The fear you feel in a sexual situation is disproportionate.
- Try to avoid any intimate contact.
- Situations close to sex cause all the symptoms, and can lead to a panic attack.
- The simple evocation of a sexual image can cause an anxiety attack.
- Finally, you tend to avoid any relationship that could potentially lead you to the situation you fear.
Causes of fear of sex
As with other phobias, the causes of fear of sex can be varied. Sometimes the does not arise for a specific reason, but rather it is one more consequence of an anxiety disorder. But in this case, we can also look for a specific origin.
Coitophobia is frequent by conditioning in people who have suffered sexual abuse. The traumatic experience remains in the memory without being able to overcome it and any situation that can be related to that episode becomes a dangerous situation.
The fear of sex can also be generated by poor sexual education in childhood, where repression, silence, and prejudice involved such a healthy part of anyone’s life but like all phobias, coitophobia has a treatment.
Treatment of a phobia
Overcoming coitophobia is possible, but it is true that it takes longer to detect the real problem. It can often hide behind self-esteem issues, shyness, or a lack of social skills. And other times, they think of a sexual dysfunction that has nothing to do with a phobic disorder.
That is why the diagnosis of coitophobia usually takes a long time. But once you have reached the problem, it is best to ask for psychological help, since no phobia can be treated on our own. Once again, cognitive behavioral therapy seems the most effective for knowing how to deal with these reactions to the specific stimulus.