Fear is a universal and adaptive emotion, which protects us from dangers and allows us to adapt to the environment in which we live. However, when that fear is paralyzing, too intense, disproportionate and/or irrational, we no longer speak of fears but of specific phobias.
You can develop a phobia of practically any situation or object in the world, which is why we find infinite phobias, although there are some more common than others; for example, the phobia of heights, of flying, of driving. A slightly lesser-known phobia is called eisoptrophobia, which consists of the disproportionate fear of looking in the mirror and seeing one’s own reflection.
In general, we know that many of the causes of phobias are traumatic situations related to the phobic object, although in this case the cause may also be related to low self-esteem or having another underlying disorder, as we will see throughout the article. We will investigate more about this rare phobia and how we can know if we have it.
What are specific phobias?
Before entering the definition of eisoptrophobia, we must understand that it is a type of specific phobia. We find hundreds of specific phobias, and of different types, since you can be intensely afraid of practically anything (for example: spiders, snakes, storms, closed places, open spaces, clowns, the fear of choking, to drive).
When we talk about specific phobias (or simple phobias), we are talking about an anxiety disorder that is characterized by irrational fear of a certain object, stimulus, or situation. This fear is disproportionate, paralyzing and irrational, and also causes significant discomfort to the person. Another symptom of the phobia is the avoidance of the stimulus, or the confrontation of it with high discomfort.
Eisoptrophobia: what is it?
Eisoptrophobia consists of the intense and irrational fear of seeing them reflected in a mirror, which makes the person avoid it at all costs and/or suffer a lot when doing so. There are many manifestations of this phobia, which causes some people to have some symptoms and others. It is also not known exactly what its cause is, and this can also differ from one person to another.
There is no unanimity as to whether people with eisoptrophobia are afraid of the mirror as an object in it, or rather of the reflection of themselves. We can say that both cases would be classified as eisoptrophobia.
From this, there is another nomenclature to talk about the fear of mirrors itself, which is catoptrophobia. Some experts say that eisoptrophobia and catoptrophobia are the same, and others, on the other hand, maintain that there are differences between one phobia and another.
Ways to know if we suffer from eisoptrophobia or fear of looking in the mirror
How to know if we suffer from eisoptrophobia? To discover it, it is very important that we self-observe and listen to ourselves. Are we really afraid to look in the mirror? Does this fear paralyze us, and make us avoid this action at all costs, or even go in front of a mirror? Do we avoid having mirrors at home for fear of seeing ourselves reflected in them?
It is important to know the symptoms of this phobia so that we can identify if we suffer from it or not. On the other hand, and beyond this, we always recommend seeking professional help, because it will be a psychologist who can diagnose this phobia or not, through an exhaustive evaluation of the symptoms and the discomfort that they cause.
Some signs that would indicate that we suffer from eisoptrophobia are…
We feel an irrational fear
You are afraid of seeing yourself reflected in a mirror and, furthermore, you feel that this fear is irrational. That is to say, you do not find a “logical” cause that explains why you are unable to look at yourself in a mirror.
Fear is very intense and generates discomfort
Also, that fear we feel is very intense. It is not a simple fear, feeling of rejection or anguish, but it goes beyond. Fear causes us real discomfort and comes to interfere with our daily functioning.
We avoid looking in mirrors
Another sign that we suffer from eisoptrophobia is that we avoid mirrors. Above all, those of medium or large size, which offer a complete reflection of one’s own body?
We suffer from physical and/or psychological symptoms
In the case of facing our own reflection in a mirror, we suffer important physical and psychological symptoms, such as: sweating, agitation, tachycardia, chest pressure, rapid breathing, nervousness, the desire to cry or scream, etc.
Beyond a “mania”
Another key symptom that will help us to know if we suffer from eisoptrophobia is that the fear described goes beyond a mania or discomfort when looking in the mirror. And it is that this fear becomes paralyzing and leads us to carry out actions such as those mentioned (avoiding mirrors, looking at one but “bearing” the situation with high anxiety, etc.).
People more likely to suffer from eisoptrophobia or fear of looking in the mirror
People with body image distortions, that is, who have a vision of their body (weight, silhouette, shape…), have a greater tendency to manifest eisoptrophobia. For example, people with a TCA (Eating Disorder).
Also, those who present a Body Dimorphic Disorder (BDD), where the main symptom is the obsession with a certain part of the body, together with the inability to stop thinking about it.
People with TDC feel that they have a defect and experience it with great anxiety; they feel ugly or defective, even though the part of the body they have become obsessed with is “normal.” They see it disproportionately large, small, dark, deformed… As a result, they try to hide it, modify it, etc., and they feel very ashamed for it.
Finally, people with difficulties accepting their own body in general, or with very low self-esteem, are also more likely to suffer from this type of phobia.
Helpful Tips to Overcome Eisoptrophobia
If we really suffer from eisoptrophobia, and not just a certain reluctance to look at ourselves in the mirror (something that can and should also be treated, obviously), it is very important that we ask for professional help, because we are talking about a fear that generates a lot of discomfort and interference.
A clinical or health psychologist can offer us the tools we need to manage this fear and regain well-being. The psychological treatment of choice for specific phobias is the one that combines exposure ( exposing ourselves to what we fear progressively) together with cognitive therapy (through which distorted or irrational associated thoughts are worked on, in this case, by looking in the mirror).
In addition, a mental health professional can help us understand the causes of this fear and the rejection that we have developed when looking at ourselves in the mirror.
And it is that, many times, after this rejection we also find a rejection of our own body, feelings of low self-esteem, insecurities, distortion of the body image, other deeper fears… and all this must come to the surface so that work can be done and that we can heal, recovering self-esteem and well-being. We deserve it!