The world of phobias covers all areas of life. There are more general phobias and more specific phobias; there are phobias to a specific object and there are phobias to a certain situation. On this occasion we talk about aerophobia or fear of loneliness. But not that fear of loneliness that we have all felt at some time, but a phobia with all its consequences.
What is aerophobia?
Eremophobia is the fear of loneliness or the fear of being alone. It is a specific situational phobia, such as the fear or the more frequent claustrophobia. The person who suffers from aerophobia feels panic when faced with a situation in which they are alone and her reactions to this situation have a negative impact on her life.
The negative impact on life is what distinguishes this phobia from the typical fear that we have all felt at some point. Because even people who enjoy solitude feel the need to interact with other people at some point.
It is convenient to distinguish a situation of being overwhelmed by being alone when in reality you would like to feel accompanied for a specific reason, from the disproportionate fear that loneliness produces. A good indicator of whether it is the avoidance of that situation, when the person tries to meet someone at all costs, at any time of the day or night.
Symptoms of aerophobia
Eremophobia, like all phobias, causes anxiety, so the physical symptoms are dizziness, tachycardia, a feeling of unreality, a feeling of suffocation or a headache, even leading to a panic attack when anxiety overflows.
The main psychological symptoms of aerophobia occur in the field of cognition, with negative and catastrophic thoughts about the situation of loneliness. Fear is inevitable, both in this, as in all the others, with the imbalance that this entails.
Causes of aerophobia
There are times when the of a phobia is not clear. In the case of aerophobia, most theories point to a traumatic experience lived alone as the trigger for the phobia. From that experience, the person who has experienced it thinks that it can be repeated when she is left alone.
But feedback is very important in this phobia that feeds on fatalistic thoughts and the negative nature of loneliness today does not help at all. In any case, aerophobia can be overcome.
Treatment of aerophobia
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the one that works best forth. On the one hand, the cognitive aspect of the therapy helps to identify and transform those negative thoughts that loneliness produces. And on the other hand, the behavioral aspect is the one that leads to the gradual exposure of that situation, reducing fear.
As in the treatment of any phobia, relaxation techniques are important to combat the effects of anxiety. Conscious breathing or the practice of Mindfulness will help the person with aerophobia to face the feared situations with a less degree of nervousness.
And in any case, it is convenient to review the negative concept that loneliness currently has because we are not as independent as we would like to be and our emotions are also governed by sociocultural conditions.