You may like one type of music more than another, you may be one of the people who love music and need it even to survive, of those who do not understand their life without music. But there are also people who pay little or no attention to music except on certain occasions. Our relationship with music is different, but what if you know that there are people who have an unusual fear of music? At least you would be surprised and you may not fully believe it. But yes, Melophobia exists and we talk about it, its symptoms and treatment in ours.
What is Melophobia?
Melophobia is the fear of music. As it sounds, it seems like a very strange phobia and luckily it is not very frequent. We are more used to thinking about other more common phobias such as open spaces, closed or even some animals, but what about music? What danger can music entail?
We already know that phobias are characterized by an unreal and excessive fear of a specific stimulus, so Melophobia works like any other phobic disorder. And do not think that it is a phobia without consequences, since the limitations it imposes on the life of the person who suffers from it are very great.
You can imagine that a person with Melophobia does not play music at home. And this seems unthinkable to most people, but it is so. As with other phobias, home is the only place where they can get their phobia under control, since the moment they go out into the street, music becomes inevitable.
In the supermarket, in a store, the background music in the dentist’s waiting room or even those people who insist that the entire metro listen to their music through their mobile phone. It is one thing that they can avoid going to concerts, restaurants and other social events and another thing is that they manage to avoid music in their day to day by performing the usual functions.
Symptoms of Melophobia
It’s actually impossible to escape from music unless you lock yourself up at home for the rest of your life. Even there, a car with loud music may pass by or you may have a space next to it where they put up the public address system for neighborhood parties. And when the person with Melophobia cannot avoid the feared stimulus that is when the symptoms appear.
Fear is the common denominator in all cases of phobia. A fear that begins with nervousness and the need to be alert, which is when the anxiety component appears. Then come the palpitations, difficulty breathing, tingling in the legs and arms, sweating, and the feeling of depersonalization… We are at this point on the verge of. And all for listening to music.
It is not only the physical symptoms that cause problems with Melophobia, but also the psychological ones. The person with this music phobia is aware that for most people, music is kind, uplifting and, in some cases, healing. Why is she afraid? The lack of understanding about the phobia not only comes from the outside, but also from the inside.
Causes of Melophobia
The million dollar question is what is the cause or origin of Melophobia. We are facing a very particular phobia that adds possible causes to the usual ones of phobic disorders. In other words, the development of Melophobia as a result of a traumatic experience in which that person lived a moment of great emotional charge while listening to music is not ruled out.
Nor is the most common cause for phobias ruled out, which is anxiety. When anxiety overflows and begins to limit you’re day to day, your life stops being functional and phobias can appear in the face of the most surprising stimuli.
As a curiosity, we can add a more primitive factor for the appearance of Melophobia. And it is that in the oldest societies, a certain type of music came to be a kind of common language that alerted the members of the group of some nearby danger.
However, we can go to a physiological cause to better understand a problem such as Melophobia and that is hearing problems. Ailments such as tinnitus or tinnitus can make any sound become a source of discomfort and, accompanied by anxiety, we already have that feeling of danger that defines phobias. The same occurs in cases of hyperacusis, when any sound is perceived with greater intensity.
Treatment of Melophobia
The need to seek treatment for Melophobia is not because of the more emotional aspect of this disorder. In other words, the aim is not for the patient to love music and be able to enjoy it as most people do, but rather the objective is to stop considering music as a stimulus that entails a certain danger.
Pharmacological treatments due to its relationship with physical aids such as tinnitus or hyperacusis. It is, therefore, a comprehensive intervention that includes different techniques and therapies.
Among them is cognitive, a technique that achieves great successes when it comes to treating disorders such as anxiety, depression or phobias. It is especially recommended in cases where Melophobia has developed from a traumatic experience and not from a hearing disorder.
How does cognitive behavioral therapy work? First, the distorted thinking that makes music dangerous is addressed. That thought is dismantled to replace it with a more realistic and objective one and from there, you can begin to transform the avoidance behavior.
This is achieved with gradual exposure techniques, something that should always be done under the supervision of a psychology professional. The idea is to gradually and progressively approach music in simple situations that are safe for the patient. It is not about going to a concert on the first day, but about playing music at home for a few minutes and checking that nothing is wrong.
In any case, the treatment of Melophobia is necessary so that the phobic disorder does not limit the work, social and personal life of the person who suffers from it. It is not a hobby, it is not an eccentricity, it is a phobic disorder and as such it should be treated. Do not put yourself in the hands of emotional well-being gurus and opt for qualified psychologists who will guarantee you a healthier and more lasting recovery from your phobia and anxiety problems.