Some phobias dangerously resemble behaviors of people close to you. Surely you know someone who is afraid of love, who says never to fall in love and who is classified as a person allergic to commitment. In this case, the problem is not with that person, but with those who fall in love with them, but what if it is not really an attitude towards life, but rather an emotional disorder? Discover in our dictionary of phobias what is philophobia or the fear of love.
What is philophobia?
By definition, philophobia is the fear of love, of falling in love, or of establishing strong sentimental ties with another person. It is well known because more and more people are joining this trend, the fear of commitment. And we wonder what is the real reason why there are more and more single men and women in the world.
Where is the limit between an attitude towards life and a phobia? In the case of philophobia it is very difficult to. In principle there is nothing dysfunctional in the fact of not wanting to have a partner, of not wanting to fall in love and of not letting love cross the barriers of your heart. After all, it’s one more option, isn’t it?
How to know if it is philophobia?
The person who suffers from philophobia has the same characteristics as the skeptics, but they add a few more problems. To the number of misunderstandings that are generated around them when someone falls in love with them and they want to but can’t or can but don’t want to or can but say they don’t want to, we must add anxiety problems.
Like any phobia, philophobia is also accompanied by a high degree of anxiety when in. An approximation of a person they feel attracted to, for example, and their hearts skip a beat, they sweat and dizzy. But no, there are no butterflies in the stomach in this case. Love, falling in love or a partner is real threats for people who suffer from philophobia and in the most serious cases they can suffer a panic attack. Panic to love
Why does this phobia develop?
Determining the cause of the fear of love is more difficult than in the case of other phobias, because it involves going deep into the mental processes of the person who suffers from it. And the way of understanding and accepting feelings is still something very particular.
Generally, philophobia is caused by conditioning, that is, by having lived a traumatic experience related to love. Perhaps a horrible breakup of those that leaves you scarred for life or simply growing up in a family where love was conspicuous by its absence and was confused with contempt.
Some anxiety problems or even pathological shyness must not be ruled out for a person to completely reject the feeling of love, since it implies a close emotional with another person.
Treatment of fear of love
It is necessary to treat philophobia and it must be done with a psychological treatment. It is a phobia that can lead to the social isolation of the person who suffers from it. The consequence of philophobia is not that that person can never have a partner, that being single is not a problem either and can perfectly well be a vital option, but rather that the true consequence is the sentimental limitation that person has.
Can you imagine living constantly putting a brake on your feelings? Can you imagine hiding from your feelings all your life? If you find it difficult to imagine, you are not in danger of suffering from philophobia. But if you can relate, seek professional help because cognitive can make you see life and love from a completely different perspective.