There are foods that we like more and others that we like less, some of us may even hate them or cause us repulsion, but that does not necessarily indicate the presence of a phobia. Allium phobia is an irrational and excessive fear of garlic that conditions the life of the person who suffers it to the extreme. It is not a hobby; it is a phobic disorder that we talk about in our dictionary of phobias.
What is aliumphobia?
Allium phobia is the fear of garlic. We should not be surprised by this phobia towards any food because we already know it in the case of monophobia, for example, or the fear of mushrooms. The fear produced by some foods is tried to be justified by an alleged danger of poisoning or even death if consumed. A fear that, without a doubt, does not come to justice.
We may be facing the explanation of that legend that says that vampires are aliumphobic beings that can be weakened with simple garlic. How powerful are the effects of garlic that they can defeat beings as strong as vampires? Undoubtedly, the fear of garlic must have an ancestral explanation that escapes us. But let’s get back to the real world and the people who suffer from this disorder.
Allium phobia symptoms
What a person with aliumphobia does is avoid garlic that seems clear. But you can’t always get it, right? Because they are not only afraid of eating garlic, but also of smelling it, and that leads to a limitation of their important social and family life. Meals with friends or family are real torture for these people if any of the dishes contain garlic.
The disorder does not go away by leaving the plate empty and skipping that food that contains garlic, because only with the smell of garlic can all the well-known symptoms of anxiety appear. Palpitations, dizziness, sweating, a feeling of unreality, shortness of breath and, in the worst situations, a panic attack. As you can see, it is not a question of gastronomic taste, but a real problem that must be dealt with as soon as possible.
Causes of aliumphobia
But before looking for a treatment you have to look for an origin. Where does this irrational fear of garlic come from? Assuming that you are not a vampire, this food does not seem to be too dangerous for your health, which leads us to believe that it is a fear born of a previous anxiety disorder that generates fears with the most surprising stimuli.
As with all phobias, the traumatic experience is not ruled out as the origin of allium phobia. A child who was forced to eat garlic when he really didn’t like it could have experienced that imposition with a strong emotional charge. These are disorders that continue throughout life and it is not convenient to look the other way because mental and physical health is at stake.
Allium phobia treatment
It is not convenient to try to overcome a phobia by ourselves. Phobias are important disorders that need the help of a professional and psychological therapy. In this case, the most indicated seems to be the successful cognitive behavioral therapy that has helped people with phobias and other disorders such as anxiety or depression.
In any case, given the misunderstanding that a problem such as allium phobia can cause around us, it is interesting to go to support groups with people who suffer from the same phobia or others who are also considered rare. Without forgetting the importance of practicing relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety.
If you are interested in learning more about these irrational fears that cause so many difficulties and limitations in daily life for people who suffer from them, don’t forget to visit our ‘phobias’ category. You will find everything you need to know about its causes, its symptoms, its consequences and its treatment.