Some phobias do not cease to amaze us, especially those related to nature. Hilophobia or fear of forests is a phobic disorder that can limit your life even if you manage to avoid the stimulus that causes panic. In our dictionary of phobias we are talking about the causes of homophobia.
What is hilophobia?
Hilophobia is the fear of forests. Sometimes it also comes accompanied by xylophobia or fear of wood due to the number of trees that you find in a forest, but they do not always appear together. Being afraid of a forest has its logic in part, especially depending on the circumstance.
There are very thick forests in which it is not difficult to evoke a large number of dangers and terrors that can happen to you there. More logical is if you find yourself at night and lost among the trees, with all those sounds of nature that are so strange and threatening to us today. And horror movies are often set in a forest.
The most frequent causes
That is why it is not strange that due to the cultural factor or suggestion, this irrational and excessive fear of forests appears. But it’s not enough. The suggestion of a horror movie in which all kinds of misfortunes occur in a forest is not enough to develop this phobia, although if it is accompanied by a previous anxiety disorder, the picture becomes clearer.
Most phobias have their origin in a traumatic experience. If you got lost in a forest when you were little, if you really experienced fear, anguish and terror due to an episode in this place, it could easily be the origin of this phobia.
Symptoms of a phobia like this
Hilophobia manifests itself with the same symptoms of anxiety and other types of phobias. It all starts when the stimulus is close and you begin to notice the nerves and discomfort due to the sensation of danger that floods you. At this point the most common is avoidance, that is, do not get closer to that forest or get out of there as soon as possible.
Because if you don’t avoid it, the symptoms increase to dizziness, a sensation of suffocation, tingling in the extremities, palpitations or a panic attack. The forest, which for many people is a place of well-being and relaxation, for other people is a focus of dangers and terrors.
How to overcome fear of the forest?
No matter how much you can spend your whole life without stepping foot in a forest, no matter how much you do not see the need to solve this phobic disorder because you have organized your life to never face that stimulus, it is important to seek psychological help. When a phobia is not treated, it facilitates the appearance of new ones.
Gradual exposure therapy is usually used to overcome homophobia, but previously intense work must be done with cognitive so that the person dares to enter a forest. Since all phobias are accompanied by great anxiety, relaxation techniques can help a lot during treatment.