The main sources of fear of experiencing pain. The clinical picture of the unfolding attack and its causes. The main principles of dealing with the wave of fear, advice from psychologists. Fear of pain or alginophobia is pronounced anxiety and anxiety that arise in response to feelings about the possibility of feeling pain. From time to time, each person may be flooded with some kind of memories, excitement for the upcoming important events. Such experiences are natural and inherent in almost everyone. For some people, alginophobia is a real problem, which complicates daily tasks, visits to the doctor's office and forces the use of a large amount of pain relievers.
Description and mechanism of development of alginophobia
Fear is a common human response to impending danger. On rare occasions, his psyche interprets the slightest sensations of discomfort as signs of significant damage and causes pain. That is why such people will be afraid not only of complex surgical interventions, but also of ordinary, almost painless manipulations, as they can theoretically hurt.
Most individuals who suffer from fear of pain have the usual psychogenic manifestations in the form of subconscious anxiety, expressed anxiety. In some, in addition to these symptoms, autonomic disorders may develop. This option is much more difficult than the previous one, and requires the help of a psychotherapist. Developed anxiety-phobic disorder creates significant difficulties in a person's life and is subject to complex treatment with pharmacological and psychological methods.
In connection with a pronounced phobia, human behavior also changes. He becomes more withdrawn, alert. Carefully evaluates each situation for the risk of experiencing pain. If alginophobia is associated with a specific trauma experienced in the past, a person will avoid such circumstances in order to prevent recurrence.
The essence of each fear is multifaceted, and in most cases people are actually afraid of something completely different. Fear of pain often refers to the fear that this discomfort will never stop. Sometimes this phobia hides a possible loss of control over oneself, which is unacceptable for some. In addition, alginophobia can mean fear of being humiliated, weak, helpless.
In most cases, people are still afraid of death, disguising it as pain phobias. The presence of such experiences for them is inextricably linked with the loss of vitality, but not everyone can admit this.
Causes of fear of pain
Many studies show that modern generations are more sensitive to pain. Any changes in the state of health are recorded and subject to diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Even in the last century, people were not so much afraid of experiencing pain.
Scientific progress brings with it the comfort of life, which is quickly becoming the norm for everyone. That is, a person gets used to living in conditions that imply complete safety and the absence of any factors that can cause harm. If there are any, a reflex is developed, which allows you to avoid unpleasant situations. Against this background, a phobia of fear of pain easily develops.
But for the implementation of the symptoms, certain conditions must be met:
- Susceptibility … It is common for some people to take any worries to heart. They worry about every upcoming event and can scroll through their heads for days, including the worst ones. The presence of intense imagination and susceptibility to thinking about events can play an important role in the formation of a phobia. This is due to the fact that in childhood, a child is able to absorb much more information from the outside, remember important traumatic situations and think out for himself those details that he cannot explain. For example, children are afraid of vaccinations. The very fact of the upcoming injection provokes unpleasant memories and causes a lot of violent emotions, crying and panic. The child exaggerates his own experiences from the past, which remain in his memory. Some people have this impressionability in adulthood. They are able to exaggerate the potential danger so much that a real phobia can develop from a banal forthcoming procedure (or other painful experience).
- Own experience … The presence in the past of a traumatic situation, which significantly influenced the perception of pain in general, can forever leave a trace in the form of a phobia. That is, if a person has experienced severe pain of an acute or chronic nature in some specific conditions, he develops a reflex to avoid such circumstances. He is afraid to repeat his unpleasant experience and constantly expects it again. This causes anxiety, constant anxiety, and poor health. If a person is placed in a similar situation as then, even a panic attack may occur.
- Opinion from the outside … In some cases, a person is afraid to experience pain purely because of what someone said or read somewhere, how unpleasant it is. The most striking example may be the queue at the dentist, when you have to listen to the screams of other patients, assess the degree of pain and decide to do the same yourself. A person does not know for sure whether it is really so catastrophically unpleasant or if it is a fiction, but forms his opinion on someone else's. Naturally, it is more believed in what kind of procedure is really scary and unpleasant. This group also includes the fear of the first birth. Most women imagine this stage from the words of others, and often they are not entirely objective. And here we are not talking at all about the individual pain threshold, but in the ability to wind up experiences because of the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome.
Manifestations of fear of pain in humans
The symptoms of phobias are completely different for each person. There is no standard clinical picture that would make it possible to recognize such a psychological disorder 100%. Of the entire mass of existing manifestations of alginophobia, each person has his own combination of symptoms. That is why it is necessary to diagnose and treat such problems, taking into account the individual characteristics of each individual case.
Symptoms can be divided into groups:
- Vegetative … This is the richest and most obvious group of fear of pain symptoms. The most common symptoms are cardiac symptoms. Shortness of breath, palpitations occur. Blood pressure may rise. This is due to the inclusion in the psychogenic response of the autonomic nervous system, which provides the innervation of the heart and vascular muscles. In addition to cardiological manifestations, the intestine often reacts to changes in the psychological state of a person. Depending on the predominance of the parasympathetic or sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, the symptoms can be different: diarrhea or constipation. Nausea and vomiting are more common. Dizziness, clouding of consciousness may also occur, sometimes coordination is lost, and a person may even fall.
- Depressive … If a person constantly expects unpleasant sensations, he begins to interpret any signals from his body as potentially dangerous. That is, hypochondriacal thoughts lead to certain experiences. A person winds himself up and, with minor changes in his usual state of health, he can “predict” the development of complex diseases, and then form phobias around them. Depression is often observed in women who are afraid of pain during childbirth. These symptoms can occur both during and before pregnancy. The woman is sure that she will not be able to survive this event or it will disturb her health and this will leave an imprint on her life. This is how the prenatal depressive reaction develops. Hormonal changes and new sensations can be interpreted by a woman as unfavorable signs and aggravate hypochondriacal experiences.
- Panic … In many cases, the course of alginophobia is paroxysmal. Similar stressful situations that carry the potential for pain can cause a wave of emotions, experiences, and vegetative symptoms. For example, immediately before some kind of manipulation that involves minimal pain, a panic attack may develop. A person is not able to pull himself together, and emotions quickly take over. There is shortness of breath, tachycardia, palms sweat and dizzy. Anxiety absorbs all thoughts, and it is difficult for a person to concentrate on something. The presence of such panic attacks indicates the development of an anxiety-phobic disorder, which requires proper treatment.
Ways to combat alginophobia
It is necessary to approach the treatment of alginophobia taking into account the individual characteristics of each person and the specific situation. Such fear can be eliminated with the help of psychotherapy and auto-training. If there is an anxiety-phobic disorder, psychiatric consultation is needed and, possibly, even the appointment of psychotropic drugs to correct symptoms. Also, autonomic disorders may require separate therapy.
Pharmacotherapy
Drug treatment for alginophobia sometimes requires the prescribing of psychotropic drugs by the attending physician to correct mood, behavior and other symptoms of fear of physical pain. The correct dosage and combination of funds can only be prescribed by a qualified specialist, so you should not self-medicate and trust the most advertised drugs.
Types of drugs to combat alginophobia:
- Sedatives … Their appointment is necessary to relieve emotional stress. Preference is given to drugs without a hypnotic effect. A mild sedative effect soothes and eliminates the severity of the manifestations of the phobia. Usually, natural-based products are used. For example, infusions of lemon balm, valerian, motherwort. They practically do not cause side effects, so there are very few contraindications to their use.
- Anxiolytics … This group of drugs has another name - tranquilizers. They have a powerful anti-anxiety effect, reduce irritability and anxiety. Long-term use improves sleep and normalizes mood. The most popular representatives: Gidazepam, Phenazepam, Clonazepam. These drugs should be prescribed by a qualified doctor who takes into account the individual characteristics of each person and other drugs that he takes, since not all psychotropic drugs are compatible.
- Antidepressants … This group of drugs is used to normalize the background mood, relieve lethargy and apathy. That is, a person becomes more open, active and able to reason more logically. In this case, the likelihood of overcoming your fear of pain is much greater. The activation of mental functions allows you to better analyze and process information. The most commonly used are Amitriptyline and Paroxetine. To combat the fear of pain, minimum dosages and long-term use are used.
Psychotherapeutic methods
Every year, psychotherapeutic techniques are widely spread, which make it possible to achieve the desired therapeutic results without the use of psychotropic drugs. Naturally, in order to be more effective, the combined treatment with the help of pharmacological agents and work with a psychotherapist is considered the best option. Each individual type of therapy is selected depending on the individual characteristics of the person. For example, for those who are inclined to introspection and work on themselves, auto-training will be the best solution. The program of this type of therapy is drawn up in full detail, so that a person can independently overcome his problems and tune in to more positive thinking. For the less proactive, behavioral therapy with a therapist can help you with how to overcome your fear of pain. And in the most difficult cases, hypnosis is used.
Ways to deal with your fear of physical pain:
- Behavioral therapy … During the sessions, the therapist tries to formulate a model of behavior that will avoid disturbing problems, including phobias. That is, the actions that a person commits when an attack occurs are deeply analyzed, then they are amenable to criticism by the patient himself. Only then is a completely new, more appropriate model of behavior superimposed on past experience. Simply put, the therapist, together with the patient, chooses what to do next time in order to avoid panic or other worries about the upcoming pain. A person receives ready-made advice, which they, together with a specialist, recognized as the best way out of the situation, and is not lost the next time under similar circumstances.
- Auto-training … This is an independent technique that does not require the intervention of strangers. Nobody imposes their own opinion, and with the help of their own attitudes, a person learns to do the right thing. This method of therapy is given only a couple of minutes, but several times a day. It is desirable that no one interrupts the procedure. You need to take a comfortable position, relax and close your eyes. There are many highly detailed self-hypnosis and introspection programs that can be used as a basis for auto-training. But, above all, efficiency depends on quality work on oneself, a sincere desire to change one's psychological attitudes and get rid of a phobia.
- Hypnosis … This method of psychotherapy is performed with the help of a qualified specialist who has undergone specialized training. During the introduction of hypnosis, a person becomes more susceptible to external factors and those words that are trying to convey to him. The formulated installation to eliminate alginophobia is repeated after the person enters the phase of hypnotic sleep. At a subconscious level, the necessary information is recorded, which will be included every time a need arises.
How to deal with fear of pain - watch the video:
Undoubtedly, fear is a physiological feeling that performs a protective function, protects against troubles and rash decisions. But alginophobia is a fear of unknown consequences that can cause pain. In most cases, it is groundless and only harmful. That is why it is important to know how to get rid of the fear of pain once and for all.
