insideKENT Magazine Issue 62 - May 2017 | Page 128

HEALTH+WELLNESS
PUSH YOURSELF cont.
MYSOPHOBIA AEROPHOBIA
Fear of germs Fear of flying
Approximately 25 per cent of all air travellers suffer from the fear of
flying; mild anxiety – sweaty palms and a sense of unease on takeoff
and landing are pretty normal, but in severe cases, physical symptoms
can include sweating, trembling, increased heart rate, nausea and
vomiting; psychological symptoms range from irritation, dizziness,
and thoughts of falling to one’s death, to an inability to think clearly,
disorientation and nervousness. Eventually, phobics start cancelling
plans to avoid flying altogether, which can have negative consequences
on both their career and personal lives.
People with an excessive fear of germs think the entire world that exists
outside of their spick and span one is filthy, so they’re always washing
or cleaning and can be known to spend a huge amount of their time
doing so. The trouble is, this can rack up sizeable costs and also expose
them to harmful chemicals, which a majority of strong cleaning products
contain. People with an extreme fear of germs tend to think about
microbes all the time too; they’re scared of contamination from dirt,
dust, grime and cannot stand to be near people who are sneezing or
coughing.
A combination of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure
therapy is recommended to treat mysophobia. CBT helps with changing
irrational thoughts – “I think germs will kill me” – into more reasoned
thoughts – “exposure to some germs can be healthy and useful”.
Exposure therapy is about helping the sufferer remain calm around
germs and to encounter them more and more frequently until he or
she is able to stop obsessively washing their hands. Psychiatrists can be really helpful in ascertaining the magnitude of the
fear and can then suggest medication to sedate travellers during flight
if this is suitable; if not, group and individual therapy sessions are also
known to help ease aerophobia, and hypnosis can be useful too.
GLOSSOPHOBIA TRYPANOPHOBIA
Fear of public speaking Fear of needles
Put simply,
glossophobia is stage
fright – that gut-
sinking feeling of
being frozen to the
spot at the mere
thought of addressing
an audience, or
performing at an
event. In extreme
cases, a person can
completely clam up;
stuck to the spot and
unable to speak all the
while accompanied
by debilitating side
effects like dry mouth,
shaking, sweating and
palpitations.
As with most
‘ailments’, there are
two routes sufferers of
glossophobia can go
down – the homeopathic and the medical. Aconitum napellus or
gelsemium are recommended homeopathic remedies; herbal remedies
like lemon balm, lavender and passion flower are known nerve soothers;
and in terms of severe cases, beta blockers can be prescribed for lowering
heart rate and controlling anxiety.
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Another classic
phobia,
trypanophobia
affects around 10
per cent of the
world’s population
and is characterised
by an irrational or
excessive fear of
needles, pins and
injections.
Common
symptoms include
feeling faint at the
thought and sight
of needles,
shortness of breath
and full-blown
panic attacks.
As with
arachnophobia,
systematic desensitisation is a gradual exposure technique and is useful
in overcoming this particular fear, as is behavioural therapy to help
identify and manage irrational thoughts associated with needles and
injections particularly, and one-on-one clinical hypnotherapy,
which induces deep relaxation in patients and helps explore the root
of the phobia, so it can be challenged.