Any body is capable of experiencing certain feelings. Despite the general opinion, this is not only the prerogative of man, but also a completely familiar feature of every animal. But only in the case of a person, the painful sensation of fear can take completely unexpected forms.
Definition
Algophobia is the subconscious fear of severe pain. In scientific circles, it has a second name - alginophobia. Fear of pain is built into the human instinct for self-preservation, aimed at preserving the he alth and life of its owner. But in some cases, this emotion gets out of control and significantly impairs the quality of a person's life.
Description
It is quite natural that a person does not like to be afraid of pain, because he understands that it is a harbinger of something threatening. He althy people treat this adequately and do not make problems out of a meaningless feeling. But in the case of sick people, the situation is aggravated. A potential bearer of fear of physical pain panics at the slightest discomfort.
For example, we can recall adults, sometimes they are representatives of the older generation who will have to get an injection. At the thought of possible pain, they experience real horror, panicking and winding themselves with thoughts about the upcoming consequences of such a step. It doesn't have to be an injection. A person may be afraid of getting into an accident while driving, or falling while walking down the street.
Such a painful condition leads to constant tension of a person. He is afraid of either the existing unpleasant sensations, imagining how they will grow into something more, or the possible pain from any act. It can take a long time to prove to such a person that even the bites of a flock of mosquitoes do not threaten the state of he alth, but he will be firmly convinced that after that he will be at least on his deathbed.
Diagnosis
Today, there are many methods that allow you to identify phobias in time and successfully deal with them. But the phobia of fear of pain is rather secretive, and often it is revealed only in very neglected forms. The main reason is that its symptoms are also characteristic of other pathologies, which greatly complicates the diagnosis.
Each patient's phobia manifests itself in its own way. Therefore, the behavior of several patients may differ from each other. Often, patients with progressive algophobia gradually limit their social circle, refusing to attend social events, friendly meetings, and try not to leave the house without a good reason. For the initial stages of the disease, suchthe measure helps quite well, but the gradually progressive phobia drags the patient into depression and insomnia, making him afraid of pain even within his own home.
An important role in the identification and treatment of such patients is played by their environment. The carrier of panic fear of pain can be recognized by characteristic reasoning. He believes that by visiting a particular event, he will experience a sensation that will harm one of the aspects of his he alth, so it is better to refrain from such a visit. If insisted, his fear may escalate into panic, horror, or rage against his interlocutor.
Signs
To understand how to overcome the fear of pain, you need to clearly define all the symptoms that will indicate the form and neglect of this disease. Despite their uniqueness for each individual, they all have common features:
- during the influx of experiences, the patient feels nausea, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure or tachycardia;
- when a potential patient is afraid of something, it is difficult for him to breathe, his face is covered with droplets of sweat, and the skin turns red;
- arms tremble, general weakness is felt, and legs buckle while walking;
- after several similar attacks, the patient begins to acutely feel the approach of death, which only worsens the situation.
Most algynophobes are well aware of their condition and try to control themselves, despite the belief that they will not be able to survive even the slightest pain. This disease is insidious in that it canprovoke the development of other phobias, so you can not do without the help of a psychologist and psychiatrist. What is the difference between them is not so important. Any of them is able to correct the development of a phobia, preventing more severe complications affecting the psyche and physical he alth.
Reasons
Psychologists believe that modern people are particularly sensitive to pain. They closely observe the slightest changes in general well-being and immediately treat any deviation from the norm. This is only present in today's time. The generation that existed about 100 years ago was more indifferent to this factor and was not afraid to risk their own he alth, relying on the principle of natural selection.
Thanks to the development of science and technology, the current generation is carefully protected from many of the dangers of antiquity. Humanity is so accustomed to security that now any deviation from the norm provokes the development of new phobias.
But not everything is as simple as it seems. The fear of physical pain alone is not enough to recognize the presence of pathology. This requires the presence of several factors:
- Inflated level of susceptibility. There is a type of people who are very worried about the slightest reason. Their favorite habit is to run through all the options for the current situation in their head, and most of them are bound to be not very good. As a rule, this is due to the children's tendency to remember bad situations and, over time, dilute them in their head with non-existent details. Having gone through all the stagesgrowing up, a person loses this character trait. But sometimes it remains, providing fertile ground for the development of psychological abnormalities.
- Having a similar experience. Having experienced discomfort in a particular situation, the human subconscious mind will warn its owner against repeating an undesirable moment. For example, we can recall a completely domestic situation. If a patient donates blood to an inexperienced laboratory assistant, he, out of habit, can look for veins for a long time and accidentally hook parts of the tendon. A person will experience severe pain and in the future will be wary of such procedures. But in the case of an algynophobe, it will be difficult to prove that the problem lay in the lack of knowledge of the young laboratory assistant, and not in the procedure itself. Therefore, the mere mention of the repetition of blood donation will cause him only horror and rejection.
- Opinion of society. The whole meaning of such a factor will be demonstrated by one situation. Under the dentist's door, there is a queue waiting for an appointment, and there is a potential algynophobe in it. The screams and cries of other patients can be heard from the office. The carrier of the phobia of fear of pain will begin to wind himself up, thinking how he can withstand such torment. He will not even remember that he came for a different reason and, accordingly, will experience different sensations.
Treatment
This phobia has many names that make it difficult to find someone who treats the fear of pain. But few people know that specialists use the same methods to treat it: certain medications, psychotherapy and special trainings. In more advanced cases, when the phobia was supplemented by depression, anxiety and othersimilar moments, you can not do without the help of a psychologist and a psychiatrist. What is the difference between a normal situation and a severe form of the disease, they will immediately understand and help to quickly eliminate the disturbing symptoms.
Medicines
A similar method of treatment relies on the regular use of psychotropic substances, with the help of which stability of previously floating mood is achieved, symptom relief and improvement in the patient's behavior. Independent use of this method is strictly prohibited, since the patient will not be able to correctly combine drugs and not exceed the allowable doses:
- Antidepressants improve mood and tone the body, helping to temporarily forget about apathy and general weakness. The correct dosage favorably affects logical thinking and prolongs the period of relative calm. Recipes often contain Paroxetine and Amitriptyline.
- Drugs from the sedative series relieve tension at the psyche level, calming the painful mind without hypnotic effects. Doctors recommend tinctures of lemon balm, motherwort, valerian and so on.
- Tranquilizers to help relieve the current symptoms of a phobia: irritation, restlessness, anxious feelings, poor sleep patterns. The most popular are "Phenazepam", "Gidazepam" and "Clonazepam". But despite their apparent harmlessness, experts warn against self-medication, urging them not to risk their own he alth.
Psychotherapy
"If I'm afraid of pain, what should I do?" people often ask. In some cases, when the patient is contraindicated in taking the necessary medications, psychotherapy is prescribed. Specialists try to limit intervention in the painful consciousness, preferring auto-training, which the patient can perform on his own, with only minor adjustments by the attending physician.
If a sick person cannot cope with auto-training, then they are replaced by behavioral therapy, which is under the supervision of the attending physician. He regulates the whole process, applying hypnosis for greater impact.
Behavioral therapy forms a different human attitude to the world, clearing it of any manifestation of fear. During therapy, the specialist carefully studies human behavior at the time of the next attack and helps the patient to independently analyze these details. As a result, he understands what provoked the aggravation of the phobia, and tries not to make such mistakes in the future.
The benefits of fear
Fear of pain is part of the instinct of self-preservation, warning against possible dangers. Thanks to him, a person who cannot swim will not go far from the coast and will not drive a car if he cannot drive.
Feeling fear in a life-threatening situation spurs the entire energy potential of the body to overcome the threatening problem and save the life and he alth of its owner. Thanks to this feature, there are legends about incredible abilities.some people.
Fear controls immoral criminals, making them afraid of repeat punishment. That is, if a person had a hard time in a correctional institution, then the opportunity to get there again will keep him from most crimes.
Especially sensitive people avoid repeating bad experiences. For example, the following situation can be cited: a child was burned when, during the game, he came too close to the fire. Next time, he will stay away from the threatening factor, not wanting to experience the same sensations.
Fear mobilizes human grasp and recognition of the necessary information. That is, even the most absent-minded people in a life-threatening situation will remember in detail all the words they hear, expecting that they contain details that are useful to them.
Under the influence of fear, the interaction of the brain and the sensitive sphere of the body improves, making it possible to anticipate life-threatening situations and avoid factors that can cause pain.
People who constantly overcome any fears improve and develop their own personality. That is, fear pushes them to change in life, correct possible mistakes.
