What is herpetophobia: signs, causes, treatment

Slava Profina 07/25/2018 no comments

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Every person has their own fears or phobias. On the one hand, phobias are something psychological, and on the other hand, fears help a person not to lose the survival instinct and sense of proportion when faced with danger. Herpetophobia or fear of snakes and lizards is associated with the past, when our ancestors did not know much and did not know how to cope with basic dangers.

What it is

The name is derived from the ancient Greek words ἑρπετόν, which means “reptile”, and φόβος, which translates as “fear”. Herpetophobia is a subtype of zoophobia, fear of animals.

Many people consider themselves herpetophobes, although in fact, not everyone who is afraid of snakes or other reptiles has this fear in the form of a phobia. The fear of creeping creatures is inherent in us by nature; this is a normal reaction. Of course, provided that a person can control his fear, does not lose critical thinking and does not panic at the mere thought of a reptile. Otherwise we are dealing with a phobia.

Interesting! Sometimes the fear of reptiles hides a fear of helplessness, and this type of phobia is associated with the fear of death and pain.

Factors that cause fear

Each herpetophobe fears snakes in his own way. Psychologists identify several factors that cause fear:

• the appearance of reptiles, which many people find scary;
• cold, slippery, unpleasant to the touch skin;
• a strange, from the point of view of a two-legged person, way of moving;
• unpleasant and terrible hissing;
• quick reaction of a creature that can attack completely unexpectedly;
• fear of a poisonous bite and fear of dying.

Causes of herpetophobia

We have already named one of the reasons - the inheritance of fear from distant ancestors. Let's look at others:

1. Psychotrauma. Perhaps the first acquaintance with reptiles was unsuccessful, or the person was bitten by a snake or other animal. Or the person witnessed someone else getting hurt.
2. Media influence. In Australia, a snake can be found in the toilet of every home. In Russia, in some villages this can also happen. Suggested people do not necessarily have to have personal negative experiences; they may be frightened by the stories of other people, news reports, etc.
3. Fear, trauma while watching horror films. Perhaps in childhood the child saw a shocking film or encountered a frightening computer game.
4. Parental influence. Mom and dad were afraid of snakes, and the child copied their behavior, or the parents intimidated the child with overprotection.
5. Unpredictability of snake behavior. Some species are truly dangerous. All snakes, regardless of species, move silently and can jump out right in front of your feet. During an unexpected meeting, a person has no time to think, analyze the snake for poisonousness - he gets scared.
6. Religiosity. For believers, snakes are associated with sins. This can cause fear.
7. Injury due to an evil prank. Perhaps friends threw a toy snake into a bag or under their feet, and an impressionable person was afraid of this.
8. Fear of rape, denial of male power. This is how Freud, the author of psychoanalysis, described herpetophobia. He believed that the snake is a phallic symbol. And subconsciously, the fear of snakes may be associated with the fear of men.

Fear of reptiles caused by psychological trauma can remain dormant for many years. For example, a childhood trauma can be recalled in adulthood, when a person meets a reptile again.

Conclusion

Now you know what the fear of snakes is called and how to cure herpetophobia. By the way, experts believe that isolated phobias (not part of a broader disorder such as panic or anxiety) can be treated quite quickly; several sessions of psychotherapy are enough for this.

In addition, doctors do not recommend delaying seeking help if fears really interfere with your life. With age, they can worsen, intensify and even lead to complete isolation from society, when a person is afraid to leave the apartment so as not to encounter some danger outside. In order not to bring yourself to such a deplorable state, do not hesitate to go to specialists and work on your fears.

This video explains how different human phobias are formed and the different ways to treat them.

Signs and symptoms of herpetophobia

With a mild degree of the disorder, there is a slight manifestation of symptoms: mild anxiety, restlessness. At the same time, a person can control his reactions. At the next stage, the intensity of fear intensifies, and the herpetophobe can no longer control it. An avoidance reaction is noticeable. Herpetophobe does not visit terrariums or pet stores and is afraid to go for walks in parks and forests.

A herpetophobe is frightened not only by real animals, but also by images or figures of reptiles, as well as sounds, such as hissing. When meeting an object of fear, a person falls into a stupor and may have a panic attack. It manifests itself in a number of somatic reactions:

• nausea,
• dizziness,
• chills,
• tachycardia,
• arrhythmia,
• chest pain,
• sweating,
• feeling of suffocation.

In a moment of panic, the herpetophobe becomes dangerous to himself and others. He has absolutely no control over his reactions and behavior. During panic, a person thinks that he will die or go crazy.

Description and manifestation of phobia

Everyone has a fear of reptiles , but some people treat it with humor, while others absolutely cannot fight it and behave irrationally. The lack of this rationality is expressed not only in hysterics, fear, stupor, anxiety at the sight of a snake, but also in anxiety that reptiles will end up in the home. The patient is haunted by obsessive dreams involving them.

Any object that resembles a snake causes horror in a person. Films and paintings with reptiles can put him in a stupor and panic. This is herpetophobia - one of the types of zoophobia.

Manifestations of this phobia vary: from mild to severe. Some people feel discomfort when touching a reptile, but can safely be near it. Others begin to go hysterical at the sight of a photograph of a snake - this is already a severe form.

Some people treat those suffering from this disease with understanding, others with humor and even consider themselves herpetophobes. Others are afraid to be near such patients, because in the presence of reptiles their behavior is unpredictable and inadequate.

The instinct of self-preservation, that is, the usual fear at the sight of a live snake, is not herpetophobia. What are the manifestations of this disease? Fear of reptiles is expressed in the following:

1. Intellectually, a person understands that his fear is far-fetched, hyperbolic, that is, exaggerated. He realizes that not everything is so terrible. But at the sight of a reptile, this awareness abruptly disappears. Immediately anxiety, fear and numbness appear, up to a panic attack.
2. Deterioration of the general condition: shortness of breath, palpitations, sweating, nausea, increased blood pressure, dizziness, dry mouth, feeling of lack of air.
3. While of sound mind, the herpetophobe loses the ability to express thoughts coherently.
4. The feeling that death is about to occur.
5. Most often, such people are nervous, fussy, irritable, they find it difficult to concentrate, and they get tired quickly.
6. In patients with severe manifestations, all of the above symptoms are strongly expressed, and a panic attack can lead to paralysis.

What does fear of reptiles lead to? In fact, this is a very serious disease and over time its consequences only get worse:

1. Herpetophobe begins to fear even those objects that are not directly related to reptiles, since certain associations have already formed in his head.
2. Far-fetched fantasies and fears. For example, fear of snake attacks.
3. Refusal of pleasant things: picnics, trips to pet stores, zoos, exhibitions.
4. The inability to lead a full life, up to complete self-isolation in the apartment.

Treatment of herpetophobia

The main method of treatment is psychotherapy, in particular, the method of systematic desensitization and EMDR. Medicines are prescribed in rare cases, only to relieve pronounced somatic symptoms. You can read more about treating phobias in this article.

You can get rid of the fear of snakes yourself with the help of education. Study the life features of reptiles. Find out what species are available in your area. Visit the terrarium and practice identifying snakes.

How to get rid of a phobia

To get rid of a phobia, you need to change your perception and behavior. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy is used for this. It involves a gradual rapprochement with the object of fear. First, the client is told about safe types of snakes, shown pictures of them, then he is offered to personally meet a non-venomous snake. A psychologist is nearby, helps to overcome fear, suggests what relaxation methods to use.

Psychologist's advice

Psychologists recommend using the following tips to correct the condition:

1. Write a written analysis of your phobia. Determine what exactly scares you. Now write down what snakes live in your region and what is typical for them. Compare this to your fears. Usually at this stage half of the worries disappear. For example, did you know that snakes have no poison?
2. Start getting closer to the rest of the worries. Look at the picture of snakes and video of snakes.
3. When one type of snake stops causing you panic, visit the terrarium and ask its workers about representatives of the species and the peculiarities of communicating with them. Find a service that allows you to handle snakes.

The diagnosis of ophidiophobia is made if the fear of snakes prevents a person from living a full life for six months or more. What methods are used in the professional treatment of ophidiophobia:

1. Eye movement reprocessing desensitization (EMDR). This is a special technique for liberating and correcting the subconscious. It involves making rapid eye movements according to a special pattern. Thanks to this exercise, old memories are no longer perceived as threatening, and psychological trauma is processed.
2. Hypnosis. If performed correctly, it can rid a person of a phobia in one session (the number of sessions depends on the severity of the disease).
3. Relaxation. This method, unlike others, can be used independently. Relaxation includes breathing exercises, meditation, mental counting and concentration on breathing and affirmations.

This is interesting! Snakes also have their own phobia - hedgehogs. Why are snakes afraid of hedgehogs? Because snake venom has no effect on them. They will eat a grass snake or viper without any problems.

Independent work with a phobia

In the initial stages of development of a phobia, you can cope with the problem yourself. To do this, you need, first of all, to admit that there is a problem and start studying the world of crawling creatures. Practice recognizing dangerous and non-dangerous creatures, master safety precautions when coming into contact with a poisonous representative. Visit the terrarium and practice there; in moments of panic, calm yourself with slow and deep breathing. The end of the fight against a phobia can be a photo session with a boa constrictor, and for starters, you can buy a toy in the shape of a snake.

This is interesting! A snake attacks a person only for the purpose of protection. Remember this.

Why is herpetophobia dangerous?

Irritability, nervousness, fatigue, weakened concentration are a typical state of a herpetophobe. Due to constant psychological stress, secondary mental disorders and somatic diseases develop. Without treatment, the herpetophobe's condition will worsen. At very advanced stages, a person closes himself within the walls of the house, constantly processing the perimeter of the home and the area around it. He is tormented by obsessions, nightmares and hallucinations.