The batophobia It is the extreme and irrational fear of the depths, constituting an anxiety disorder in which the person suffering from it experiences feelings of panic and terror when exposed to their phobic stimulus. It is a specific type of phobia, so it shares the same characteristics as claustrophobia, blood phobia or spider phobia.
When a person suffering from batophobia finds himself in a situation where he cannot see the bottom or the end part (for example, a dark tunnel or a very high well), he will experience very high feelings of anguish and anxiety.
The person with batophobia fears above all the situations in which they cannot see the end, so they will try to avoid these types of spaces at all costs, in order not to suffer from the extremely unpleasant anxiety reaction that it causes..
When the individual is exposed to these situations, they will suffer both physical, cognitive and behavioral reactions, and all of them will be accompanied by a more than high discomfort.
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In the first place, it must be taken into account that fear, fear or repair towards very deep spaces can be a totally normal reaction and does not have to always be a phobic disorder.
Those situations in which there are elements that we cannot control (such as very deep spaces), can automatically activate our anxiety responses. The body will be activated in a more pronounced way in order to be more attentive and to be able to watch out for possible dangers that are not controlled.
As long as this anxiety reaction is not exaggeratedly high and the fear experienced can be controlled, we are not talking about batophobia and we are referring to a totally normal reaction.
Therefore, the main aspect that must be taken into account to correctly identify batophobia lies in the type of fear or fear that is experienced.
The fear and fear that people with batophobia experience has a number of characteristics. Not any experience of fear is valid to affirm the presence of this anxiety disorder.
First of all, it must be taken into account that to be able to speak of batophobia, the fear experienced has to do with the specific situation in depth. If fear does not appear specifically in a space in which the sensation of depth is interpreted in a clearly circumscribed way, we cannot speak of batophobia.
In addition, to be able to relate the fear of depth with batophobia, this fear must have another series of characteristics.
The fear experienced by the person with batophobia is totally disproportionate.
The situation or space that transmits depth does not represent any real danger for the individual, but he interprets it as highly distressing, dangerous and harmful, and responds with an exaggeratedly high anxiety response.
The fear experienced is also totally irrational, since the individual reacts with high anxiety to a neutral situation that does not imply any danger. In addition, the irrationality of the fear experienced is not only observable or identifiable by others, but the individual himself is capable of interpreting it as such..
The person with batophobia agrees that their phobia is totally illogical and they are not able to rationalize why they suffer from it or what elements of the deep spaces cause them so much fear.
To the two previous points a clear component of uncontrollability must be added.
The person with batophobia is unable to control his anxiety response and when it appears he totally takes over both his emotions and his thoughts and behaviors.
The person with batophobia is unable to bear a situation in which a clear sense of depth is manifested.
When the individual is in spaces such as tunnels or deep wells, they will try to escape as soon as possible to avoid their discomfort and the high anxiety response.
The fear that depth produces in a person with batophobia generates a high anxiety response.
In batophobia there is a clear predominance of the relative physical symptoms of anxiety, although the cognitive and behavioral components are also present and may play an important role..
The main symptoms of batophobia are:
In general, the most intense and distressing are the physical symptoms, which can appear automatically when the individual is exposed to a deep space.
Likewise, in some cases the anxiety response may appear simply with the imagination of deep spaces, without being necessary to expose oneself to one of these real situations..
Finding the origin of phobias is usually a complicated task, so if you try to find an element or some experience from when you were little that allows you to explain why you have batophobia, you will most likely not succeed..
In fact, it is considered that batophobia does not have a single origin and that the most common is that it is the conjunction of a series of factors that gives rise to the disorder. In some cases, a relationship can be observed between exposure to deep and traumatic situations during childhood and the development of batophobia during adulthood.
Likewise, in some cases, exposure to terrifying stories or visualizations about deep spaces can also play an important role in the development of batophobia..
However, in most cases such direct relationships are not observed, which is why the participation of genetic factors is also supported. In fact, being cautious or respectful before deep spaces is a normal reaction..
The main treatment for batophobia consists of psychotherapy through a psychologist who is an expert in these types of disorders. Psychotherapy has been shown to be the most effective treatment to intervene phobias and achieves very good results.
The most effective psychological intervention to reverse batophobia is cognitive behavioral treatment. While other therapies can also contribute positive aspects, when it comes to intervening this disorder it is advisable to go to a psychotherapist who carries out this type of treatment.
Cognitive behavioral treatment for phobias usually incorporates the following elements:
It is a fundamental step to overcome batophobia and consists of exposing the patient to their phobic stimuli, that is, to deep spaces.
It has been shown that the avoidance of feared stimuli is the main factor that maintains anxiety responses, so exposing oneself in a guided and controlled way allows you to reduce panic experiences and overcome fears.
In those patients in whom exposure cannot be carried out because the fear experienced is too intense, systematic desensitization is performed, an approach that will gradually expose the patient to their phobic stimuli.
They are usually performed prior to exposure in order to reduce the patient's anxiety and provide a state of tranquility that facilitates the approach to the phobic stimulus..
In cases where there are strong negative thoughts and beliefs about the feared stimulus, cognitive therapy is used to modulate them and ensure that they do not interfere with the individual's day-to-day life..
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