We cannot say that snakes are pleasant animals, in general, with whom most would like to share a few days, or even a few minutes. However, currently, there are few people who could be in contact with snakes on a daily basis and could feel real fear and a threat to their physical integrity.
Historically, they have never enjoyed a good reputation among humans, but today, excessive fear of these beings could be dysfunctional and generate such great discomfort for the person that it could make us less efficient. This is why, in this Psychology-Online article, we explain more about ophidiophobia: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment. Keep reading!
What is ophidiophobia?
What is the fear of snakes called? The term ophidiophobia refers to a type of specific phobia, specifically, it is one of the most common zoophobic phobias. Specifically, it is fear of snakes or similarirrationally or exacerbated.
We must distinguish the natural fear that these animals provoke, since at an evolutionary level it is totally normal, and even necessary that they provoke a fear response, in ophidiophobia we observe a fear unjustified and exaggerated in comparison to the situation of real threat, since if we talk about a phobia, this fear can appear in situations in which the animal does not pose a danger or threat to the life of the person in question.
Symptoms of ophidiophobia
You may be wondering “How do I know if I have a phobia of snakes?”, so below we show you the main symptoms of ophidiophobia:
- Negative references to snakes and everything related to them.
- Excessive avoidance.
- Escape from said stimuli.
- Hyperventilation and palpitations.
- intense in the face of erroneous estimates of threat, that is, in the face of the meanings attributed to the stimulus and the evoked fear response.
- Appearance of others disorders derived of this phobia.
Causes of ophidiophobia
The cause of fear of snakes is not only a stressor or an experience, or the biological predisposition of the individual, but we will always keep in mind the interaction between genetics and environment:
- The subject who suffers from ophidiophobia surely has a biological vulnerability generalized that, together with the stress experienced, will create a sensation of false alarm, which will end up becoming a learned alarm, generating psychological vulnerability.
- This vulnerability is influenced by learning, whether directly or vicariously from other real alarms. This cycle gives rise to the appearance of anxiety disorders and phobias.
- Some hypotheses maintain that, Snakes were a danger in ancient times, for the physical integrity of humans. This danger was much higher, so the feeling of alert and danger towards this reptile was much more intense. This feeling would have lasted to this day in some of these people who suffer from ophidiophobia.
Treatment of ophidiophobia
How to overcome the fear of snakes? The key to curing ophidiophobia is repeated exposure to the specific feared stimulus, and generation of new learning in which the feared stimulus becomes harmless.
To begin the treatment of ophidiophobia, it is important to acquire anxiety control and relaxation skills, as well as create a safe environment within the framework of an appropriate therapeutic alliance to continue moving forward. Below we will see the most effective treatments to cure ophidiophobia:
Exposure therapy
According to Wolpe, systematic desensitization works by counterconditioningthat is, by associating or generating an opposite response, such as relaxation, to the one that would be generated initially, such as fear, and anxiety.
Now, how to overcome ophidophobia with this type of therapy? Its effectiveness in curing fear of snakes lies in preventing avoidance from becoming a safety signal. This therapy can be carried out in several ways: live, symbolically, in a group and interoceptively.
Other cognitive behavioral therapies
Finally, other techniques are also known that are included in the cognitive-behavioral current of psychology and are processing and desensitization by eye movements (). These are the ones we have more scientific evidence of its effectiveness.
Now, the choice of the most appropriate therapeutic method will depend on personal, social, and environmental factors. However, whatever the choice, treatment must be given within a series of circumstances to be successful and overcome ophidiophobia:
- The therapist must have knowledge of the conceptual model he or she applies.
- The establishment of a good therapeutic relationship.
- The transmission of a consistent treatment logic.
- The effective implementation of the different exhibition modalities.
If you think you might suffer from ophidiophobia and notice that this is interfering with your daily life and causing you discomfort, It is important that you go to a psychologist who can do the relevant tests and carry out the treatment that best suits your case.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes): what it is, symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM – 5. Madrid, Spain. Pan-American medical publishing house.
- Belloch, A., Sandín, B., Ramos, F., (2009). Manual of psychopathology, volume II. Madrid. McGraw Hill / Interamericana de España, SAU
- Labrador, FJ, (ed.) (2008). Behavior modification techniques. Madrid. Pyramid