Highly sensitive people or PAS people have a high sensitivity to external stimuli, among which are strident and loud sounds that appear unexpectedly, causing them discomfort and making them prefer to be in places without these types of sounds, where there is more peace of mind.
This does not mean that they have an irrational fear of loud and sudden sounds, and it is what differentiates them, among other characteristics, from people who suffer from phonophobia. Therefore, if you want to know more about Phonophobia: what it is, what are its symptoms, causes and treatment, keep reading! In this Psychology-Online article we explain in detail everything you might be interested in knowing about phonophobia.
What is phonophobia
The term phonophobia, from Greek phones (sound) and phobos (fear). And although many initially relate the term to hearing, phonophobia is a anxiety disorderspecifically a specific phobia, as classified by the DSM-5 (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edition) and is defined as the irrational fear of loud, sudden sounds.
Symptoms of phonophobia
If you would like to know more about the symptoms of phonophobia or noise intolerance, below we show you its main symptoms:
- Negative references to loud and sudden sounds.
- Excessive avoidance and escape from said stimuli.
- Hyperventilation and palpitations.
- 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 phonophobia
The cause 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. So what causes phonophobia? Below we reveal the main reasons why phonophobia or fear of noise arises:
- The subject who suffers from phonophobia surely has a biological vulnerability generalized that, together with what is experienced, will create a sensation of false alarm, which will end up becoming a learned alarm, generating psychological vulnerability.
- This vulnerability is influenced by the learnings, whether directly or vicariously from other real alarms. This cycle gives rise to the appearance of anxiety disorders and .
Treatment of phonophobia
Phobias are treated with repeated exposure to phobic stimulus, in this case, the irrational fear of loud and sudden sounds. In this way, new learning is generated where these sounds become harmless to the person who suffers from the phobia. Below we explain the characteristics of this type of treatment for phonophobia:
- therapeutic process. This is a process that can be traumatic for the patient, who faces it because he does not have the necessary tools to deal with the situation at the moment when anxiety appears, and there begins to be an increase in the physiological response. .
- therapeutic relationship. It is important that the therapist/psychologist dedicate the first sessions to generating a good therapeutic alliance (creating a good bond) so that the patient can feel safe, that he is in an environment that provides calm and tranquility and in which you can face complicated situations such as exposure to loud and sudden sounds.
- therapeutic work. Furthermore, these first sessions should also provide the patient with the necessary tools to reduce the associated anxious symptoms; so you will be taught anxiety control and relaxation techniques that I can use when we work on exposure to the stimulus. Once the techniques have been acquired, work begins on exposure therapy or systematic desensitization.
The systematic desensitization proposed by Wolpe, it is effective due to its counterconditioning, that is, through this therapy the aim is to create a new association that generates an opposite response (such as the relationship) to the one it initially presented (physiological, behavioral and cognitive response to anxiety). against loud and sudden sounds.
However, the exposure therapy It is the most used and the one that has shown greater effectiveness for this type of disorders. This is based on Maurer’s two-factor theory and the habituation and extinction models of learning theories. Just as systematic desensitization is effective by generating counterconditioning, exposure therapy is effective because it prevents avoidance from becoming a safety signal.
Other treatments for phonophobia
Although these are the classic therapies and those that have shown greater effectiveness, we also find other therapies within the cognitive-behavioral range that can be complementary to the previous ones or act as a treatment by themselves, such as:
- narrative therapy.
- Therapy based on processing and desensitization by eye movements ().
If you think that you could suffer from phonophobia and you 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. .
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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.
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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