The Fear of Pain- Algophobia

I’ve been terrified of getting hurt for as long as I remember. Getting hurt, in physical terms. My parents are doctors so since the beginning, we’ve always lived in the hospital quarters. I’d often hear cries of pain from the hospital building that added to my fear of getting hurt. I feared pain and tried to stay away from anything or situation that might result in me getting hurt, this included horse-riding, swimming, and getting vaccinated, among many other things. As a result, I rarely ever got hurt.

While I was scared of pain, it cannot be classified as a phobia. More precisely, Algophobia. Algophobia is defined as the abnormal and persistent fear of pain which is far more powerful than that experienced by a normal person. Just like all other specific symptoms, the fear experienced by those with algophobia is excessive and triggers an anxiety response.

Algophobia is characterized by symptoms such as panic attacks, aches, pains, feelings of dizziness, excessive sweating, breathlessness, palpitations, drying of the mouth, prickling sensations, fatigue, headaches, insomnia, problems focusing on tasks, and the inability to relax. These symptoms seem to be out of the individual’s control and cause them to avoid situations wherein they can experience pain as much as possible. Taking such extreme steps leads to the reinforcement of the phobia and becomes harder for the individual to recover from.

There are a few theories on how phobias such as algophobia develop.

Sigmund Freud suggested the psychoanalytic theory, according to which, the personality consisted of three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the primal and instinctual drive that runs on the pleasure principle. It acts as the basis for all our drives. The superego consists of the learned rules and morals that develop during the course of one’s growth. It acts as an inner control system and deals with the uninhibited desires of the id. The ego’s role is to moderate between the desires of the id, the demands of reality, and the moral boundaries of the superego. According to the psychoanalytic theory, phobias are a result of the anxiety reactions that arise when the ego is overwhelmed by these forces. This causes the individual to displace this internal anxiety to an external object or situation, which results in phobia.

According to the learning theory, a phobia is a learned behavior. It is based on the principles of behaviorism and cognitive theory. This theory states that phobias develop when fear responses are either reinforced or punished. Both of these can be positive or negative. Positive reinforcement is the act of giving the subject something positive when they perform the desired action; like a bar of chocolate for getting a good score in an exam. This leads to them associating the action with the reward, causing them to do it more often. Positive punishment refers to adding an aversive consequence after an undesired behavior is committed, causing the person to decrease indulging in such behavior in the future. Albert Bandura suggested the social learning theory, according to which human behavior could be learned through observation, imitation, and modeling. In this case, if a child sees a parent reacting to injection with fear, the child might learn to do the same and stay away from anything that may inflict pain.

Another theory, the biological theory, suggests that phobias are caused by physiological factors. Based on neuropsychology, they have identified certain genetic factors that can play a role in the development of phobias. Although the specific gene responsible for phobias has not been isolated yet, researchers have found some genetic anomalies among patients that suffer from phobias. It has been further found that specific medications affect the chemistry of the brain and help treat phobias.

Phobias can be coped with and treated by using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or by Changing Limiting Beliefs (CLB). A person having a phobia tends to believe that the feared situation is inherently dangerous. This leads to negative automatic thoughts which occur right after they are encountered with the feared situation. These automatic thoughts result in a phobic behavioral reaction. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy allows an individual to manage their fears by gradually changing the way they think. It is based on the interconnection between thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors. This process might involve first watching someone engage in an activity that involves pain, and then gradually exposing oneself to similar activities. This process can be a long one and can take many sessions for one to learn to follow such a thought pattern.

Changing Limiting Beliefs, as the name suggests, involves creating alterations in your already existing limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs are things that you believe about yourself which end up placing limitations on your abilities.

Psychology Today suggests a few steps one can employ to go about changing one’s limiting beliefs:

1. Finding and writing down one’s limiting beliefs: This can take some time and certain attempts at self-discovery but is the first step in the process. You can further note how strong each belief is and what kind of emotions they make your experience.

1. Acknowledge and accept that these are just beliefs: This is the hardest step and involves accepting that these are beliefs and aren’t truths. By accepting this, one can realize that getting into the right headspace is a step towards getting rid of your fear.

1. Make new beliefs: Try creating beliefs that are aligned with what you want to achieve and accomplish. Believing that one is strong enough to go mountain-climbing or learn cycling is an example.

1. Taking different actions: Pretending like your new belief is actually true gives you the confidence to indulge in activities you were scared of. If you fail to incorporate these new beliefs, you end up relying on your old, flawed ones. While your first few attempts at this may not be always successful, it is important to know that you are headed in the right direction.

References:

Fritscher, L. (2020, November 16). How Behavioral Therapy Plays a Role in the Treatment of Phobias. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/therapy-options-for-phobias-2672008

4 Steps to Release “Limiting Beliefs” Learned From Childhood. (2013, November 05). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/focus-forgiveness/201311/4-steps-release-limiting-beliefs-learned-childhood

PaulLee. (2020, February 05). Algophobia. Retrieved from https://www.tranceformpsychology.com/phobias/algophobia.html#:~:text=Algophobia may be the result,learnt to live with it.”

Algophobia Hypnotherapy Wolverhampton & Wombourne. (2018, May 03). Retrieved from http://www.wolverhamptonhypnotherapy.co.uk/phobias/algophobia.html