Phonophobia, fear of intense noises

Maria looks like Fonobofia. He loves the ride of the Magi and, above all, he is wonderful to see the face of his daughters, but It is really wrong when the fireworks throw. A little before the rockets begin to climb the heavens, feel nervous, tense ... the explosions begin and an almost uncontrollable panic feeling of it. Phonophobia is a little known phobia but that may cause ravages to those people who are close to strong and unexpected noises.

Content

• What is phonophobia
• Symptoms
• Causes of phonophobia
• Treatments
  • Bibliography

What is phonophobia

Phonophobia, also known as ligirophobia, It is a specific phobia to strong and sudden noises. As Camilo and Sánchez (2019) stand out, a specific phobia consists of "a disproportionate, persistent and irrational fear response according to the nature of the stimulus it presents". For example, let's imagine that at a birthday party someone exploits balloons. Phonophobic will have a really bad time. Any strong sound and without waiting for it can cause a reaction in the person suffering from this phobia.

It is important to note that phonophobia is not hyperacusia. While hyperacusia is related to the sensitivity of auditory pathways, phonophobia is related to the psychological processing of the activating stimulus. While some people generate discomfort and discomfort because they are more auditory to this kind of sounds, other people cause anxiety and panic. So that, Phonophobia is related to psychological processing and not to auditory.

Phonophobia should not be confused with misophobia. The latter refers to the phobia of everyday sounds. Misophobic can feel discomfort with the noise of rain, a pencil hitting a table or someone sneezing. Unlike phonophobia, misophobia can affect our social relationships since we can avoid staying with a friend because we do not support the sound that emits when chewing. Phonophobia, in this sense, is limited to unexpected and high sounds. Yes it is true that the phonophobic will have a bad time if while the street jumps the alarm of a car.

Symptoms

Like the vast majority of phobias, the person who experiences it You can feel immense fear as well as great anxiety and discomfort. The increase in sweating and heart rate can also be present. The behavior The phonophobic can be flight in case possible. They can even feel nausea. On another plane, they can also change their humor after an episode of panic when listening to a strong and sudden noise.

Causes of phonophobia

The cause of this type of phobia, like that of many others, is not clear. A possible cause can be an aversive association to these noises in childhood. In this way, trauma related to intense sound would have been created. Thus, every time the person hears a loud noise are triggered panic and anxiety responses. Another possible cause of this phobia is the feeling of loss of control. When we hear, for example, a traca without waiting for it, it can trigger a feeling of not being able to control the situation.

The high and unexpected noise in itself is a stimulus that can cause a shock, so two issues would come together: The shock and the feeling of not being able to control the situation. What I can do? How do I get out of here? What if something happens to me? These are issues that can be raised a phonophobic. Therefore, the lack of control over the situation would increase the feeling of discomfort and anxiety. Without a doubt, it is a phobia that needs more research from the research field.

Treatments

Phonophobia treatments can be several. One of them is direct exposure. It is perhaps one of the most complex but The objective is to reduce the sensitivity that the patient suffers to this class of noise. By exposing it directly to a noise, observes that there is no real danger, but that it is a way of perceiving the situation as a threatening when there is no real threat. In this case, the advantage is that it is a controlled environment and the subject knows that during the session we can produce a loud noise.

However, in the day to day we do not know when we will be subject to strong noises, therefore, the previous therapy should be contemplated with cognitive-behavioral (TCC) therapy (TCC). Through the TCC, it seeks to modify the reaction of the phonophobic through a more functional information processing. This phobia is closely related to the feeling of threat and not controlling the outside, so a great state of anxiety is generated. In this way, we will work for the patient to be able to control their thoughts so that they do not generate high levels of anxiety.

Bibliography

• Delgado, a. C. AND SÁNCHEZ, J. V. (2019). Fear, phobias and their treatments. Electronic Journal of Iztacala Psychology, 22 (2), 798-833.