Haphephobia: The Fear of Being Touched
With innumerable sexual assault cases arising, its imperative to educate yourself on phobias that stem from sexual assault. This article sums it all up.
What is Haphephobia? By definition, Haphephobia is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by a fear of being touched. A person with Haphephobia can find human touch very daunting and painful. In some cases, the fear is specific to only one gender, however, this is not the case always. Other words for Haphephobia include Chiraptophobia, Aphenphosmphobia, and Thixophobia Symptoms Mostly, the fear is from being touched by strangers but in cases where the fear is intense, being touched by family members, friends and acquaintances can also be distressing and make those suffering from Haphephobia, uncomfortable. It is important to know that this fear can only be characterized as Haphephobia if it prolongs over a long period of time and the fear arises almost every time you are touched. This fear is often paralyzing and is not the same as when someone is merely uncomfortable with touch. It has effects on the individual’s everyday life. Symptoms include:
- panic attacks/ hyperventilation
- fainting
- nausea
- immediate fear when touched or before being touched
- avoiding situations where there may be physical contact
Causes The most common cause of Haphephobia is sexual assault or any sort of traumatic experience where touching was involved. Moreover, if someone cannot trace the event which may have triggered or caused this phobia then chances are that they developed the fear in their childhood however, triggering can occur at any point in life. A lot of children who experience child abuse develop this phobia and are often unable to identify the cause themselves. Treatment There is no particular cure to Haphephobia however, there are effective treatments. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is recommended as an effective form of treatment. This helps the person deal with the anxiety they feel. Moreover, a medical expert may diagnose the person suffering from it with relevant medications to cope with the problem. Haphephobia is a common form of anxiety disorder that is often confused with when someone just doesn’t like being touched. Anyone showing any of the aforementioned symptoms should seek a doctor for proper diagnosis.
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