For the treatment of cleithrophobia, the techniques that are proposed from cognitive behavioral therapy are usually very useful. What does this phobia refer to?
Cleithrophobia is the term used for refer to the specific phobia that involves the fear of being trapped. It can be triggered by being locked in common spaces like the bathroom, elevator, or small rooms.
Keep in mind that fears and phobias are not the same. While fear is adaptive and predisposes to action, phobia paralyzes. It is a form of anxiety in which the fear is intense, persistent and irrational.
In this particular case, it can trigger panic episodes in situations in which the person feels imprisoned. The condition affects both children and adults and it can coexist with claustrophobia, with which it is often confused. What are your main symptoms? How is it addressed? Next, we detail it.
Symptoms of cleithrophobia
Like most phobias, cleithrophobia causes an activation of the sympathetic nervous system before what is perceived as a signal or stimulus of danger. So that Some of the most frequent symptoms are the following:
- Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
- Difficulty breathing or hyperventilation.
- sweating.
- Dizziness.
- Nausea.
- Hand tremor.
- Blockage or immobility.
- Panic attack, with the increasing feeling of fear of death by being confined in a small space.
The problem with the symptoms is that the person not only begins to fear the phobic object or situation itself, but also begins to fear the symptoms, thus increasing their anxiety. This reinforces the avoidance of the situation and the person begins to isolate themselves.
Is it the same as claustrophobia?
No, they are not the same, although one can accompany the other. This happens because having a phobia of one type increases the probability of having a similar one. For example, if I am afraid of cats, I could develop a phobia of dogs.
The same is true of cleithrophobia and claustrophobia. This is the fear of confinement, of a closed space, while cleithrophobia involves the fear of being locked up, of not being able to get out or escape.
Their difference is subtle. To exemplify it, if we are in an elevator, it would be a case of cleithrophobia if there is a fear of being locked up. Also of claustrophobia if there is a fear of getting on the elevator due to the fact that it is a closed place.
Another example of cleithrophobia could also be the fear of being trapped and not being able to escape when we are attached to a harness, in an amusement park, even if it is an open space.
What causes it?
Regarding the genesis and maintenance of cleithrophobia, one of its origins can be found in the direct experiences of the person. For example, having been locked in an elevator for a long time.
It should be noted that this fact as per It does not necessarily imply that a phobia will develop, but the frequency and severity of it does. On the other hand, if after this there was no exposure, presence or contact with the feared situation, this increases the possibility that it will become an aversive stimulus.
Other possible explanations have to do with vicarious learning; that is to say, having seen a person in a similar situation (modelling). Also for the transmission of negative information regarding certain situations.
For example, if during childhood parents constantly told us to be careful because we could get locked in an elevator. However, these three forms can interact and reinforce each other.
A high level of stress is a variable that also intervenes. This can accentuate both the direct experience and the impact of the information that is received and the situation that is observed. The same goes for biased thoughts, which put more emphasis on danger signals.
How can cleithrophobia be treated?
For the treatment of phobias, the techniques that are proposed from cognitive behavioral therapy are usually very useful. Psychoeducation is one of the most relevant, since it allows providing information to the patient about phobias, the way they present themselves and how they influence thoughts and behaviors.
Another technique has to do with the gradual exposure to the phobic or aversive stimulus, that is, to the one who is avoided. This implies a planning, step by step, of the different situations to which the person will be exposed. This is chosen based on the previous elaboration of a hierarchy of fears.
Likewise, work is done on the imagination of a situation, or also on the viewing of a similar situation, to then confront the person with the feared situation. In some cases, the use of virtual reality as a tool is already used.
As we have already mentioned, in many cases the anxiety generated by a phobia is increased because patients begin to fear their symptoms. For this, youInteroceptive exposure is also being worked on.
It consists of the person experiencing those feared and unpleasant sensations so that they identify them when they appear, learn to control them and lose their fear. This control is achieved by teaching relaxation techniques at the same time.
Sometimes we work on cognitive restructuring, through which the person learns to question their thoughts. In many cases the patient is presented with the Ellis ABC model.
This seeks to expose the way in which when faced with an event or stimulus (A), our belief system (B) is activated, which leads us to execute certain behaviors. The intention is that the patient can learn to question those biased or irrational beliefs and suggest new ones.
It is important to address this phobia
There are some phobias that are really limiting, since they are part of our day to day. not face them leads to enormous deterioration in one’s own performance and in relationships.
Cleithrophobia is one of them, since any place or object that prevents escape or makes it difficult to exit could be interpreted as a potential danger. So, you have to give it the attention it deserves and seek the appropriate help to deal with it.
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