Philophobia

Philophobia is an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of falling in love, beyond just a typical apprehensiveness about it. The phobia is so intense that it interferes with your life. … They can include both emotional and physical reactions when even thinking about falling in love: feelings of intense fear or panic.

Philophobia is a fear of love. The word comes from the Greek word “philos,” which means loving, and “phobos,” which means fear. Doctors are unclear how many people live with philophobia as the term is not in medical dictionaries.

Philophobia is a fear of love. The word comes from the Greek word “philos,” which means loving, and “phobos,” which means fear. Doctors are unclear how many people live with philophobia as the term is not in medical dictionaries.

Since doctors have rarely described philophobia in literature, people living with a fear of love may find it challenging getting help.

Philophobia Causes

Some psychiatrists and psychologists are still unsure of what triggers philophobia. But in general, there are several factors that play a role in the development of philophobia, such as a traumatic incident, childhood experience, and genetics.

For example, someone who fears rejection tends to avoid relationships to save themselves from the embarrassment of being rejected. A bad past relationship such us divorce may also cause philophobia.

Risk factors for philophobia

Philophobia is also more common in people with past trauma or hurt, said Scott Dehorty (LCSW-C and executive director at Maryland House Detox, Delphi Behavioral Health Group): “The fear is that the pain will repeat and the risk is not worth that chance. If someone was deeply hurt or abandoned as a child, they may be averse to becoming close to someone who may do the same. The fear reaction is to avoid relations, thus avoiding the pain. The more one avoids the source of their fear, the more the fear increases.”

Specific phobias may also be related to genetics and environment. According to the Mayo Clinic, in some cases specific phobias may develop because of changes in brain functioning.

Symptoms of philophobia

Philophobia is an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of falling in love, beyond just a typical apprehensiveness about it. The phobia is so intense that it interferes with your life.

Symptoms can vary from person to person. They can include both emotional and physical reactions when even thinking about falling in love:

• feelings of intense fear or panic.
• avoidance.
• sweating.
• rapid heartbeat.
• difficulty breathing.
• difficulty functioning.
• nausea.

Philophobia treatment

Despite what some people may think, there’s no way to “just get over” severe phobias such as the fear of being in love, or falling in love. Even though the quest for love is an essential part of human life, people who develop a persistent, unwarranted fear of relationships often need professional help to be able to engage in normal relationships.

Not surprisingly, many phobias are linked to excessive stress, which in turn causes deep-seated anxieties such as philophobia, classified among a group of mental illnesses known as anxiety disorders. While no one is quite sure how phobias develop, there is more than enough medical evidence that conditions such as the fear of being in love can be treated successfully.

Let’s start with an overview of the treatments available for this type of phobia.

Systematic desensitization therapy. This approach involves exposing patients to the object or situation that he or she fears. Thanks to the computer age, some therapists now use virtual reality to create images of the feared objects. In the case of philophobia, a patient could engage in various “date” scenarios practicing their relationship skills with a computerized entity before going on a date with a live person.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This type of therapy educates the patient about the cycle of negative thought patterns, and teaches techniques to change these thought patterns. One simple well-known CBT technique is simply to say “Stop!” aloud or mentally when negative thoughts emerge. Unlike other therapies for phobias, CBT may be conducted in a group setting, depending on the type of phobia. Combining CBT with gradual desensitization therapy is often more successful than using either method on its own. One clinical study found that 90 percent of patients suffered no observable phobic reactions after CBT treatments were completed.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This method has been shown to be effective in treatment specific phobias, but there’s little literature on whether it’s effective with philophobia. Mainly EMDR has been used to date to treat fears such as a fear of dogs after a dog bite, and post-traumatic stress disorder in those who experience war, crime or violence or natural disasters.

Hypnotherapy. Hypnosis has been shown to help remove the negative associations that can trigger panic attacks, as well as helping control smoking, overeating and other addictive behaviors. However, because hypnosis is founded in the patient giving up control to the therapist during treatment, its use in treating philophobia could be problematic.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). This approach to psychotherapy has proven to be controversial. Co-founders Richard Bandler and John Grinder describe their process as an alternative therapy based on educating people in self-awareness and communication to change their emotional behaviors. The title refers to the founders’ belief in a connection among neurological processes (“neuro”), language (“linguistic”) and behavioral patterns that have been learned through experience (“programming”). NLP has been combined with hypnosis in therapy for phobias, but it remains outside conventional treatment for philophobia.

Antidepressant medications. Drugs such as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) may be helpful in some cases of phobia to reduce severe physical and emotional symptoms.