Megalophobia: what does it mean and why does this curious phobia occur?

around a 12% of the population would suffer from some type of phobia at some point in your life. Some of these phobias are more common, such as the fear of spiders (arachnophobia) or blood (hematophobia), but there are many more things or situations that can cause irrational terror in some people. In the case of the megalophobiathe simple fact of being inside a football stadium can trigger a panic attack.

Megalophobia: what does it mean?

The word megalophobia It comes from the Greek: “megalo”, which means “big”, and “phobos”, which means “fear”. That is, megalophobia literally means fear or fear big. It is, therefore, an anxiety disorder that consists of having fear of very large objects or situations.

Although it is not included in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a specific anxiety disorder, megalophobia can be considered a specific phobia, an anxiety disorder that is recognized in the DSM-5. Specific phobias consist of an intense and irrational fear of an object or situation that it’s not really dangerous.

In the case of megalophobia, the fear is towards big things like tall buildingsanimals like whales or elephantshuge vehicles like boats or planes, statues, monuments, mountains, volcanoes or even natural phenomena such as storms. Often the fear is towards more than one large object.

Symptoms of megalophobia

The symptoms caused by megalophobia can be confused with those of other anxiety disorders and, in fact, it is common for those who have megalophobia to suffer from other disorders of this type at the same time.

Symptoms vary from person to person and depending on a number of factors, and may include:

Extreme anxiety and fear.sweating, palpitations and tachycardia.choking sensation or difficulty breathing.tremorsmuscle weakness and feeling dizzy.Nauseaabdominal pain and stomach discomfort.Panic attacks.

Sometimes megalophobia can be so intense that the person comes to complete avoidance of those situations or objects that cause you fear, something that can have a major impact on your quality of life.

Why does megalophobia occur?

Megalophobia can affect anyone. As with other specific phobias, megalophobia is often begin to develop in infancy and manifests in adolescence or early adulthood.

It is not known exactly what its cause is.but it is believed that it could be due to a combination of factors.

In some cases, it may be due to a traumatic childhood experience that has to do with or involves the object or situation to which one has an aversion, for example, having been locked inside a large building. Phobias also can be learned at home through observation of parental behavior.

How is megalophobia treated?

If megalophobia significantly affects the person’s quality of life, it is important seek psychological help. The treatment of megalophobia can vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the symptoms, the causes of the fear and the specific situation or object that causes the phobia and may include:

Gestalt therapy, created by Fritz Perls, is an effective tool for working with developmental traumaswhich are the result of defense mechanisms developed in childhood against situations that overwhelmed us. cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)a type of psychological therapy that, through questions and conversation with the therapist, helps identify and modify patterns of thought and behavior that contribute to megalophobia. The person learns to respond better to situations that cause fear and to deal with the stress and anxiety you feel. gradual exposure is another type of therapy in which, gradually, exposes the person to the source of their fear. People with specific phobias tend to avoid what causes them fear, so they don’t get to know that it’s okay to be in that situation and that they are able to control their fear. In this type of therapy, you usually start with low-stress situations (for example, talking about large buildings) and progress to more intense ones (such as showing photographs or asking to go in person near a large building) with the aim of helping to make it feel more and more comfortable and safe in the presence of what causes fear.

Some professionals can prescribe anxiolytic or antidepressant medications to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression associated with megalophobia, but these are not the solution because they do not treat the cause, they just hide the symptoms.