Vermiphobia, the fear of worms

Vermiphobia, also known as scholechiphobia or helminthophobia, is the intense or irrational hatred or fear of worms. It is a phobic disorder: in the presence of some stimulus related to worms, a very intense cognitive and physical response is triggered.

Although this type of insect is usually unpleasant for most, those who suffer from vermiphobia can suffer a panic attack just by thinking about them or anticipating their appearance. Likewise, The fear of worms is based on or has a lot to do with the parasitic nature of some species.

Particularities of fear of worms

As in all phobias, the fear of worms can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Among them, nausea, dizziness, tachycardia, breathing difficulties or hyperventilation, sweating, muscle tension, etc. In addition, behavioral symptoms often occur, such as avoiding situations in which they may encounter a worm. In this way, those who suffer from vermiphobia will try to avoid, for example, transplanting a pot or going to the field.

It is also easy to identify perceptual alterations; the person may believe that they are infected with these animals. This is related to the fact that vermiphobia has a high component of disgust and fear of being the host of a potentially harmful parasite. This feeling of being a source of food for these animals causes real terror to people who are afraid of worms.

Furthermore, a very curious fact is that also It may have certain symbolism related to the fear of death. Maggots can evoke rotting corpses and worms eating them. In this sense, it may be associated with the fear of one’s own death.

On the other hand, it is also commonly associated with fear or rejection of unhygienic conditions, which in turn is related to the transmission of diseases or germs. Thus, vermiphobics take special care of hygiene and avoid coming into contact with spoiled food.

Causes of vermiphobia

In animal phobias there are several common hypotheses that could explain their origin. On the one hand, fear would be understood as an evolutionary result. That is to say, Throughout human history, avoiding certain animals was essential for survival. In the case of worms and others like them, it would have helped us avoid diseases, freeing us from eating spoiled food. Or, protecting us from dying directly from poisoning (for example, centipedes are poisonous).

On the other hand, regarding phobias it is inevitable to talk about learning fear through negative experiences. Generally, animal phobias develop in childhood and persist over time. Thus, people who have found an animal being eaten by worms could have developed vermiphobia. In this sense, many people who have a phobia of worms report having had intestinal worms in their childhood.

In addition to these causes, also It may be that the fear of worms has been inherited from a family member. or referent. That is, when we are children we learn from the reactions and speeches of others, especially parents. In the event that one of the two was afraid of worms, the probability of learning and inherit that fear would be quite high.

How is fear of worms treated?

Although phobias that have a component of disgust are somewhat more difficult to eradicate, With appropriate intervention, it can be significantly reduced.. To do this, if fear substantially makes daily life difficult, it is best to go to a psychology specialist to guide the process.

The techniques that are usually used for this are part of cognitive-behavioral therapy: systematic desensitization, relaxation techniques and cognitive restructuring. The first is an exposure technique that consists of facing different stimuli chosen by the patient. This list is ordered based on the intensity of the anxiety they cause, so they will be gradually exposed from least to greatest anxiety.

As a complement, you will be trained in relaxation techniques, with the aim of reducing anxiety symptoms at each level of exposure. Cognitive restructuring, for its part, is focused on dismantling irrational ideas about worms and replace them with other more adaptive thoughts.

In short, the fear of worms generates a lot of discomfort in those who suffer from it, and can limit their daily life. However, with the appropriate intervention and analyzing the origin of the fear, it can be considerably reduced, if not eradicated. Besides, will provide the patient with resources to cope with anxiety experienced in other areas or in relation to other animals.

You might be interested…