It is true that some phobias are more limiting while others may go a little more unnoticed or have less impact on our lives. In the case of ambulophobia or the fear or anguish of walking , we cannot let it pass since walking is an essential act in our day to day life. What if you panic walking? We tell you all about ambulophobia in our dictionary of phobias .
What is Ambulophobia
Ambulophobia is the fear of walking. People with ambulophobia feel a lot of anguish in the face of such a daily and necessary act as walking to work, the store or looking for bread. It can be confused with agoraphobia , since they tend to lock themselves at home for as long as they can to avoid walking .
It is a rare and very limiting phobia. And it should be noted that the fear of walking hides another, deeper fear such as the fear of falling and getting hurt . That is why people with ambulophobia walk down the street with a lot of tension, taking good care of where they step and fearing that an accident could happen to them at any moment.
Symptoms of Ambulophobia
There are different degrees of this walking phobia and the symptoms depend a lot on where the disorder is . We have already warned that it can be a very serious problem when the person isolates himself completely so as not to go outside and avoid walking. He leaves his job, he leaves his social life, he leaves everything because he cannot walk.
People with ambulophobia experience the same symptoms of anxiety when they have to walk. It is not just about crossing the street as in agirophobia , but about walking. And if they notice some risks according to the paving of the street, the symptoms worsen.
Dizziness , palpitations, excessive sweating, shortness of breath … And that irrational thought that leads them to the certainty that by walking they expose themselves to immense danger. In addition to the symptoms that they have to endure each time they are faced with the stimulus of their phobia, people with ambulophobia have to face the obvious limitations that their own fear imposes .
Causes of Ambulophobia
Ambulophobia is a common disorder in children when they are starting to walk, but it goes away very soon. It is also a characteristic phobia of the elderly, who fear falling and not being able to walk again, but in reality it can be suffered at any age .
The most common cause for ambulophobia to develop is having had a traumatic experience. A fall in the middle of the street that ended with hospitalization and a long period of immobility and pain is more than enough reason for the most logical fear to become irrational and excessive.
The people who suffer dizziness or frequent dizziness can also end up developing this phobia walking, as well as those already suffering from anxiety disorder in which the fears arise without specific reasons apparent.
Treatment of ambulophobia
To overcome the fear of walking, you have to walk. It is what is called gradual exposure and must be done by the hand of a professional and accompanied by some psychological therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy. The person with ambulophobia needs help to transform that distorted thought that considers the act of walking as a real danger.
Once thought is transformed, behavior can be changed. Without fear there is no need for avoidance, but the process of walking has to be done step by step and checking that nothing bad happens when you go out . Step by step, this is how you can overcome all your phobias.