The world of phobias surprises us once again by the amount of stimuli that can trigger an anxiety crisis. Is there something that produces irrational fear in you? Beyond the more well-known phobic disorders such as arachnophobia or agoraphobia, there are fears towards the most diverse stimuli. This is the case of phonophobia or ligirophobia, which is the fear of sounds . Find out more about this disorder in our dictionary of phobias .
What is phonophobia
Phonophobia is the fear of sounds . It is also called ligirophobia and is generally associated with loud and sudden noises such as alarms, explosions or the classic firecrackers and rockets that are launched at Christmas and other holidays. Speaking of festivities, the fireworks that are so appreciated by most, are a real torture for people who suffer from phonophobia.
But loud noises are not the only stimuli that trigger phonophobia or ligirophobia, you can also reach an anxiety crisis with other types of more subtle sounds . The sound of a tap that constantly drips, for example, having the television set as background sound and suddenly the time for advertising arrives, or the noise of a spoon in the cup stirring the coffee are enough for a person with phonophobia experience the most intense fear.
At this point we have to ask ourselves, how do you avoid noise? There is no way, you cannot run away from the sounds that surround us .
What is phonophobia NOT
Phonophobia is often confused with hearing problems and the difference should be clarified. Phobias are part of anxiety disorders , so this fear of sounds is not an auditory disease. We are thinking, for example, of hyperacusis and misophonia .
Both are hearing disorders and it is true that they can cause some anxiety, but they are not phobias. People with hyperacusis experience the sensation of hearing sounds louder than normal . It is such an annoying feeling that at times it can become unbearable, so fear and anxiety of anticipation is also common.
For its part, misophonia has a more psychological than organic component, but it does not become a phobia either. People with misophonia suffer a high degree of discomfort and anxiety when faced with certain sounds that are not necessarily loud but are repetitive . It is the fact that this problem occurs with anxiety that is often confused with phonophobia and also because sometimes the stimuli are the same. Can’t stand the sound of that wall clock in your living room? It sure isn’t a loud noise, but it can get unbearable at times.
Symptoms of phonophobia
The most characteristic feature of any phobia is avoidance . When you are afraid of something you try to avoid it by all means. And in the case of phonophobia we can also add anticipation , that is, that prior anxiety when anticipating the sound that is to come. Because sometimes the noise surprises you, but other times you are waiting for it.
You are waiting for it when the twelve chimes that say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year sound. You are waiting for him at your local festivals. But actually that anticipation anxiety has the same symptoms as when you don’t expect noise , like when the doorbell rings, for example.
The symptoms are the same in all phobias , dizziness, shortness of breath , palpitations, sweating, tingling in the extremities … and that irrational fear that leads you to suffer an anxiety attack or even a panic disorder. Those are the most common symptoms when you are faced with the dreaded stimulus, in this case the sound.
But it is that phonophobia also presents symptoms before and after receiving the stimulus, such as obsessive , intrusive and recurrent thoughts . The phobia makes you be on permanent alert , with the constant concern that at some point you will hear a sound that causes you such unbearable discomfort that everything ends in a crisis.
- You can also read: ” Olfactophobia: Are you afraid of smells? “
The causes of phonophobia or fear of loud noises
Perhaps you are wondering about the origin of this fear of noise. Generally, the cause is found in a traumatic experience , in the conditioning by a previous experience related to some sudden loud sound that caused you great discomfort. It is normal to be scared at a time like this, like when you hear an explosion in the street, but when that functional fear is excessive and you do not learn to manage it, that is when you are in danger of suffering from a phobic disorder.
There is no way to escape this phonophobia or ligirophobia because there is no way to avoid at all times and in all places the appearance of noises that cause an anxiety crisis . Avoidance then becomes a useless resource that can complicate your life to the point of social isolation. You can’t keep noise emission under control, and that need for control will exacerbate anxiety problems.
With this we do not want to be pessimistic, but to warn of the importance of finding a solution as soon as possible. And the only solution for phobic disorders is to put yourself in the hands of a professional for psychological therapy . What is the best therapy to overcome a phobia?
What is phonophobia or ligirophobia
The best therapy depends on each patient, but it is true that the most common in cases of phobias is cognitive behavioral therapy . In this therapy, which is also the most used in anxiety disorders, they give you the tools you need to work on overcoming that irrational fear . Because the first thing to achieve is that you manage not to listen, but to understand loud sounds or noises from a different perspective.
When cognitive behavioral therapy is already a little advanced, it is necessary to continue taking steps and looking for strategies to overcome phonophobia. That’s when they recommend gradual exposure therapy , always under the guidance of a professional. And yes, exposure therapy is precisely what you are imagining, gradually exposing yourself to the dreaded stimulus to check progress, to check that the risk you thought noise had is not that great. And so, gradually, count the victories for each of the times that you have been exposed to noise and have come out unscathed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you transform your thinking , your preconceptions about something, about noise, about its potential danger, about yourself, and about the world around you. And the second step in therapy is to change your behavior or the way you react to the emotions that your thoughts provoke. It is a long and difficult road, as you can imagine.
But all phobias can be overcome with effort and with proper treatment. In some cases, pharmacological treatment is not ruled out, and in all cases the regular practice of breathing exercises or relaxation techniques is recommended . You may at first think that they have nothing to do with your phobia, but they are the best investment to manage anxiety.