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Sciophobia

Sciophobia, also known as sciaphobia is the extreme or irrational fear of shadows. It originates from the Greek word scio meaning shadow and phobia meaning fear. A phobia is an anxiety disorder characterised by extreme irrational fear of an object, event or situation. A dysfunction in the amygdala is common in anxiety disorders which causes negative emotional processing and an elevated sense of fear.

Shadow Reflection

Definition and Symptoms

Sciophobia is a kind of specific phobia. Objects, things or even individuals when they blend into a shadow, they lose their identity or features. It merges with the dark and from there the fear of unknown arises.

Symptoms of anxiety disorders

The individual experiences anxiety thinking about the source of the shadow. These behaviors are usually genetically predisposed or results due to an observed behavior. Individuals affected with Sciophobia are often startled by shadows. They easily get scared. Such individuals prefer living in well lit rooms, darkness arises fear in those people.

Symptomology

A number of symptoms are experienced by the individual suffering from sciophobia. They can be identified as

1. Physiological : rapid breathing, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, dryness of mouth, excessive sweating.
2. Behavioral : avoidance, shaking, irritability, losing self- control.
3. Psychological : feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, worry, dread.
4. Cognitive : lack of concentration, inattentiveness, lack of focus.

Causes

External factors such as traumatic events which have occurred in the past may lead to recurring thoughts of the incidents. Evidence shows the presence of Classical conditioning to acquire fear, however majority of the phobia often starts after negative life events. Precipitating factors such as fright, danger, death, or any conflict contribute to the stress. An interplay of biological, environmental and psychological variables make the individuals vulnerable.

Some individuals might have an internal predisposition. The cause of fear is attributed to gene and heredity, the individuals are born with the fear of shadows. Twin studies and parental studies have found that if a higher prevalence of anxiety runs through the family, the individuals has higher risks of attaining anxious symptoms. Existence of irrational thinking in the subconscious might also play a role.

Overall, a combination of nature and nurture may result in such avoidance behaviors. Faulty genes, brain chemistry and past life experiences act as an interplay for the causes.

Vicarious conditioning involves learning behavior not through direct exposure but by observing others and how they react. Such kind of observational learning occurs through indirect exposure from television and movies (horror) reinforce the fear.

Even though observational learning induces fear, physically experiencing the event increases phobic responses.

Diagnosis

For the diagnosis of sciophobia, the psychiatrist looks into the symptoms and obtains a detailed medical, social and psychiatric history. The symptoms are matched with the criteria for specific phobias as mentioned in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - 5). The individuals faces an extreme fear when they see shadows. They experience persistent fear which is unreasonable. When the person is exposed to the stimuli, they experience extreme anxiety prone behaviors immediately.

The symptoms are present in the individual for over a time period of 6 months characterized by persistent fear, anxiety and dread.

It also affects the individual's daily routine, lifestyle, social activities and interpersonal relationships.

Home medical tests relevant to children include - ADHD Home Test Kits and Concentration Home Testing which help to medically diagnose the presence of sciophobia.

Course

The symptoms of Sciophobia begin in childhood or early adulthood. It is usually the past experiences and traumatic factors which predispose the illness and allows the exposure to threat. The individuals experience an irrational fear of shadows which is accompanied by a range of symptoms from feelings of panic, terror, dread and physiological changes such as trembling, nausea and shortness of breath. The symptoms often vary among individuals based on their level of fear.

Treatment

The best way to treat any kind of phobia would be seeking medical help and support from the psychologist, psychiatrist or a hypnotherapist. A number of treatment methods and techniques are outline for sciophobia which can be stated as follows -

Medication

For the treatment of sciophobia, medication can be provided, however they do not cure the phobias. Medicines often temporarily suppress the fear systems but no have curing methods. A number of negative side effects and withdrawal symptoms are often experienced when the individuals are given any kind of medication.

Therapeutic Approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT helps to alter and modify negative irrational thoughts present in the individual. The use of systematic desensitization, by experiencing shadows in a safe environment witnessed by therapists helps to change the thought patterns. An improvement in the behavioral patterns of the individual can be noticed within 10-20 weeks of therapy. Home study programs, self management, self help programs and talking therapies also help to vanquish the fear. CBT helps to deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way by reconstructing them down into smaller parts.

Contradicting to some other talking therapies, CBT deals with the current problems and issues, rather than focusing on the past. It incorporates a practical approach to improve the state of mind.

Hypnotherapy

Hypno-analysis or hypnotherapy involves debugging of irrational fears from the conscious and subconscious mind. It helps in the modification or reprogramming of the irrational subconscious programs which may contribute to fear. It helps in the reduction of the symptoms. With the assistance of a trained specialist, the subconscious mind is attended to which might help to identify the trigger of the phobia. In several sessions, the mind is taught positive feelings and ideas which make the appropriate changes. This treatment method is approved by the American Medical Association since 1958. Hypnosis is safe and is fast method of recovery. However, one drawback is that many do not wish others to control their mind, hence they not open to this technique.

Behavioral Therapy

One to one therapy sessions with a therapist trained in the treatment of phobias. It includes the main methods of exposure and gradual flooding to sciophobia. Through the use of relaxation techniques, the patient learns to develop a tolerance to the exposure of fear. Early sessions involve seeing photographs or imaginations. Through the sessions, the amount of exposure is increased gradually. The therapist also asks the individual to work on their thoughts and that they will be alright.

Energy Psychology

This is a new advent in the therapeutic approaches which uses the techniques of acupressure, yoga, pranayam and energy medicine. It is a technique on the principle of emotional acupuncture without the use of needles. The technique stimulates energy points on the surface of the skin can produce modifications in the brain chemistry when applied with other psychological methods. It has simple steps which produces life changing effects on treating phobias. Acupuncture as an alternative technique in pseudoscience involves the insertion of needles on the skin while this kind of emotional acupuncture focuses on modifying chemistry in the brain without the actual use of needles.

Neuro - Linguistic Programming

NLP focuses basically on the construct of reality. From its perspective, a phobia is a 'construct' which has malfunctioning properties. The elements reflect on the inner subconscious problems. The techniques of NLP helps to reprogram the faulty constructs in our mind. They are quite efficient and effective. The therapist analyses every word, phrase, gesture and body movement. After determining the problems, the root cause is looked into which is followed by remodeling of the thoughts. It is a new and rapidly developing method for treatment.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback reduces autonomic reactivity and regulates homeostatic mechanisms in the individual. It a method of gaining awareness of the physiological activities thus improving on the health and performance of the individual. The symptoms in sciophobia such as altered brain wave and heart rate can be controlled using biofeedback and relaxation techniques.

Society and Culture

In Hindu mythology, chhaya or chaya (Sanskrit word) refers to the goddess of shadow. In this culture, the shadow is considered sacred and it is worshiped.

In certain other cultures, an unattended shadow or a shade, is often considered to be that of a ghost. Mythical and spiritual connections are made while understanding shadows in different cultures. On a psychological perspective (Jung's Psychology) Shadow (psychology) corresponds to a part of the conscious ego in personality which depicts the dark side. Hence, the concept of shadows are also connected to irrational and dark illusions between the ego and reality.

References

Category:Phobias Category:Fear Category:Anxiety disorders Category:Anxiety disorder treatment