What is fear of butterflies
What is the fear of butterflies called? The answer to this question is not known to many. Lepidopterophobia means fear of butterflies and moths. People with such phobias develop unpleasant feelings when being near insects. They become especially scared when the butterfly begins to touch the body with its wings. In some cases, a person may experience panic attacks at the mere sight of an insect. For example, when you are in a museum, you become afraid of an insect that is pinned with an entomological pin. The reaction may vary. At a minimum, for someone who is afraid of butterflies, there may be a slight dislike, or at most, there will be a desire to immediately hide.
Insect phobia is quite rare, unlike other entomophobias. This is due to the fact that other insects have a more terrifying appearance and are capable of causing direct harm to humans. Bees cause an allergic reaction, and some types of spiders secrete poisons.
For these reasons, fears can be justified by psychological reasons, previous experiences, including on the physical plane.
Gamophobia - fear of marriage
Many people experience the opposite of gamophobia, called anuptaphobia, which is the fear of being alone. Gamophobia , on the other hand, is the fear of marriage, relationships, or commitment. For example, a person suffering from this phobia may fall in love with a person, but his love may change to hatred when it comes to marriage. Phobias are associated with a number of personality disorders.
Cause of fear
It remains a mystery to many why people are afraid of butterflies. There can be many reasons for this phenomenon. As a rule, a phobia is formed against the background of chronic stress and increased anxiety of a person. Mental disorders that differ in the nature of their origin also lead to diseases. Children are at risk. For them, it is enough to hear a scary story about butterflies. In films or books, an insect may be offered the role of a negative hero. It is at this stage that a person develops a fear of butterflies.
If the parents react incorrectly, the child develops a phobia. Children do not always know how to behave correctly with insects; they are afraid of them, and adults respond with aggression. Afterwards, such fears haunt a person throughout his life. Here it takes time to explain to the child that moths are cute creatures that do not wish harm to people, they simply live their lives, interact with other living beings, including humans.
There is no need to chase away the butterfly at the same moment. It is enough to place it on your finger, thereby showing the creation of nature to the child. Children tend to copy the behavior of adults, for this reason it is better not to demonstrate aggression towards the outside world.
Rare cases include the development of lipidopetrophobia in children who grow up in a family where they collect butterflies. The following picture causes stress for a child: adults mock an insect, pierce its wings, hurt a butterfly. The child begins to empathize with living nature and lets everything pass through himself. Therefore, when he sees an insect, fear may arise at the subconscious level, and hostility may form.
How to determine the disease
There are signs that indicate a fear of butterflies. Such people avoid contact with nature; when going to the forest or lawn, they develop a feeling of fear. Unpleasant sensations appear at the dacha, where butterflies circle nearby. A person associates a phobia with his vacation spot.
An individual who has a fear of butterflies is characterized by a sharp negative reaction not only at the sight of a moth, but also when directly touching the body with its wings. Unpleasant sensations arise from the scaly legs of the insect.
The most severe form of the disease includes fear or sudden panic attacks at the sight of a moth. As soon as an insect appears near such a person, he wants to immediately hide, hide, he is uncomfortable being in the same space as a butterfly. The first signs of fear include dilated pupils, trembling hands and knees, excessive sweating, and restricted movements.
Symptoms of the disorder
There are many signs by which you can determine that a person has mottephobia. He avoids all contact with nature, and going into the forest makes him feel afraid. Discomfort may appear while staying in a summer cottage where moths fly nearby. The phobia begins to be associated with vacation spots. Some distinctive symptoms that can help determine the presence of the disorder:
- a feeling of disgust and discomfort when contacting an object of fear (a butterfly landed on the body or simply flew very close, touching the person with its wings);
- feeling of anxiety at the sight of a moth flying or its image in a picture;
- excessive sweating, increased excitability, dizziness;
- a person suffering from such a phobia prefers clothes with long sleeves, refuses to relax in nature, and regularly treats his home with various drugs (repellents).
In a severe form of the disease, a person exhibits an inadequate reaction to the sight of an insect. He begins to have a panic attack, he makes attempts to run away or hide.
Experts believe that medications should not be used to combat phobias. This is because there is a risk of drug dependence. It is better to get rid of the disease together with a psychotherapist.
Forms of manifestation of the disease
If a person begins to be afraid of butterflies, then he tries to avoid meeting them. He no longer wants to go to his summer cottage, spend time with friends and family in nature, or visit the forest. When meeting an insect, a person who has a phobia reacts sharply to the situation, quickly disappears from sight, becomes harsh in his statements, and develops aggression.
Often, relatives and friends of a person try to understand what the phobia of fear of butterflies is called, but this is not the only insect that people with lepidopterophobia may experience fear of. Fear is caused by various types of spiders and cockroaches.
Fear of butterflies brings discomfort into the life of any person who is faced with such a problem. Such an individual is not only sensitive to his diagnosis, but also has an unstable psyche. People with lepidopterophobia have limited access to nature, which means they will not be able to restore their strength in this way.
A person may be very afraid of negative reactions from other people regarding their phobia. This causes mental suffering. He does not want to seem different from everyone else; the patient seeks to hide his diagnosis.
People with lepidopterophobia do not always seek help. Many of them are dependent on the opinions of others and would not like to become people with special needs. A fear of butterflies can accompany a person throughout his life.
Ornithophobia
Ornithophobia is a complex of negative emotions and fear that a person experiences from birds and everything connected with them (feathers, chirping, noise of wings). A person is most often unable to control his fear; in certain situations he may succumb to panic in the presence of birds.
Why are people afraid of birds?
Mental disability is not congenital. It can appear after some stressful situation:
- the child found himself among a flock of pigeons in the square, which someone frightened, which caused the whole flock to unexpectedly fly up noisily;
- meeting with sick birds with obvious external signs of infection;
- a piercing constant bird cry outside the window in the dark.
Children in a pack
Additional Information. Any of these situations can greatly frighten an impressionable adult or any child. Fear is a sudden and very vivid emotion that leaves a clear imprint in a person’s long-term memory. Entire phobias easily develop on its basis, one of the most common is arachnophobia (fear of spiders).
Is it possible to overcome fear?
It is possible to overcome the fear of birds, but this will require a lot of psychological work. Important steps on the healing path:
- Recognizing that there is a problem;
- Determination of the borderline situation after which a strange reaction developed;
- Revival in memory of events that occurred before the appearance of the phobia, in which the patient had a positive or neutral experience of communicating with birds (with domestic parrots, ducks in a pond or village chickens);
- Read as much information as possible about different individuals, their lifestyles and habitats. It is better to start studying with penguins, because they have little in common with popular birds (they do not sing and do not fly overhead), however, they are representatives of birds, thanks to which they are able to dull the feeling of panic;
- Watch documentaries about birds as often as possible, listen to recordings of their voices, watch their behavior from the window, accompanying the lesson with thoughts that they do not intend to harm, are trying to feed themselves and their offspring, and do not have the physiological ability to intentionally harm a person .
Causes of fear
The root cause of a phobia is often the instinct of self-preservation. Lepidopterophobia means that a person experienced a stressful event in childhood or adulthood, in which insects played a central role. A phobia does not always have a logical explanation. Sometimes there is no compelling reason to be afraid of butterflies. This is a pathological condition, which can be expressed in an inadequate assessment of what is happening.
At the level of the mind, a person may realize that moths do not pose a great danger, as his subconscious pictures, but when he sees an insect, he loses self-control. As the phobia develops, it often develops into paranoia and schizophrenia.
Many people not only do not know what the fear of moths is called, but in general, what is the cause of lepidopterophobia.
To this day, the moment of cause-and-effect relationships in the occurrence of phobias remains a mystery. Who exactly is at risk has also not been fully studied by science. 80% of unreasonable fears are inherited. For this reason, people may be afraid of butterflies not only because they were afraid of insects in childhood.
Lepidopterophobia can be passed on to children from their parents on a subconscious level. For example, adults themselves experience fear in relation to moths, children copy their behavior, and they identify the safety of their parents with their own.
In addition, the causes of a phobia may include injuries sustained in childhood, death of relatives and friends, a car accident, and disability.
Medical experts do not recommend resorting to drug treatment. There is a risk that patients become dependent on medications. It is better to overcome the fear of butterflies with a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Psychotherapy sessions are one of the best solutions.
Specialists, together with patients, work through possible dangerous situations, model a person’s behavior, and offer him ways out. After several conversations, the phobia disappears, seizures and panic attacks begin to appear to a lesser extent.
During sessions, psychotherapists invite patients to dive into their phobia. Here they are left alone with danger and regain a sense of reality. This reduces stress levels and the fear of butterflies goes away naturally. It is important to learn how to properly respond to the source of fear itself.
Lepidopterophobia creates many problems in a person's life. It prevents you from feeling normal in nature. Such people try their best to avoid contact with insects. In some situations, they endanger themselves in this way. For example, at the sight of a butterfly, a person can suddenly run out onto the roadway and hide in the forest. Such actions are irrational. The mind does not want to listen and understand reasonable arguments. For him, only one thing is important - to avoid contact with butterflies. A person loses control over the events occurring in his life, serious changes begin at the physical level, and his state of health worsens.
If you do not react correctly to such a phobia, you will feel dizzy, your pupils will dilate, and your heart rate will increase. This all leads to illness. A person refuses to think independently, all his actions are unreasonable.
Prevention and prognosis
Fear of birds most often occurs in childhood. Therefore, it is recommended to protect children from watching horror films and watching birds being killed in the home. There is no need to intimidate and prohibit touching birds, but you need to carefully introduce the child to the world of birds and talk about its representatives. If a fright does occur, then you need to immediately sort out the situation so that the fear does not take root and turn into a phobia.
When working with a persistent phobia, the first results of treatment are noticeable after a few weeks. To achieve lasting results, it takes an average of six months for self-treatment and 1–3 months when working with a psychologist.
Adults are advised to monitor their health as a preventive measure. Phobias arise with mental exhaustion and neuroses. If the psyche is strong and healthy, then it will have enough strength to cope with fear. Therefore, it is recommended to practice yoga and meditation, get proper rest, and lead a healthy lifestyle.
It is important! Ornithophobia is highly treatable and has a positive prognosis. But success depends on a number of factors: the severity of the disease, the moment of treatment, the patient’s activity, personality and lifestyle, and the support of loved ones. Often a person who is afraid of birds is not understood and is called strange.
Methods for treating phobias
A person himself can cure his fear of butterflies. To do this, it is enough to understand the nature of your phobia and give it a logical explanation.
You can follow the following algorithm:
- You need to take control of all your fears. To gradually get used to the appearance of butterflies, their images on paper or a computer are suitable.
- It is important to visit places where there are insects more often. If the phobia has a pronounced manifestation, then it is better to go into nature with loved ones. They will provide psychological support when meeting moths.
- Experts advise mentally repeating to yourself that butterflies are safe. These are sweet creatures that bring joy.
If a person experiences uncontrollable panic attacks at the sight of butterflies, then they cannot do without the help of a specialist. There are individual and group lessons. Qualified psychotherapists have prepared proven techniques. This is how they deal with the problem. Phobia is a mild type of mental disorder, so recovery is usually quick.
Getting rid of a phobia
Any phobia prevents a person from living fully. It creates obstacles when making decisions, forces you to think irrationally, and creates restrictions in actions.
Involuntarily, the individual stops visiting any places in nature where there are butterflies. A forest or lawn causes discomfort and evokes negative emotions. Gradually complications appear in life. Fear of butterflies can be overcome first of all by recognizing the presence of fear as such. You need to tell yourself that such a problem exists, and it can be overcome. This method is the first step to controlling your fears.
Next, it is important to teach yourself that you should not be afraid of anything. If the butterfly does land on your hand, you need to calm down first. To do this, just take a few deep breaths and then make sure that there is no danger from the insect. It should get better and better every time. Fear gradually recedes.
There is no need to worry that such a phobia is incurable. It is a mild form of psychological disorder, so it is enough to seek help from a specialist who will help you get rid of the phobia in a few sessions.
How to get rid of a fear of birds?
To combat this phobia, it is important to track exactly your experiences and what provokes them. If, after horror films, you began to regard birds as carriers of danger, watch more useful programs with representatives of this family. After all, the birds themselves suffer from humans. Plus, they can be very interesting.
A possible option for getting rid of fear may be to overcome it step by step. This method is good in case of childhood fears. Start by interacting with caged birds that you know can't harm you. Gradually introduce more and more contacts with birds into your life: feed pigeons, get yourself a poultry, or visit a farm. Gradual awareness of the harmlessness of birds will help get rid of the problem.
If disgust occurs at the sight of carcasses or parts of a bird, analyze it, perhaps it is not the phobia itself in its pure form that is tormenting you, but variations of the fear of death. And then the main therapy will be related to it. In addition, sometimes it can be a secondary phobia for fear of getting dirty (in this case, with feathers and droppings).
But it happens that the irrationality of the problem is understood, but it is not possible to cope with the internal tension. Then you should go to see a psychologist.
Ornithophobia is a mental health disorder. This means that psychologists cannot treat it; there are no folk remedies for such fear. Independent attempts most often end in complete failure (experienced ornithophobes with extensive experience know this very well). The fact is that trying to pull yourself together and control emotions with a phobic disorder is impossible.
In severe cases of total fear of all birds with several panic attacks during the day, the person may be placed in a hospital for the duration of treatment to protect them from frightening circumstances and objects. Moderate and mild stages of the disorder do not require hospital treatment.
Psychotherapy plays the main role in getting rid of this form of fear. Usually, cognitive behavioral therapy, rational psychotherapy are used, sometimes there is a need to use hypnotherapy and the NLP method. Within a few months, in most cases, the doctor manages to change the perception of the image of birds in the human mind to a more positive one. And if he does not begin to love birds (this is not required), then at least he begins to calmly perceive them, without fear that another panic will arise.
Medicines are used only if other problems, such as depression, coexist with the phobia. In this case, antidepressants are prescribed. When paranoid manifestations appear, treatment is carried out with tranquilizers and antipsychotics. In other cases, it is believed that there is no pill for fear of birds.
It is noteworthy that after treatment, many former ornithophobes get a parrot or canary at home as a reminder that fears can be overcome.
This does not mean that you need to immediately go to a specialty store and purchase any available bird. First of all, you need to perform certain exercises that can help in preparing for this event:
- Even if a person does not know how to draw well, one should try to depict an object that causes fear.
- Try looking at photographs of birds in their natural living conditions.
- Watch through the window. You should overcome your fear, arguing for yourself that the person is in his home, which reliably protects him from direct contact with the object.
- Gradually, you need to try to come into contact with the bird in real life, for example, while walking in the forest. If possible, take someone close to you with you.
In addition, many experts agree that those suffering from this problem need to attend group classes. They are often supervised by psychologists. People feel better when they begin to understand that there are many people just like them.
Recommendations
Psychotherapists advise following a few tips that can make life much easier for those who are afraid of butterflies. First of all, you need to think positively. You shouldn’t imagine an insect attack in advance; it’s better to tune in to a pleasant wave and think about the beauty of nature.
A good way to get rid of a phobia is to play sports. Physical activity reduces the risk of a panic attack.
It is also important to constantly exchange good thoughts and impressions with people. You can talk about butterflies with other people, listen to their reasons and their stories about interaction with nature.
As soon as progress is made in overcoming a phobia, it is important to record it. To do this, it is enough to mentally pronounce victories over your own fear, encourage yourself, and tune in for the best. This is how you can overcome lepidopterophobia.
