Logophobia

Logophobia is a state of the body, more precisely, of the brain. In this certain state, the sufferer experiences panic attacks, sweating, trembling, and they may even be unable to speak in public places. This phenomenon happens when a logophobic hears or speaks misspelt, mispronounced, or misused words.

Logophobia is actually described as a profound, persistent, and abnormal fear of words. Sometimes, it is also called an eccentric condition.

The word comes from the Greek words which actually is “logos” meaning word and “phobos” which means fear. Experts say that it is best to keep quiet. However, in real life, it is not that simple. The sufferer sees the words everywhere and the silence is not completely silent. So, how does the sufferer deal with this situation? We are here to discuss everything about logophobia and its symptoms.

What is logophobia?

To understand logophobia, we would need to know what exactly is a phobia. We can define a phobia as a real disorder that creates a strong, unreasonable fear of some objects, situations, persons, or even activities. This fear is not a one-time thing. However, it is persistent and even consistent. In this situation, the sufferer always avoids what they fear. How can we know if a person has Logophobia? There are some symptoms that show that a person is going through logophobia. Let us get to know them.

Logophobia symptoms

There are certain points and indications which help us to know about the condition of a person. Here are certain points to let you know if a person is going through logophobia.

1. The first logophobia symptom is common, as in other phobias. This is intense anxiety while encountering any word.

2. People experiencing logophobia are unable to control their anxiety. They end up feeling even more anxious in these kinds of situations. However, this symptom of anxiousness can even lead to extreme cases which give rise to a full-blown panic attack as well.

3. A patient going through a fear of words situation can go from flight to fight mode just because of an adrenaline rush. In this type of state, the sufferer cannot make independent decisions because of their fear.

The sufferer must choose either to escape the situation, which is flight, or stay and fight with their fear, which is the fight mode.

Here are a few more common logophobia symptoms.

4. Muscle tension

5. Increased heartbeat

6. Breathlessness

7. Dizziness feelings

8. In logophobia, the patient experiences hot or even cold flashes while experiencing flight or fight mode. Here, the hot flashes mean the temporary heating up of the body while going through the fear. The cold flashes mean that the body starts to shiver or even cool down while coping with the fear.

9. Migraine

10. Nausea

With the situation of logophobia, there are some physiological symptoms which take place in the body while the patient is exposed to long words. Now, this situation compels the person to escape or avoid the situation for their own good.

Generally, the sufferer does not have the courage to fight with their fear just because of the unpleasant and terrifying experience that the body creates.

Treatment of logophobia

Similar to other phobias, Logophobia has no recognised cause. This phobia can occur because of numerous factors such as genetics or the environment that includes experience or social learning.

In this case, genetics means genes and the neurotransmitters present in our body. The situation of fear of words can occur even to those who have a family history of phobia or even mental disorder. This happens because the genes of the parents are transferred to their children. However, there are several working treatments for logophobia that a patient can try. These are:

1. Yoga/Meditation

One of the many natural treatments of logophobia is yoga or meditation. There is not just one disorder that can be solved through yoga and meditation. There are thousands of problems and illnesses that can be solved and have been solved just by practising yoga or meditation.

By practising yoga or meditation, the patient can divert their mind towards something more positive and productive which helps them escape the negative state of mind. Specifically, the hatha pose or yoga can benefit logophobia patients.

2. Exposure therapy

The patient experiencing a fear of words situation can go through an exposure therapy to cure their phobia. In this exposure therapy, the patient is exposed to the source of stress or fear, for a certain span of time. While starting up the process, the therapist uses a less triggering exposure and, then, gradually increases it.

As the therapist increases the triggering point, the patient is able to control their fear and anxiety. This procedure can even be used to go a step further. In this treatment, the therapist asks the patient to read or see a word mentally. This teaches them to cope with the fear and act calmly when exposed to fear stimuli.

3. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

This is one of the most common therapies used to cure a lot of mental health issues. As logophobia is the fear of words, with this treatment, the therapist helps the patient to replace irrational thoughts with rational ones. The patients are taught to analyse and justify the feeling of the time they are exposed to fear stimuli.

Simply, the therapist helps the patient identify the reason for their fear and then assists them with some alternative thoughts.

Conclusion

Logophobia patients need to create a positive environment around themselves. There are many ways that the patient can try to get a positive outlook on their life. They can get involved into a community of like-minded people. They can even practise affirmation and also practise some positive words. On the other hand, the person suffering from logophobia can simply try to avoid the situation of fear of words.