What is Phasmophobia? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment 

Some people are fearful of supernatural things. Today, we’ll discuss what is phasmophobia; its symptoms, causes, and treatment;

What is Phasmophobia? 

Phasmophobia is the extreme fear of ghosts, and the condition is very difficult to diagnose. People with phasmophobic conditions would experience a high level of irrational fear when you mention supernatural things like vampires, witches, ghosts, or watching a scary movie.

Most people enjoy the thrill and excitement of watching ghost movies and scary stories, and they manage to control their fear. However, this type of fear is difficult to handle and overwhelming for some people. Some experts say that ghost phobia is due to a serious kind of thought disorder, and it comprises magical thinking.

Often children fear otherworldly beings and ghosts at their younger age. The anxiety and fear would go away when they grow up and enter adulthood. The fear doesn’t go away for others, and it aggravates and becomes chronic.

Symptoms of Phasmophobia 

Some of the main symptoms of ghost phobia are as follows;

• Decreasing productivity due to the limited sleep
• Drowsiness during the day
• Avoid being alone and loneliness
• Unable to go to the bathroom at night or in the dark
• Extreme sense of impending doom or dread
• High anxiety
• Difficult to sleep alone
• Panic attack

The most common sign of phobia is a panic attack, and it completely disturbs the routine life of a person. You can truly have a specific phobia and not experience a panic attack. Other symptoms of the condition would be there, but they would hinder the diagnosis.

People with ghost phobia start practicing certain types of rituals in order to avoid ghosts that they would probably face. If the rituals become overwhelming and compulsive, and they prevent you from performing the normal routine activities, then it means you’re developing OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).

Impacting Daily Life 

Ghost phobia could enter your life and disturb your routine life and make you feel anxious and nervous. Some of the ways phasmophobia impact your life are as follows;

Losing Sleep

Sleep becomes nearly impossible because the fear of ghosts and nightmares would amplify the sense of dread. It can be true if you’re alone. However, it results in the form of decreasing productivity in the workplace, sleeping daytime, and sleep deprivation.

Remembering Fearful Images

People with ghost phobia avoid watching scary movies. If they somehow watch any type of scary movie or its trailer, then they would see glimpses of it in their mind repetitively. It amplifies the signs of anxiety and stress. Reading horror or scary stories could also trigger the phobia.

Avoiding Dark Spaces

Some children are fearful that there is a monster under their bed, and they keep this fear during their adolescent years. Such people would also fear;

• The dark spaces under the furniture
• Dark windows
• The dark rooms
• Dark closets

Can’t be Alone

People with ghost phobia condition feel anxious and don’t feel comfortable when they’re alone in the office or at home. It’s out of the equation to spend the night at home alone. However, it’s also difficult for them to be alone in the hotel room or go to work alone.

Causes of Phasmophobia 

Both environmental and genetic factors could play a significant role in the development of phasmophobia. Research studies have shown that people that have close relatives with an anxiety disorder or other type of phobic condition are at the risk of developing this condition.

Social influences and stressful traumatic events could also play their role in developing this condition. For instance, a person that has had a horrifying experience of visiting a haunted house or other places, they’re more vulnerable to developing this type of phobia than others.

Religious and cultural influences and horror movies relevant to supernatural activity and beings could play their role. Some of the other contributing factors are parapsychology, supernatural beliefs, and magical thinking.

Treatment of Phasmophobia 

Some of the main treatment plans to deal with the symptoms of phasmophobia are as follows;

Therapeutic Approach

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is a very good therapeutic approach to treating the symptoms of specific types of phobia including phasmophobic conditions. Your therapist would work side by side and help you to recognize the source of fear, and teach you a healthy coping mechanism to manage the fear when it comes to the surface.

Medication

In order to deal with the irrational and emotional reaction to the fear, doctors usually prescribe anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications. They would help you to stop the physical reactions like nausea, racing heartbeat, or others. The medications are very effective and they can help you to decrease the symptoms quickly.

Research studies have shown that people don’t realize the effectiveness of the treatment plan until they use the prescribed medications for other issues like anxiety or depression.

Conclusion: What is Phasmophobia? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment 

After an in-depth study of what is phasmophobia; its symptoms, causes, impact, and treatment; we have realized that ghost phobia could badly impact your life. If you’re experiencing its symptoms, then you should consult with the healthcare provider in your area.