Arsonphobia (fear of fire): causes, symptoms and treatment

An extreme fear phobia that psychology can diagnose, explain and treat effectively.

Throughout the history of mankind, fire has played the role of both ally and enemy of man. Thanks to fire, a great number of advances and inventions have been possible that have improved the development of mankind.

However, we cannot ignore the danger of fire. Since, if poorly controlled, it can be lethal, hence the fear it arouses among people. However, when this fear becomes disproportionate, we may be faced with a case of arsonophobia..

Article related: "The 15 rarest phobias that exist".

What is arsonphobia?

Within the long list of existing specific phobias, the arsonfobia is that disorder of anxiety in which the person experiences a pathological fear to the fire or the fires.. This phobia may also be known as pyrophobia. pyrophobia.

As it happens with the rest of specific anxiety disorders, when people with arsonphobia face or think that they must face the feared stimulus, a series of reactions are initiated, both physical and psychological, typical of very high states of stress and anxiety.

It is understandable that a person may experience a certain degree of fear in the presence of fire and even more so in the presence of a fire, this is considered a normal and adaptive fear, which appears as a survival response. However, if this response is generalized to any situation and is disproportionate, it can be considered as a specific phobia, namely arsonphobia..

How to differentiate it from a normative fear?

There are a series of specific characteristics that allow us to establish a difference between a habitual reaction or response to a danger and a phobia or pathological fear. To do so, we must take into account what consequences or direct effects this fear has on the person's daily life.

Therefore, in cases in which the person suffers from arsonphobia, he/she will experience strong anxiety reactions to the appearance of the phobic or aversive stimulus; in this case fire. In addition, it is very possible that this fear causes interference when carrying out a normal life, so it is always advisable to consult a professional psychologist.

Finally, it is necessary to take into account a series of requirements and qualities characteristic of fear disorders, which serve to define the phobia and make its diagnosis possible. These qualities are the following.

1. It is a disproportionate fear.

One of the features that differentiate a natural fear from a disproportionate fear is that in arsonphobia the sensation of fear experienced is completely disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the phobic stimulus.

In this case the person may overreact to the perception of a burning match or even a burning stove. or even to a burning stove.

2. It is irrational

Subjects with arsonophobia are absolutely unable to find a reasonable and justified explanation for their fear reactions.. To the point that, in many cases, the person is perfectly aware that the stimulus is not dangerous in itself but is still unable to avoid the appearance of the anxiety response to it.

3. It is uncontrollable

Finally, the third characteristic that defines a phobic fear is that this fear is absolutely uncontrollable for the person with arsonophobia. This means that the person cannot avoid the occurrence of anxiety and fear reactions, nor can he or she control them while experiencing them.

Symptoms

Because arsonphobia is one of the list of specific phobias, its symptoms are very similar to those of other pathological fears, its symptomatology is very similar to that of other pathological fears of this type.. The clinical picture is distinguished by being of an anxious nature and appears every time the person faces or thinks about situations related to fire or fires.

This clinical picture is classified into physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms and behavioral symptoms; which usually appear automatically and suddenly, and only disappear when the person has managed to flee or avoid the phobic stimulus.

Physical symptoms

The first symptoms of which the patient with arsonophobia is aware are the physical symptoms. The appearance of the phobic stimulus, fire, provokes a hyperactivity of the person's nervous system which triggers all kinds of changes and transformations in the person.

Among symptoms that may appear during a phobic episode include:

• Increased Heart rate
• Increased respiratory rate
• Feeling of choking or shortness of breath
• Increased muscle tension
• Headache
• Gastrointestinal problems such as stomach pain or diarrhea
• Increased sweating
• Dizziness and lightheadedness
• Nausea and/or vomiting

2. Cognitive symptoms

Another group of symptoms that appear in arsonophobia are cognitive symptoms. These consist of a series of beliefs and speculations, which can become obsessive, related to the fear of fire.in relation to the fear of fire and fires.

These distorted thoughts and ideas favor the progression and development of the phobia and are distinguished because the person possesses a series of illogical and irrational beliefs about the danger of fire. In addition, these symptoms are often accompanied by mental images of a catastrophic nature about this element.

3. Behavioral symptoms

As in all other specific anxiety disorders, arsonophobia is also accompanied by behavioral symptoms. These symptoms manifest themselves through avoidance behaviors and escape behaviors..

Avoidance behaviors refer to all those behaviors or acts that the person performs to avoid encountering the phobic stimulus and thus avoid experiencing negative sensations. An example could be the refusal to cook with fire or to use any gas appliance that could cause a fire.

On the other hand, escape behaviors are manifested when the subject has not been able to avoid confrontation with the phobic stimulus, so it will carry out any behavior that is necessary to escape from the situation in which it finds itself and generates high levels of anxiety.

Causes

Although it is sometimes difficult to determine the specific origin of a phobia, since the patient himself is not able to associate it to any traumatic event, there are a number of factors that may favor or enhance the appearance and development of this pathological fear.

The existence of a genetic predisposition to the effects of anxiety and stress, together with the experience of a highly traumatic or emotionally charged situation in which fire appears in any way, can very probably trigger the appearance of arsonphobia.

In any case, the impact that vicarious or imitation learning may have on the moment of acquisition of a phobia is being studied.

Treatment

Although the exact incidence of this phobia in the population is not known, it is estimated that it appears more frequently in those people whose jobs involve contact with fire to a greater or lesser extent, such as firefighters or forestry agents.

In these cases, as in the case of any other person suffering from this disorder, there are some psychological interventions and treatments that can reduce the symptoms and even help the person to recover and overcome their phobic fear.

Psychological treatment is based on three different principles or actions. The first consists of carrying out a cognitive restructuring that promotes the modification of the distorted thoughts that the person has regarding fire.

In addition, live exposure or systematic desensitization techniques will be carried out, through which the patient is gradually exposed to the stimulus or phobic situation. This can be done live, in controlled environments and contexts, or through imagination.

Finally, these techniques are accompanied by training in relaxation skills, which allow to decrease the levels of excitation of the nervous system and help the person to be able to face their fears in the best possible way.