Carnophobia (meat phobia): symptoms, causes and treatment

A developed fear towards any piece of meat that goes far beyond the desire not to eat it.

The carnophobia is characterized is a persistent and intense fear to the meat.. It is not necessarily accompanied by a political decision to abandon the consumption of this food, although it can be related to this.

We will see next what is the carnophobia, which is the difference between a phobia and an aversion, and finally which are the remedies that exist to treat their symptoms.

• Article related: "Types of phobias: exploring the disorders of the fear".

Carnophobia: fear to the meat

As its name indicates it, the carnophobia is the persistent and intense fear to the meat. As it is a phobia, the persistent fear to the meat must present itself in an irrational or excessive way, that is to say, is a disproportionate fear of a stimulus that generally does not represent a danger to the perceiver. for the one who perceives it.

In other words, to be considered a phobia, this fear of meat should not manifest itself only as a determined rejection of the consumption of foods of animal origin, as could occur in the case of veganism or vegetarianism.

Nor is it a poorly developed taste for meat or a preference for a specific type of meat. It is rather a fear that is activated by any stimulus approaching meat, triggering a disproportionate anxiety response..

However, if this fear does not manifest itself in a persistent, intense and disproportionate manner, and does not significantly affect the person's quality of life, it may not be a phobia, but rather an aversion.

Phobia or aversion to meat?

The main difference between a phobia and an aversion is the intensity of the fear experienced, and the manner in which it is presented. An aversion can be defined as a strong repulsion to touch, taste or hear things to which most people are indifferent or find pleasant (Bados, 2005).

Unlike a phobia, aversions produce discomfort, but not fear or anxiety; they occur to stimuli other than specific phobias and do not provoke obsessions or rituals.

Aversions can provoke a series of momentary physiological reactions such as the following: shivering or bristling of the hair, pallor, coldness, breathing wave.and sometimes nausea. Common are, for example, aversions to touching hairy surfaces such as wool or feather; to hearing squeaking sounds; or to smelling and tasting fatty foods, foods of certain textures, or Muscle tissues of animal origin (meat).

In general, aversions do not negatively and significantly affect a person's quality of life, since they do not prevent him/her from performing daily activities, and are not manifested by a clinically observable anxiety condition. However, they can represent significant discomfort in the face of the stimulus that provokes the aversion.

Thus, if exposure to meat causes discomfort and mild or momentary physiological reactions, then it is an aversion. On the other hand, if exposure to meat causes clinically significant causes clinically significant discomfort (an anxiety that interferes with daily activities), and it is presented in a persistent manner generating voluntary and involuntary avoidance of meat, then it may be a carnophobia.

Possible causes

As it happens with other phobias, a persistent fear to the meat can be provoked by a real or perceived harm associated with the consumption of such food.. Some concrete examples of experiences that can provoke this fear are the following:

• A severe illness, generated immediately after having consumed meat.
• A traumatic trip to a butcher shop or slaughterhouse.
• An accident while cooking meat.
• Adverse emotions related to images in favor or against meat products.

This may be the cause of having developed both a phobia and an aversion to meat, and the latter may have generated a political position on the consumption or industrialization of this food, although not necessarily.

Is treatment necessary?

Any real or perceived fear, which is experienced in a persistent and disproportionate manner, can be treated by a number of clinical strategies. For example, the technique of live exposureCognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization or relaxation strategies, among others. All of them aim to reduce the anxiety experiences associated with the stimulus that provokes them; which ultimately means that the person develops a positive contact with the stimulus.

However, if the refusal of meat derives from a personal choice, which does not interfere with their daily life even if it involves an experience of aversion, the treatment should not aim at the consumption of this food, but at the search for alternatives and substitutes., but the search for alternatives and substitutes.

Bibliographical references:

• Rodriguez, U. (2012). Gastrophobias: all the fears of the world of food. Retrieved September 11, 2018. Available at http://www.infonews.com/nota/37358/gastrofobias-todos-los-miedos-del-mundo.
• Bados, A. (2005). Specific phobias. Factultat de Psicologia. Departament de Personalitat, Avaluaciò i Tractament Psicològics. Universitat de Barcelona.
• Fear of raw meat? (S/A). Perspecs. Retrieved September 11, 2018. Available at http://www.perspecsnews.com/read/business/fear-of-raw-meat/rkxnikyGhz/rygKWvyf2f.