Glossophobia (public speaking phobia): symptoms, causes and treatment

This anxiety disorder manifests itself in the situation of having to speak in front of several people.

We find ourselves standing in front of a room full of people looking at us and waiting for us to speak. If we are not very daring people, this situation can turn our stomach a little bit.

This reaction is perfectly normal, as the pressure of public speaking can be unsettling. However, when this uneasiness turns into dread we may be dealing with a case of glossophobia..

What is glossophobia?

The term glossophobia comes from the union of the terms of Greek origin "glossa" that is translated as "tongue" and "fobos" that corresponds to "fear". Although at first glance it may not offer any clue as to what glossophobia is, it is a specific anxiety disorder in which the person experiences fear when speaking in public.

Although it is normal to get nervous when we have to speak in front of many people, in glossophobia the person experiences an excessive, irrational and uncontrollable fear of such situations.. This exacerbated fear causes the person to experience abnormally high levels of anxiety every time he/she has to speak in public, so he/she always tends to avoid these situations.

Although in many cases glossophobia is part of a much broader social phobia, this is not always the case. Moreover, there are essential differences between these two types of specific phobia.

Unlike social phobia, in which the person manifests an excessive fear of virtually any type of socialization, glossophobia is a situational phobia that only occurs in the specific context of having to speak in front of an audience. only occurs in the specific context of having to speak in front of an audience, even if it is familiar or small.even if the audience is familiar or small.

As mentioned above, experiencing a certain nervousness or fear when speaking in public is completely natural; but when this fear prevents the person from carrying out such activity, it may be glossophobia. In addition, there are certain characteristics that distinguish a phobic fear from a normative one:

• It is excessive considering the real danger of the situation.
• It is irrational. The person is incapable of giving a logical explanation to his fear.
• It is uncontrollable. The sufferer is unable to control the fear or the reactions it provokes.
• It persists over time and across different situations.

In addition, in the case of glossophobia, the anxiety response experienced by the person is so high that it is completely impossible to speak in public. it is completely impossible for them to speak in public, to the point of faintingThey may even faint if they are forced to do so.

As a result of this, they have to avoid this situation, which can interfere in their work or academic life, since it is quite likely that at some point they will be required to do so.

What symptoms does it present?

As mentioned above, glossophobia is an anxiety disorder, so the symptoms respond to a clinical picture typical of this type of condition.

This means that the person with glossophobia who is exposed to the situation of having to speak in public will experience an extreme anxiety response. Sometimes the fear of having to speak in front of other people is so intense that the anxiety reaction can occur just by imagining the situation.

Although each person may experience different symptoms and with different intensity, the symptomatology that distinguishes glossophobia and other phobias is manifested in three different categories: physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms and behavioral symptoms.

1. Physical symptoms

When the person faces or thinks about facing the phobic stimulus, in this case having to speak in public, there is a hyperactivity of the central nervous system that causes a large number of changes and alterations in the organism. Among these symptoms are

• Increased Heart rate..
• Increased respiratory rate.
• Sensation of lack of air or asphyxia.
• Dizziness or light-headedness.
• Nausea and/or vomiting.
• Increased sweating.
• Tremors.
• Gastric alterations.
• Confusion.
• Fainting.
• Feeling of unreality.

2. Cognitive symptoms

The physical symptoms are provoked and are accompanied by a cognitive symptomatology which is distinguished by presenting a series of irrational beliefs and ideas about things that may happen when the person is speaking in public.

Ideas such as that he/she is going to be humiliated, that he/she will not be up to the circumstances or that other people will notice the anxiety he/she is experiencing are very recurrent thoughts that invade the minds of people with glossophobia.

These cognitive symptoms manifest themselves through the following ideas or thoughts:

• Intrusive, involuntary and uncontrollable ideas about possible scenarios that may occur while the person is speaking in front of an audience.
• Obsessive speculations about the feared action.
• Mental images of a catastrophic nature.
• Fear of losing control and not knowing how to manage the situation appropriately.

3. Behavioral symptoms

Finally, these symptoms are accompanied and manifested through a series of behavioral symptoms that appear as a response to the stimulus or aversive situation. These behaviors are aimed either at avoiding the situation or fleeing.

All those behaviors that are carried out with the purpose of avoidance behaviors are known as avoidance behaviors. are known as avoidance behaviors. For example, the person with glossophobia may falsely claim to be ill in order to have to go to an appointment where he/she knew he/she had to speak in public.

On the other hand, all those behaviors that are carried out once the feared situation has begun are called escape behaviors and although they are not as common in glossophobia, they allow the person to escape as quickly as possible from the phobic situation.

What are the causes?

In many cases, it is practically impossible to determine the specific origin of a phobic fear, since the person is unable to remember or determine what caused it. is incapable of remembering or determining what has provoked it..

However, in most phobias, a genetic predisposition to the effects of stress and anxiety, together with the experience of traumatic or emotionally intense experiences related to the feared stimulus, are the perfect breeding ground for the development of a phobia.

Is there a treatment?

Since glossophobia can become highly disabling, it is highly recommended that sufferers should see a psychologist or mental health specialist.. Fortunately, there are treatments that can significantly reduce the intensity of the symptoms and even eliminate them altogether.

Through techniques such as live exposure or systematic desensitization, the person is gradually confronted with the feared exposure. Therefore, if they are accompanied by training in relaxation techniques and cognitive restructuring, the person can overcome his phobic fear and carry out this activity in a normal way.