Herpetophobia: symptoms, causes and treatment

This disorder can manifest itself even at the sight of moving objects such as a snake or lizard.

Reptiles and amphibians. Along with insects, they are usually among the beings that generate more discomfort to people. Given the dangerousness of some of these animals, the existence of a certain fear towards them is to a certain extent logical, being something adaptive. Obviously, an encounter with a venomous snake or a crocodile can be highly dangerous or even fatal.

But in some people, this fear is exaggerated and involves a real phobia towards most reptiles and amphibians that can even limit their functioning: we are talking about those who suffer from an anxiety disorder known as herpetophobia..

Defining herpetophobia

Herpetophobia is defined as phobia or panic towards most reptiles and part of the amphibians.. This is one of the most frequent specific phobias worldwide, being in fact the second most widespread phobia related to animals, after arachnophobia.

Sufferers of this phobia usually experience strong anxiety in the presence of reptiles and amphibians, which may be accompanied by physiological symptoms such as trembling, hyperarousal, excessive sweating, tachycardia and hyperventilation. Exposure to these beings can generate an anxiety crisis in which Pain associated with cardiac crises, depersonalization or the belief that one is going to die or go crazy appear, among other symptoms. In some cases it can even appear a temporary paralysis, due to the overactivation of the nervous system. overactivation of the nervous system. In addition to fear, it is not uncommon for people with this phobia to be disgusted or repulsed by reptiles and amphibians.

The fear is not only awakened by the presence of these animals themselves, but also by situations or places where they could appear or by elements that announce their presence. For example, encountering a snake skin can provoke a panic attack in people with this phobia. A certain feeling of discomfort is also often caused by the perception of undulating movements similar to those carried out by snakes and other reptiles.. Although it is much less common, in some people may also appear the fear of products derived from them or reminiscent of them, such as clothing or accessories with a scaly appearance or simulating the skin of a crocodile or snake.

Interestingly, fear can be more or less selective: snakes, crocodiles and toads tend to be some of the most frightening. However, other species do not usually trigger fear, such as turtles. When it comes to amphibians such as toads and frogs, the problem may be that they have a certain resemblance to reptiles, in addition to the knowledge that many species are poisonous.

Herpetophobia and ophidiophobia: are they the same?

Herpetophobia has often been related to the fear of snakes, being considered as such the phobia of these beings. In this sense, it is often used as a synonym for ophidiophobia. But to assimilate one with the other is erroneous, there not being a complete overlap between both concepts.

Herpetophobia is, as we have said above, the fear of reptiles and some amphibians in general.. Although this includes snakes (being some of the most panic-inducing creatures in people with herpetophobia), it also includes other creatures such as crocodiles, lizards, iguanas, frogs and toads (the latter two amphibians). This is why ophidiophobia and herpetophobia, although closely linked, cannot be considered synonymous. Rather, we could say that herpetophobia would include ophidiophobia, the latter being much more specific.

Why does it appear?

The cause of this phobia is not fully known, but as it happens with spiders and other creatures, a possible explanation is that the fear of reptiles is a product of the inheritance of our ancestors, supposing a reaction of fear to these beings an adaptive advantage by allowing our ancestors to react quickly by fleeing from them. to react quickly by fleeing from them.

This possible inheritance would be activated by conditioning and learning throughout life: the knowledge of people who have died after being bitten by snakes, poisoned after touching certain types of frogs or devoured by crocodiles, or the fact of suffering some kind of attack by one of these creatures, facilitates fear towards them. Likewise, some of their characteristics, such as the large number of teeth of a crocodile or the easy sight of a snake's fangs, can in themselves be unsettling.

Culture also plays a role in the acquisition of this panic: traditionally, in the West, reptiles have traditionally been seen as dangerous creatures and endowed with and have been endowed with aptitudes related to evil, intrigue, pain and suffering. Even if we look at legends and children's stories, we often find that the obstacle or danger to overcome is a dragon or some kind of reptile. Even in religion: in Genesis the serpent is the representation of evil that tempts Eve to taste the forbidden apple. All this means that in the West the sight of this type of animal is something that awakens a sense of danger in many of us.

On the contrary, in the East they are usually seen as protective and benevolent entities. For example, tradition has it that Buddha was protected by a naga (demigods in the form of a giant snake), and the image of Eastern dragons is that of wise and generally benevolent and powerful beings. This contributes to the fact that the level of panic caused by these beings, although existing since after all they are dangerous beings, is lower.

Treatment

Specific phobias, such as herpetophobia, are treated in the field of psychology. It is also one of the types of disorder that is most easily treated and in which there are usually fewer relapses.

Although it can be more or less hard for the patient, the most commonly applied therapy in these cases is exposure therapy.. Generally applied gradually, the patient will be exposed to anxiety-generating stimuli without engaging in avoidance behaviors until the anxiety generated by these stimuli decreases.

It is important the issue of graduation, since a too abrupt and badly planned exposure can actually sensitize the patient and make his fear more accentuated. Thus, a hierarchy is established between patient and therapist in which the former will be ordering different stimuli that provoke anxiety (linked to his fear of reptiles) and then proceeding to make the exposure from a point to be negotiated between professional and client.

It is also necessary to take into account where the fear comes from: is the fear actually of the animals themselves, of being poisoned, of dying, or of other aspects? Discuss what the figure of the reptiles means to the patient, why he/she considers this fear to exist and to value also the meaning and sense that this fear can have for the patient is another aspect to work on. is another aspect to work on.

In this particular phobia it is common that there are somewhat distorted beliefs about the dangerousness of most of these beings or the probability of encountering them. Cognitive restructuring is very useful in these cases to elaborate an alternative vision. However, mere information is not enough: it is necessary to work on the subject also through the emotions triggered in the subject by the stimulus in question.