Xylophobia: symptoms, causes and treatment

This type of phobia specific to wood and objects made of wood is very rare.

Xylophobia, also known as hyllophobia, is the persistent and intense fear of objects made of wood, or objects made of wood.is the persistent and intense fear of objects made of wood, or materials that simulate wood, as well as wooded areas. Although rare, it is a phobia specific to a natural environment, which may be related to the dangers associated with forests.

Here is what xylophobia is as well as its main symptoms and some strategies to counteract.

Xylophobia: fear of wood

The term xylophobia is composed of the Greek voice "xilo" (xylon), which means wood, and "phobos" which means fear. It is a persistent and excessive fear of wood. a persistent and excessive fear of woodIt is a persistent and excessive fear of wood, its characteristics (smell, texture) and the objects derived from it. It is also characterized by a fear of forests and materials that simulate wood.

Being a phobia whose trigger is an element of nature, xylophobia can be defined as a phobia specific to the natural environment. As such, it has been little or not investigated at all, as it is rarely it manifests itself infrequently.

What may occur more frequently is that it is a fear that is related to others, for example, of a situational type. The latter are persistent fears of particular circumstances or places, such as forests or open spaces. In this case, xylophobia may be related not only to wood, but also to darkness, wide open spaces, uncertainty, animals, getting lost, etc.

Characteristics and main symptoms

When we are faced with situations that represent a danger, either real or perceivedWhen we feel an alarm, our organism alerts us in different ways. Specifically, a part of our nerve cells known as the autonomic nervous system is activated, which regulates the involuntary functions of our body.

These functions include, for example, visceral activity, respiratory rate, sweating or palpitations. All these reactions, which are related to fear, allow us to initiate a series of adaptive behaviors, i.e. they enable us to respond proportionally to possible harm.

However, it can also happen that the above reactions occur disproportionately, preventing us from generating adaptive responses and significantly impacting our experiences with respect to the stimulus.

Specific phobias such as xylophobia are characterized by an anxiety response triggered by exposure to the stimulus. response to the exposure to the stimulus that is perceived as noxious.. Thus, xylophobia can manifest itself mainly through the following symptoms: tachycardia, increased Blood pressure, sweating, decreased gastric activity, palpitations, hyperventilation.

Similarly, if the part of the autonomic nervous system known as the "parasympathetic nervous system" is activated, xylophobia can generate the physiological responses associated with xylophobia. the physiological responses associated with disgust, such as cardiovascular decelerationsuch as cardiovascular deceleration, dry mouth, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness and temperature decrease.

The above symptomatology varies depending on whether the specific phobia is to a situation, an environmental element, animals, wounds, or any other type. Depending on the case, another possible manifestation is the presence of a panic attack.

On the other hand, the presence of secondary behaviors is common, which are those that the person performs to protect him/herself from the noxious stimulus and prevent the anxiety response. These are defensive and avoidant behaviors (doing everything possible not to expose oneself to the noxious stimulus) and hypervigilance about the related situations or elements. Added to this is the perception of lacking resources to face the feared stimulus, which can aggravate the anxiety response and increase avoidant behaviors.

Causes

As with other specific phobias, xylophobia may be caused by a series of learned associations about the stimulus and possible harm. In this case, these are associations about wooded areas and the elements that compose them (especially wood), and the (especially wood), and the related dangers.

Such associations may be based on real and direct experiences of danger, or they may have been fixed by indirect experiences. In the specific case of xylophobia, media exposure to wooded areas can have an important influence, where they are generally represented in a close relationship with imminent dangers, for example, getting lost or being attacked by an animal or a person.

When does a phobia develop?

Generally, natural environment phobias begin in infancy (before the age of 12), and situational phobias can begin either in infancy or after the age of 20.. Similarly, it may happen that a specific phobia develops into adulthood, even if the non-persistent fear has started since childhood.

The latter has not been studied in xylophobia, but it has been studied in animal, blood and injection, driving and height phobias. In addition, when development occurs during childhood and adolescence, phobic fears are more likely to diminish even without treatment; this is more difficult to occur in adulthood. It is more common for specific phobias to occur in females than in males.

Main treatments

Initially, it is important to evaluate the situation and the feared stimulus to determine the causes. From there, it is important to to detect the problematic behaviors at the cognitive, physiological and social levels, as well as the intensity of the responses.Subsequently, it is important to analyze the emotional resources and coping styles of the person in order to know what needs to be reinforced or modified.

To intervene directly on xylophobia, as well as to treat other types of specific phobias, it is common to use strategies such as the following:

• Live exposure.
• Participant modeling.
• Relaxation strategies..
• Cognitive restructuring.
• Imaginal exposure techniques.
• Systematic desensitization.
• Eye movement reprocessing.

The effectiveness of each depends on the specific type of phobia and the particular symptoms of the sufferer.

Bibliographical references:

• Fritscher, L. (2018). Understanding Xylophobia or the Irrational Fear of Wooded Areas. Retrieved September 10, 2018. Available at https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-fear-of-the-woods-2671899.
• Bados, A. (2005). Specific Phobias. Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona.