Genophobia — what to do if you are afraid of sex?
Genophobia and erophobia are fears associated with gender and sexual intimacy. This pathology is very controversial and atypical, but it manifests itself very clearly.
Contents of the article:
With genophobia, mild hostility is not experienced as a panicky fear of intimacy. Thoughts of fear upon hearing speeches or videos on the topic of sex stimulate an uncontrollable desire to protect oneself from uncomfortable topics.
There are phobias that are directly related to genophobia and can occur simultaneously.
- Heterophobia is heterosexual sophistication.
- Republican phobia is the fear of sexual intercourse, of the thought of penetration.
- Nosophobia is the fear of contracting infections during sex.
- Gymnophobia is the fear of nudity. People experience fear of images of themselves and others. Often such people do not even look at themselves in the mirror, preferring to do everything “blindly”.
At the slightest manifestation of a phobia in the form of hostility, reluctance to have sex, arbitrary refusal of intimacy due to illness or fatigue, over time one symptom develops into a serious and complex pathology.
Symptoms of genophobia
Elophobia manifests itself very clearly and sharply. The reactions can be frightening for people who suffer from phobias themselves because they occur unexpectedly. A person is constantly surprised and nervous. He does not leave thoughts about intimacy and touch.
Fear of sex has serious reasons and is rooted in the child’s age (in most cases). Fears that appear in middle age are more superficial. However, he is also not without depth of phobias.
Typical fear reactions include a number of symptoms that haunt a person throughout his life.
- Uncontrollable fear of sex. Thoughts of intimacy cause disgust, trembling and panic. Such people often explain this by avoiding meetings or even transferring tile bleeding, illness or topic to work. Understanding that such reactions are atypical and abnormal does not diminish their symptoms, at least to some extent.
- When talking about sex or watching a movie, people become fidgety and talk inconsistently (sometimes to themselves). Often in such situations there is a feeling of trembling hands, increased sweating, a feeling of lack of air, insects crawling over the body, a crackling sound (more intense than goosebumps).
- If the source of fear does not disappear, the condition worsens. Migraine headaches, dizziness, heart pain, irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath appear more often. Direct contact can lead to panic attacks, fainting and heart attacks.
Read also: I can’t relax during sex — what should I do?
Have you ever felt like you couldn”t enjoy sex because you were constantly distracted? Extra thoughts creep into your head, and instead.
Symptoms of genophobia do not allow a person to develop and build relationships and families. The likelihood that you will feel warmth and perhaps even closeness is zero. Underestimation of the complex and oneself prevents the formation of appropriate ideas about sex and further intimacy. In severe cases, fear is strong and prompts a person to abandon forced loneliness, loved ones and friends. Thoughts of suicide can have terrifying consequences.
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Causes of genophobia
It is difficult to explain the risks and likelihood of consequences of genophobia, but it has been studied in detail as a cause:
- Children”s injuries. This category includes both psychological and physiological problems, such as violence, constant stress due to bullying, perceived pathology or, conversely, the excessive usefulness of sex.
- Dissatisfaction with your appearance. This may be due to dissatisfaction with specific parts of the body, such as the face, breasts, genitals, thighs or arms. Such people do not show themselves in society, do not look at themselves for a long time in the mirror and do not admire their partner’s body, because they are afraid that they will be laughed at. Constriction, rigidity and hatred of one”s appearance develop due to the fear of receiving the same assessment from others. However, the phrase “size and looks don’t matter” is not so true.
- Bad sexual experience. This reason is often wasted on fear of sex. An inexperienced, hasty partner, unable to appreciate the subtleties of initial penetration, in his impatience tries to finish the process as quickly as possible. However, this behavior causes the girl great pain, and she does not want to repeat sexual intercourse in the future. An unfortunate experience leaves an imprint on future sexual activity, blocks energy centers and forces one to refuse intimacy. Long-term abstinence from sex leads to pathologies in the female reproductive system, infertility and mental disorders.
- Fear of intimacy can develop due to narcissism. Girls and men want to show off their butts on spicy topics, but are afraid of failure. This slows down their attempts at aggression, and over time they stop trying to get close to anyone at all. The fear of being ridiculed for sexual failure becomes their scourge and makes them forget about pleasure for a long time.
Treatment of genophobia
The most important thing in treating genophobia is to identify the true cause. After all, most people have a hard time admitting what their fears are based on. Timely identification of the trigger ensures a return to a normal, fully formed sexual life.
If vaginalism and pain during sexual intercourse can be eliminated with the help of medications, then in relation to sexual experience, lack of desire, self-expression and feelings of pleasure, the work of psychologists, psychotherapists, sex therapists and sex therapists is necessary.
Treatment should not only focus on specific aspects of the sexual disorder. Treatment of genophobia requires a comprehensive approach, including correction and healing of the body and psyche.
CBT is necessary to change thinking. This eliminates the perception of sex as a matter of danger and fear. For this purpose, various situational tasks are created, the solutions of which require deep work on oneself. Sexologists and sexologists work on specific situations and factors that cause fear.
When to see a doctor
It is necessary to understand the difference between hostility or disgust and real fear. A mild degree of impairment is suitable for psychotherapy and drug treatment. The psychotherapist, together with the sexologist, develops a treatment plan and draws up a list of necessary tests. A longer course and problems at the psychological level complicate the choice of treatment. In such cases, the person suffering from a phobia no longer wants to change anything. The fear is too great.
