Some Phobias Have a Religious Component
Astrong religious faithcan bring comfort to some.
Here we distinguish between religion fear and phobia, also discussing various types of religious phobias.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
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While some people experience fears related to religion, a phobia is more than a typical fear.
Symptoms of a specific phobia include:
Recap
Phobias are not the same as normal fear.
These phobias often appear or worsen during acrisis of faith, but may occur at any time.
And they may happen to anyone, regardless of their religious background.
Some of the most common include the following.
Ecclesiophobia
Some people experience an intensefear of churches.
This is known asecclesiophobia.
This phobia may involve a fear of the building itself or a fear of what the building represents.
Theophobia
This phobia involves an irrational fear of religion.
Additional Phobias Involving Religion
There are several other phobias with religious components.
They tend to fall into two basic categories: technology phobias and fears of the “End Times.”
Astrophobia, orfear of space, may be related to doomsday phobias.
Death Phobias
Death-related fears are extremely common among people of all cultures and religious backgrounds.
Mythophobia, or fear of legends, may also be related to the fear of death.
Numerical Phobias
Numbers can carry religious and cultural significance.
Two of the most commonly feared numbers are 13 and 666.
Some types of phobias may be related to religion.
This includes phobias that are focused on the end of humanity, death, and superstitious beliefs.
Additionally, the phobias listed above can occur in those who do not identify themselves as religious.
Instead, it seems that personal religious beliefs may be a small component of a larger picture.
Specific emotions or other phobias may also contribute to some aspects of religious phobias.
For example, studies have found that specific types of disgust might be related to religious fear.
The exact causes of phobias are not fully understood, but genes and life experience play a part.
It is likely that a number of different factors contribute to the development of religious phobias.
At the same time, people practice relaxation strategies that help soothe their fear response.
Other types of therapy have also shown promise for treating phobias.
A religious leader can help them explore their beliefs and examine their concerns within the context of their faith.
Treatment for phobias often involves psychotherapy.
Medications can also be useful.
For phobias that have a religious component, counseling with a religious leader may also be helpful.
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Cleveland Clinic.Thanatophobia (fear of death).
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National Institutes of Health.Treating phobias.
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