Surely you have heard of, it is even likely that you know people who suffer from claustrophia or arachnophobia. But you may have never heard the word gynophobia. Those who suffer from it are afraid of facing a woman and, although it sounds strange, it is a phobia that more people suffer from than you might think at first. Do women scare you?
What is gynophobia?
- Gynophobia, also known as gynephobia or gynecophobia, is the irrational fear of women. This phobia affects men to a greater extent, who panic when exposed to women.
- One of the variants of gynophobia is caligynephobia, also known as venutraphobia, which corresponds to the unjustified fear of beautiful women specifically.
- It is necessary to clarify that this phobia towards women should not be confused with misogyny, that is, with hatred of the female gender. However, it is possible that the phobia towards women ends up leading to their contempt.
What are those who suffer from this phobia afraid of?
Gynecophobia can be caused by fear of different issues related to women. Each patient can develop different fears and can even see how they change or evolve over time. These are some of the most common irrational fears related to this phobia.
- This unjustified fear can occur before the figure of a woman.
- But it is also common for certain parts of the female body to be feared. Frequently, those who suffer from it have a fear of the breasts or the vagina. And sometimes, patients start to panic at the mere exposure to photos or videos.
- Some even feel anxiety when seeing, thinking or talking about menstruation.
- On other occasions, what is feared is the interaction with the woman.
When is it a phobia and when is it simple shyness?
- It is important to distinguish when it is a phobia and when it is just a passing fear or a simple shyness in front of women. Feeling certain nerves or insecurities when you get close to another person can be, to a certain extent, normal.
- The problem is when it goes a little further and the tingling in the stomach starts to feel an irrational and uncontrollable fear. When this phobia is suffered, the patient feels great anxiety when exposed to what they fear.
- It must be borne in mind that this phobia can manifest itself in different degrees. From the mildest level in which nerves are suffered to the most serious where anxiety and panic are paralyzing. In any case, it is advisable to go to a specialist who analyzes to what degree the phobia manifests itself and how it can be treated.
Symptoms that I suffer from gynophobia
Depending on the severity of the phobia, the symptoms of gynophobia may vary. These are some of the most common:
- The most obvious symptom of gynephobia is anxiety in the presence of a woman. Some patients do not feel capable of being with her, while others feel irrational terror when seeing an image of them.
- Among the most common physical symptoms that occur due to anxiety: increased sweating, palpitations, stomach pain or headache, feeling dizzy, vomiting, tense muscles, etc.
- In cases in which the symptoms manifest intensely, the patient is at risk of ending up isolating himself from his social environment by being unable to face the women around him.
- These patients can end up in depression.
- It is common for people who are victims of this type of disorder to be aware that the fear that paralyzes them is not logical or justifiable. However, even though they know that what they are afraid of is not a threat, they cannot help but feel terrified.
The causes of gynephobia
- As is the case with other types of phobias, gynecophobia can also have multiple causes. For example, the person who suffers from it may have had a traumatic experience, often during childhood or puberty, in which a woman has been involved.
- He may also have been affected by an unpleasant event that occurred in the past, even though the patient was only a mere spectator. On the other hand, this phobia can also develop in the face of repeated behavior that the patient has observed for a long period of time. This is the case, for example, of children who have lived in environments with mothers with bad behavior, who may come to think that all women behave like this.
- The causes of this phobia do not always have to be sought in childhood and puberty. Sometimes, you begin to suffer at the beginning of sexual life. In these cases, gynecology can be confused with erotophobia, which is a phobia of sex.
Treatment against this phobia
- Finding the cause of this irrational fear of women may be the key to solving the gynophobia of some of the patients. Once the cause of said disorder is known, the patient will be able to find, together with a specialist, the emotional obstacle that is causing the phobia.
- From that moment on, the psychologist or therapist will be able to guide you to learn new skills that allow you to deal with the phobia. This will help you reduce your anxiety about exposing yourself to women. In addition to behavioral therapies, exposure therapies may work to resolve the problem.
- There are specialists who recommend relaxation techniques or meditation to learn to control yourself in a moment of panic. Others, however, speak of hypnosis as another good way to overcome gynephobia.