Theophobia (fear of religion): what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment

In recent years, it has been possible to detect cases of a type of specific phobia in which various psychic and physiological symptoms triggered by circumstances that were related to the religion (p. eg suffer sweating, nausea and feeling of danger when attending a religious act, entering a temple, etc.).

Theophobia is fundamentally characterized by unjustified, abnormal and persistent aversion or fear of everything related to religion. and God and, above all, for the fear of suffering divine punishment, being the most frequent thing that occurs this type of specific phobia among those people who have grown up in an environment of iron religiosity.

In this article we will talk in greater detail about theophobia, explaining what the main symptoms are and how it can be treated in therapy.

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What is theophobia?

The term theophobia, also frequently named zeusophobia, refers to that irrational and excessive fear towards religions, towards God and towards everything that is related to religious matters and ideas

, but above all theophobia is the fear of suffering divine punishment.

Therefore, when a person has theophobia they may express it through anger, aversion and/or fear or any emotion of a negative nature towards religious practices and anything that is related to the religion.

It is quite common for people suffering from theophobia to avoid places of worship (p. g., synagogues, mosques, churches, monasteries, etc.), and perhaps even the faithful of a religion. In these cases, the person can also suffer from "hamartophobia" at the same time, which is the irrational fear of sinning.

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Symptoms of theophobia

Theophobia is not a very common phobia, so it is not explicitly reflected in any of the most important diagnostic manuals on mental disorders (DSM-5 and ICD-11), although in this case could be considered as a specific phobia; however, since some cases have been detected where symptoms compatible With this kind of phobia, we will explain a brief adaptation based on the symptoms of a phobia specific.

1. Theophobia adapted to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5

In the first place, one of the main symptoms that must occur in a specific phobia, as is theophobia in this case, is anxiety or intense fear towards everything related to God and religion, and especially to a possible divine punishment.

Furthermore, that anxiety or fear must be wholly disproportionate to the actual danger posed by the religion or God in everyday life, since they may think that something bad is going to happen to them for no reason apparent. On the other hand, the anxiety or fear cannot be explained by the use of drugs and/or medications, nor by another mental disorder.

Another compatible symptom would be the strong avoidance of everything that is related to God or religion.

These symptoms should be present for 6 months or even longer and can lead to a significant deterioration in various important levels of the subject's life (work-academic, family and Social).

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2. Theophobia adapted to the ICD-11 diagnostic criteria

Below we will explain an adaptation of the ICD-11 diagnostic criteria for specific phobias to possible cases of theophobia.

In the first place, in order for a case of theophobia to be detected, there must be excessive or excessive anxiety or fear on the part of the person. marked that are manifested at the moment in which the person is exposed to everything that is related to religion and God (p. eg, entering a church) and especially when faced with the fear of suffering divine punishment. What's more, those symptoms of anxiety or fear must be disproportionate to the actual danger.

In case the person is exposed to anything that is related to religion (eg. g., a religious monument, people with a religious service, etc.) he was coping with intense fear and will normally avoid exposing himself to such situations.

It is important to note that the symptoms of theophobia should not have occurred in a timely manner but it would have to be present for several months to be able to take into account that this type of phobia is taking place.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the symptoms of theophobia, to be considered as those of a type of phobia should be severe enough to cause discomfort and/or impairment in the person experiencing them experiencing.

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3. Other observable manifestations to detect a case of theophobia

When we are facing a case of theophobia, there are a series of manifestations that can be observed, so it is important to know what they are in order to decide what would be the most appropriate psychological treatment and techniques for that case.

The manifestations in a case of theophobia that can be observed and that have greater importance are those mentioned below:

• Avoid going to and even passing near churches, temples and/or any religious icon
• Having catastrophic thoughts about being able to receive a punishment from God.
• Ignore and/or avoid any type of information that is linked to religion.
• Suffer excessive sweating in religious gatherings.
• Suffer an increase in heart rate before religious encounters.
• Have palpitations before any religious encounter.

Notably We are not facing a clinical picture included in the manuals of mental disorders, although we wanted to inform about its existence because real cases have been detected. It is advisable that in such a case a specialist mental health clinician be the one to evaluate exhaustively the clinical characteristics of the recent in order to determine if there is a case of theophobia or not.

In addition, for a case of theophobia to occur, it is not enough for the person who comes to consult one of the observable manifestations to exist in isolation. we have just listed, but several of them should occur and also for at least a few months (6 according to the DSM-5), as happens in any type of phobia specific.

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Causes

Next we will talk about the possible causes of theophobia, since it is important that they are taken into account in order to implement prevention plans to prevent the further development of this type of phobia.

1. Having had a traumatic experience

One of the main causes usually occurs in those cases in which the person suffering from theophobia has lived a traumatic situation due to certain actions, having considered that it has been a punishment for not having done the right thing, this being a predisposing factor. This usually occurs normally in people who have grown up in a religious family environment.

It may also have been triggered by having suffered a traumatic experience during a religious act or because of some action committed against you by a parishioner.

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2. Suffer from other mental disorders

In other cases, theophobia can develop as a consequence of another mental disorder., so this phobia could exacerbate the symptoms and worsen the prognosis of the course of the disorder and the effectiveness of psychological treatment.

Treatment of theophobia

In a case of theophobia, it is advisable consult with a mental health professional who can assess if the symptoms are compatible with the possible diagnosis, in which case a psychological treatment could be carried out.

In the first place, during a psychological therapy they could be used techniques such as cognitive restructuring in order to modify those irrational beliefs related to their fear and aversion towards everything related to religion.

Second, the patient is usually trained in the use of relaxation techniques so that you can start them in the face of thoughts and experiences that cause that theophobia. It can also be a good tool to carry out the technique of exposure to different stimuli that cause this discomfort (p. g., entering a church, being able to speak with a parishioner, etc.), it being important to note that this process must be carried out progressively and without forcing until the patient is able to face situations of fear and/or anxiety.

However, it should be noted that in the case of having developed theophobia due to having suffered a traumatic experience, it would be more convenient to carry out a specific treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It should be noted that the type of treatment that would be carried out in the face of chaos theophobia will depend on various factors (eg. characteristics of the patient, severity of the disorder and symptoms, comorbidity or not with other disorders, therapeutic current followed by the mental health professional, etc.).