Apeirophobia: irrational fear of infinity

There are different types of phobias, some of them really strange. For example, hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia or fear of the number 666, turophobia or fear of cheese, or uranophobia or fear of heaven after death. Today we will talk about another rare phobia: the apeirophobia or fear of infinity

But before starting to talk about this phobia, and to better understand what characterizes phobic disorders, we will begin by briefly explaining what phobias in general consist of.

If you want to know more about strange phobias, you can read our article: "The 15 rarest phobias that exist"

What is a phobia?

A phobia is a strong irrational and uncontrollable fear of situations, objects, activities, or people.. It belongs to the group of anxiety disorders, and its most characteristic symptom is the excessive and irrational desire to avoid objects or situations as a way to reduce the anxiety or discomfort that these people.

Experts affirm that certain genetic and environmental factors favor the appearance of a phobia. However, one of the causes that raises the greatest consensus among researchers is that phobias arise because the person has had 

traumatic experience (mainly in childhood), to which he later associates the element that causes him fear. This learning would occur classical conditioning.

Do you want to know more about classical conditioning? We recommend our article “ Classical conditioning and its most important experiments”

It is important to note that the association that would cause the phobia can be direct or indirect. There is talk of direct association when that element (object, situation, etc.) has been the very cause that leads to a phobia. For example, if a child is scratched by a cat that he unconsciously bothered, and as a result of this experience he develops a phobia of cats. The indirect association refers to when the fear appears displaced. For example, when a child has a phobia of vaccines just because they know they hurt.

Classification of phobias

Phobias can be classified as follows: social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia.

• Social phobia: This type of phobia is characterized because the person who suffers from it feels an irrational fear of situations of social interaction. For example, when he has to speak in public, because he is afraid of being judged, criticized or humiliated. This is a serious disorder that should not be confused with shyness. People with social phobia can feel strong anxiety when talking on the phone or eating in front of other people, so they avoid these types of situations.

• Agoraphobia: Although many people think that agoraphobia is the irrational fear of being in open spaces such as large streets or parks, this is not exactly the case. Individuals who have agoraphobia feel a strong anguish produced by situations in which they feel unprotected and vulnerable when they suffer an anxiety attack. In other words, they panic that the situation is out of their control. The patient with this type of phobia usually secludes himself in her house as a form of avoidance.

• Specific phobia: Irrational fear in this case occurs before a stimulus, for example, a situation, an object, a place or an insect. Therefore, apeirophobia would be classified within this type of phobia.

Learn more about the different types of phobias in this article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Characteristics of apeirophobia

Thinking about the universe and infinity can cause us certain questions or reflections that are difficult to answer, which can cause us some degree of anxiety. Now, when this thought about the infinite or about immense things causes us extreme irrational fear and great discomfort, then we are facing a case of apeirophobia.

The concept of apeirophobia refers to an unusual type of phobia. We usually talk normally about other phobias in which the phobic object is tangible: phobia of spiders or the clown phobia, For example. All of them objects or people that can be easily touched and avoided. For some, imagining the phobia of infinity can even be difficult.

The fear of infinity can appear both during the day and at night. For example, when the subject who suffers from it is so calm in the living room of his house and an intrusive thought about infinity causes him a serious anxiety problem. Or when you are in your bed, trying to fall asleep, and the same image causes you a strong fear that does not allow you to sleep all night.

existential vertigo

Apeirophobia is a type of phobia in which the focus of the fear is something totally abstract, and not a certain living being, landscape or object. This means that it depends on activities linked to introspection and imagination, although its symptoms do not have to appear only when you reflect in silence and with your eyes closed.

There are certain experiences that enter us through the senses and, in certain cases, they can make us think in infinity. These sensory stimuli depend on each person, but some of the most recurring are the sky, the sea or the numerical sequences that never end.

Aperiophobia is experienced as a sensation of vertigo produced by the idea that, as one is coming into contact with the infinite, there is no foothold in which the person can remain "anchored" and maintaining some control of the situation. This idea makes it, in a certain sense, similar to agoraphobia, since in this, a wave of fear also appears at the idea that the environment becomes overwhelming and impossible to control.

Treatment

Since apeirophobia is a anxiety disorder caused mostly by traumatic experiences of the past, it is necessary to see a mental health professional as soon as possible. The cognitive behavioral therapy or the mindfulness They have proven to be very effective in overcoming this type of disorder, although it is important to keep in mind that the symptoms of apeirophobia almost never completely disappear.

You can learn more about these types of therapy in our articles:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: what is it and what principles is it based on?
• Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy: what is it?