Fear of wind (anemophobia): symptoms, causes and treatment

The vast majority of people enjoy sunny days, with a pleasant temperature, and studies seem to indicate that this climate favors well-being. On the other hand, gray and rainy days can cause negative moods. In fact, it can cause some psychological phenomena such as Seasonal Depressive Disorder, which we talk about in our article: “Seasonal Depressive Disorder: what it is and how to prevent it”.

But climatic conditions not only affect people's well-being in this sense, but also A well-known phobia called anemophobia or anchrophobia causes a strong irrational fear of wind and air currents..

In this article we will delve into this pathology and review its symptoms, causes and consequences.

• Related article: "The 15 strangest phobias that exist"

What is wind phobia?

Phobias are mental disorders that develop with certain frequency. They belong to the group of anxiety disorders, because its main symptoms are anxiety and irrational fear. People who suffer from a phobia tend to avoid the feared stimulus in an attempt to reduce unpleasant symptoms. Phobias can be classified in different ways as we explain in our article:

“Types of phobias: exploring fear disorders”.

Anemophobia is the irrational fear that some people feel when presented with a phobic stimulus, in this case: the wind. If this phobia is left untreated, it can significantly affect the phobic's quality of life. In fact, it can seriously impair normal daily activities, since the affected person may seclude themselves in their own home to avoid the wind from the street. Many times, these individuals irrationally anticipate catastrophic consequences of this climatic event, for example. For example, trees can fall due to strong gusts, causing problems for the physical integrity of the person.

Wind phobia not only affects the person when going outside, as having open windows, which would result in drafts, It can produce intense symptoms of anxiety, nausea, headaches, catastrophic thoughts, rapid pulse and a feeling of suffocation in the body. phobic

Causes of anemophobia

No one is born with a phobic disorder, so these irrational fears are learned. Anemophobia usually originates after a traumatic experience, which is not always consciously remembered. This learning occurs through the association of an originally neutral stimulus with one that provokes the fear response. For example, a person may have had an emotionally negative experience on a windy day, that it has impacted you so much that in the following windy days you can remember that experience traumatic. This type of learning is called classical conditioning. If you want to know more, you can read our article: “Classical conditioning and its most important experiments”.

Generally, many people who experience this type of situation know that their fear is irrational, but they cannot overcome it. This occurs because human beings are biologically programmed to experience this emotion. negative, which is produced by primary associations in the primitive brain and not by associations cognitive. Logical arguments, in this type of situation, have little weight.

On the other hand, people can also develop phobias from vicarious conditioning, that is, from observing other people. For example, suffering a traumatic event related to wind.

• Related article: “Vicarious conditioning: how does this type of learning work?”

Symptoms of this phobia

Each person experiences the fear of the wind in their own way; However, the symptoms are usually general in any type of phobia. The only thing that changes is the phobic stimulus that produces it.

The symptoms of phobias are usually divided into three groups: cognitive, physical and behavioral.. Cognitive symptoms are the experience of fear, anguish, anxiety, lack of concentration, catastrophic thoughts and thoughts of death. Physical symptoms include dry mouth, nausea, or difficulty breathing. Regarding behavioral symptoms, we can highlight the avoidance of the feared stimulus.

Treatment

Anxiety disorders, including phobias, are one of the main reasons for consultation in psychological clinics.. These pathologies can cause great suffering, but they are treatable.

There are many effective therapeutic methods, such as Mindfulness or acceptance and commitment therapy. However, the most used is cognitive behavioral therapy. Within the cognitive behavioral techniques we can find relaxation techniques and exposure techniques.

In the treatment of phobias, a technique is applied that has proven to be very effective. It is the systematic desensitization. It consists of exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus gradually, but first they must have learned a series of coping strategies., which include the relaxation techniques mentioned above.

Thanks to this technique, the prognosis for phobic disorders is positive and it is useful for different phobias.

Phobias and new technologies

Nowadays, with the advancement of new technologies, it is not necessary to expose the patient to a real phobic stimulus, but it is possible to use virtual reality. Psychologists use these technologies and the results are excellent.

Besides, In recent times, patients can carry therapeutic tools in their own pocket thanks to the use of smartphone applications. These apps contain, for example, virtual reality, augmented reality, useful information about phobias and log sheets.

• Related article: “8 apps to treat phobias and fears from your smartphone”