Autophobia, The Fear Of Being Lonely

The fear of being lonely (autophobia) is quite common in these times. This disorder occurs in people who experience high levels of anxiety when they are alone.

As you may already know, some people like loneliness while others try to avoid it. Furthermore, some of us enjoy moments of peace and introspection, and there are times when being around others can feel uncomfortable. Loneliness feels like a punishment and company ends up becoming a necessity for those who are afraid of being alone.

So what do you like to do on your holidays? Are they opportunities to rest and pamper yourself? Or do you panic and start looking for someone to join?

Yes, many of us are quite uncomfortable being alone. However, this discomfort reaches pathological levels for a small group of people.

What is autophobia?

The term autophobia means “fear of oneself”. However, it is not necessarily about fearing one’s own presence, but about being completely alone. In other words, these people can not stand to feel lonely.

This disorder falls into the category of phobia, and these are the symptoms:

• It is an intensely irrational fear of being lonely at all times.
• The person avoids being alone in every way and feels really sick when they can not find company.
• Irrational fear and anxiety impair the individual’s daily function and affect them on a social, personal and professional level.
• The symptoms last more than six months.

How does the fear of being lonely manifest itself?

The previous symptoms, typical of autophobia, are basically the symptoms of an anxiety disorder and manifest in different ways. As a consequence, the following conditions usually arise:

• There are dysfunctional thoughts associated with being alone on a cognitive level. An individual may think they are in danger (an attack or an accident) and worry that no one will be there if they need help, so they will die as a consequence. However, there is also a certain component of fear of being ignored or rejected. This is usually someone who has a great need for approval.

• There are also somatic symptoms at a physiological level such as tachycardia, palpitations, sweating, dizziness and various pains.
• On a behavioral level, a person with autophobia avoids loneliness and will try to escape it as soon as possible and in any way.

What are the causes of autophobia?

The causes of autophobia are not entirely clear and vary depending on the specific case. The origin is usually a direct experience where a person was alone in a dangerous situation. For example, if they experienced a traumatic experience when there was no one nearby.

Substitute learning is also a common trigger for fear after seeing the negative consequences of loneliness on others.

As we said before, autophobia is common in these times, although it does not manifest itself with such intensity in everyone. This is an individualistic, competitive society that promotes independence – a culture that rarely allows introspection.

We are used to hectic rhythms and overly stimulating environments. New technology and electronic devices keep us in touch with others or distracted by external information at all times. Thus, we do not usually listen or look at ourselves, so we do not really know ourselves.

In fact, we are not used to being in touch with our inner being, and we are uncomfortable when we are. Such discomfort becomes a real fear for those affected by autophobia.

It is important to get rid of the fear of being lonely and learning to be alone

The consequences of autophobia go beyond the discomfort and anxiety it generates in the person. In fact, an inability to be alone can lead to the development of emotional addiction and other harmful conditions. Also excessive crowding can break emotional bonds.

Exposure is the most important treatment for autophobia. It involves gradually exposing a person to situations where they are alone.

It is also important to perform a cognitive restructuring of the dysfunctional thoughts to replace them with others that are better aligned and appropriate. Similarly, learning some activation control techniques to regulate anxiety can be helpful for a person affected by this condition.

In short, being alone is a common and healthy circumstance we must be able to endure. Furthermore , loneliness is a great opportunity to connect with ourselves and improve our emotional health.

Why not take advantage of it and enjoy it to the fullest?