Fear of diseases. How to overcome the fear of getting sick? What is it called? A step-by-step plan for independent work with a negative emotional state in cancerophobia

Many people are familiar with the situation when their friends or relatives worry about their health with pathological zeal. They become afraid of getting sick, they often undergo a full medical examination and undergo various tests without a doctor’s prescription. From such people you can hear statements: “I am afraid that I have this disease,” “I struggled with one disease, and now it seems there are others,” “I was afraid of getting this disease, but now I feel its symptoms,” or “Aren’t you afraid that I will get sick and die?”

In addition, such people constantly wash their hands, disinfect the room unnecessarily, communicate only with healthy (in their opinion) people, and experience a panicky fear of getting sick.

According to medical concepts, the above condition is signs of a disease called “hypochondria”. Also, this mental disorder is also called “pathophobia”.

Causes of phobia

According to statistics, hypochondriacal symptoms are observed in 4-6% of the population. Based on this, we can say with confidence that about 10% of initial visits to the doctor are associated with fear of illness.

The occurrence of this mental disorder can be triggered by various factors, such as:

genetic characteristics;
loss, due to serious illness, of a loved one;
presence of chronic diseases;
lack of attention;
physical violence;
having a relative with a serious illness. In this case, the behavior pattern may be copied;
prolonged stress state;
shortcomings in education.

Personality type also influences the development of disease-related phobias. Often, people who are suspicious by nature cannot cope with pathophobia, which causes concern not only for themselves, but also for their loved ones.

The fear of getting sick among suspicious people is reinforced by the media, with its obsessive advertising of medications and programs that tell in detail about the symptoms of various diseases. A person, due to suspiciousness, without wanting to do so, begins to look for signs of an incurable disease in himself. Gradually, this “hobby” develops into an obsessive state.

Note – signs of hypochondria can also appear in healthy people. It has long been a known fact that medical students, while undergoing training and practice, begin to be afraid and look for symptoms of the diseases that are being studied. And, oddly enough, they find it. The tendency of students to pathophobia usually manifests itself before graduation, although they, as future doctors, should be aware of how to deal with hypochondria.

Symptoms and treatment

When diagnosing hypochondria, it is important to distinguish obvious malingering from a mental disorder. A malingerer differs from a person with a phobia in that, having benefited from simulating an illness, he does not continue to “storm” medical institutions.

The hypochondriac himself believes and obsessively tries to convince others and doctors that he has a serious illness. Often, such behavior can be explained by the fact that a person is subconsciously trying to avoid solving various problems. In this case, he cannot independently understand the cause of the disorder, much less understand how to get rid of hypochondria.

Experts identify some patterns in the behavior of a person who has a fear of getting sick:

irritability and nervousness;
vulnerability;
unstable emotional state;
monotonous speech;
depressed state;
apathy;
the topic of illness prevails over everyday issues;
shows aggressiveness towards those who do not believe he has the disease;
pathological tendency to restore order and cleanliness;
loss of appetite;
many hours of searching for information on the Internet or in reference books about any disease;
the presence of phobias to specific diseases;
a person is afraid that he will become infected in a public place or in transport. Such people, before leaving the house, put on a protective (medical) mask, and open the doors with a napkin.

Treatment of the disorder

The fear of getting sick is quite difficult to treat, since the patient is completely confident in the terrible diagnoses he has made for himself, and does not agree with the fact that the whole issue is a mental disorder. All suggestions from the attending physician on how to get rid of fear are met with hostility by the patient. He explains his behavior by the fact that, allegedly fighting fear, precious time will be lost, and the imaginary disease will reach the stage where it turns out to be incurable.

The difficult task of the doctor is to change the patient’s train of thought, as well as his behavior. It is by changing stereotypes that the patient will be able to return to normal life even if some manifestations of the disorder remain.

But the most difficult period in the treatment of hypochondria is considered to be the initial period, since it will not be easy for the doctor to gain the patient’s trust. The patient is usually confident in the incompetence of the specialist, and does not give up trying to find another one who will confirm the invented diagnosis.

How to help a person in such a state?

Since the fear of getting sick is a difficult-to-treat condition, the relatives of the sick person should come to the rescue first of all. Their role is to persuade the hypochondriac to visit a psychotherapist (psychiatrist).

To talk about visiting a specialist, you need to choose the right moment, for example, during a confidential conversation. In order for the conversation to work out, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

You cannot refute the beliefs of the sick person. Find arguments that are meaningful to the person, for example, the fact that nervous tension has a detrimental effect on health and can cause the emergence of new diseases.
It is not recommended to resort to deception, for example, to persuade a person to visit a therapist, but to bring him to a psychiatrist. When the deception is revealed, the patient will withdraw into himself, and contact with the doctor will be completely lost.
In some cases, if relatives cannot cope and persuade the pathophobia themselves, they will have to personally visit the doctor to get recommendations on how to convince the hypochondriac to come to see him of his own free will.

What can the doctor suggest?

To defeat hypochondria, you will need a comprehensive approach to the problem, including:

drug treatment;
psychotherapeutic methods;
home treatment.

Drug treatment

Only a doctor has the right to treat hypochondria with medications. You cannot self-medicate or take medications without a prescription.

Only a specialist can determine how to treat a phobia with medications. He can prescribe sedatives to relieve excessive anxiety (Persen, Novo-Passit and others), and if depression occurs, prescribe the use of tranquilizers and antidepressants. But it should be remembered that in the fight against this disorder, medications alone are not enough for a complete recovery.

Psychotherapeutic methods

Fear of illnesses can be successfully treated with psychotherapy. When undergoing courses of psychotherapy, the doctor, during a conversation with the patient, will identify disturbing factors. After listening to all sorts of complaints from the sick person, the specialist, in addition to conducting special sessions, will offer the person self-hypnosis exercises, the purpose of which is to teach the patient: how to stop being afraid of becoming sick, how to overcome obsessive fears.

Note - psychotherapy copes with its task only if the patients sincerely desire to achieve a complete cure for the phobia. If a person does not fight for his recovery, and this situation, when everyone feels sorry for him, suits the patient, then it is difficult to achieve results using this method, although it is possible if he is susceptible to hypnosis.

Home treatment

In addition to attending psychotherapy sessions, phobia treatment should be carried out at home. First of all, it is necessary to create an environment of understanding and support in the home. It is recommended to do the following:

Make sure that the patient follows the doctor’s orders: takes medications, does special exercises (meditation, self-hypnosis).
Invite the hypochondriac to engage in some interesting activity or hobby.
Stop ignoring his complaints, and even more so, stop mocking the sick person’s behavior.
Since the fear of illness should not be reinforced by new information, a pathophobia should not watch medical programs. It is also recommended to remove all literature on this topic so that the hypochondriac cannot find topics for his destructive fantasies.
Ask the sick person to do chores or chores more often to distract him from obsessive thoughts.

Thus, to completely cure hypochondria, you cannot do without an integrated approach to treatment. Mandatory assistance from a psychiatrist will be required, and in mild cases of the disorder, a psychologist. Also, to more effectively rid a person of pathophobia, the participation of loved ones will be required, from whom patience and support will be required.

The quality of life directly depends on our well-being and health. Is it any wonder that illness, that is, lack of health, frightens us? No, because the fear of getting sick is a natural consequence of the instinct of self-preservation.

The most common term for the obsessive and often irrational fear of getting sick is nosophobia. The word comes from the ancient Greek words νόσος - disease and φόβος - fear. Like many other phobias, it is only a symptom and can signal the development of various mental problems. For example, hypochondriacal disorder (F45.2), obsessive-compulsive disorder (F42), schizotypal disorder (F21), depressive disorder (F33).

Hypochondria is a condition in which a person is constantly concerned about his health, worries about contracting some disease, and constantly experiences certain somatic symptoms that he does not interpret as normal. Nosophobia and hypochondria are very similar terms. The difference between them is more important to theoretical scientists.

Types of phobias

There are a huge number of health-threatening diseases in the world that we want to avoid. The neurotic individuals we are talking about here are often afraid of something specific. In articles about various phobias, we have repeatedly mentioned that a phobia, as a symptom, often arises against the background of some kind of unconscious internal conflict.

The function of a phobia is to create the illusion of a person’s control over their life. If we abstract ourselves and look at life from the point of view of cold logic, then there is a possibility of dying from anything, not just from illness. However, a person at an unconscious level “chooses” fear for himself in order to calm his inner anxiety, trying to avoid “danger”.

If we talk about our topic today, the phobia of getting sick, then there are a large number of specific diseases and their varieties that act as the main fear.

Fear of contracting an incurable disease. The very concept of “incurable” rather has a purely emotional connotation. Any fear of disease, one way or another, is strongly tied to the fear of death. It occurs in varying forms and severity in 9% to 11% of the population.
Speedophobia is the fear of contracting HIV and developing AIDS. Manifests itself in an irrational fear of becoming infected through touch or airborne droplets. Severe patients prefer to take an HIV test regularly, regardless of whether they had any sexual contact during this period. And sometimes they completely refuse sex, dental treatment in dentists, and visits to nail salons.
Carcinophobia – .
Patroyophobia is the fear of hereditary diseases and heredity as such. Fear is caused primarily by the fact that a person observed the problems that a relative was experiencing. And it doesn’t matter whether there was a struggle with diabetes, alcoholism, epilepsy or cancer - all this leaves an indelible impression on the psyche.
Phthisiophobia is the fear of getting tuberculosis. Despite the fact that in the 21st century the disease, especially in the early stages, can be completely cured, the phobia is fueled by classical literature, in which heroes at a young age constantly died of consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis).
Venerophobia is the fear of sexually transmitted disease. This includes people who are specifically afraid of syphilis. As in the case of speedophobia, fear can lead to a complete refusal of sexual activity.
A common fear among neurotics is the fear of getting sick. This is because the thought of completely losing control of oneself is terribly frightening. However, this fear may apply to people who have a genetic predisposition to this particular disease. The name lysophobia means fear of rabies, but this term is often used to describe the fear of losing one's mind. However, there is also the concept of maniophobia - this is the name given to the fear of developing a mental disorder.
Dermatopathophobia is the fear of skin diseases. This phobia is typical for people who place great emphasis on appearance, because skin diseases are more visible to others than others and can cause strong hostility.
Cardiophobia is the fear of heart disease. One of the most common types of disease phobias for older people.
Mysophobia is an irrational fear of pollution and, as a result, infection. Expressed in endless hand washing and reluctance to touch objects. Bacillophobia, germophobia, bacteriophobia are synonyms meaning fear of germs and infections.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Nosophobia is inherent in people with certain personal characteristics. These include high suspiciousness and anxiety, a rich imagination and a pessimistic attitude. Low self-esteem is an important factor in the development of hypochondriacal conditions. Illness can act as a way to attract someone's attention.

The somatic symptoms of a phobia depend on the disease that the person fears (suspects) of. Cardiophobes experience chest pain, cancerophobes may lose weight, those who are afraid of going blind may complain of vision problems.

Common physical symptoms for all hypochondriacs are weakness, fatigue, poor sleep, and periodic dizziness. In addition, various disturbances in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, because the emotional background affects its functioning.

Constant obsessive thoughts about illness are a serious symptom of phobia, with the obsessive type. In the presence of rituals that protect calm, we are talking about a compulsive type of phobia.

All hypochondriacs have chronic anxiety about their health, and to control it, the patient visits different doctors with pathological regularity. Moreover, the test results or the doctor’s conclusion, which does not confirm the diagnosis of the hypochondriac himself, does not suit him. He begins to look for another specialist, becoming convinced of the incompetence of the first. Regularly visiting a doctor, or taking tests once a month can also serve as ritual behavior; it is a kind of compulsion.

After leaving the doctor, a nosophobe may feel reassured, anxiety is reduced, however, after a month (or another period), the level of anxiety will increase again and thoughts that he was not thoroughly examined, or the doctor made a mistake, will begin to overcome him, and another ritual trip to the doctor will take place. clinic.

A distinctive feature of behavior with hypochondria is the patient’s perception of himself exclusively in the bodily aspect. This forces him to constantly monitor all his indicators. Examination of the skin, intestinal function, checking heart rate and blood pressure - all this is strictly controlled and the slightest deviation from the “norm” immediately causes alarm.

The suspiciousness inherent in many people suffering from a phobia contributes to the fact that any symptom is perceived as negatively as possible:

dizziness - stroke,
nausea - stomach cancer,
I forgot something - Alzheimer's.

It is precisely because of his obsession with his body that it is extremely difficult to force a pronounced hypochondriac to see a psychotherapist. In addition to his complete confidence that the reason for his poor health lies precisely in a somatic illness, he will also be very sorry for the money for psychotherapy. At the same time, no tests, ultrasound, biopsy, MRI for the hundredth time. If a doctor prescribes pills, injections, an enema, then this is treatment, but talking is so... nonsense. This perception makes it difficult to work with hypochondriacs, because sometimes the doctor simply cannot convince the patient that he is physically healthy.

Causes of fear

Fear of diseases in a pathological form does not appear out of the blue. We have already mentioned that this may be a symptom of a mental disorder. Let's talk about the causes of nosophobia that lead specifically to hypochondriacal disorder.

Psychological trauma resulting from the death of a loved one from some illness. It is cancerophobia that is often triggered in this way.
Personal childhood experience of a serious illness or operation. Negative memories leave an imprint, and an adult is very afraid of missing out on the time when his “illness” is still in its early stages. The fear that this horror will happen again forces him to be extremely careful and attentive to himself.
Hyper- and hypoprotection of parents. In the first case, the grown child unconsciously takes over the functions of an anxious mother, who until the age of 20 asked about his appetite and the color of his stool. In the second case, the situation is the opposite, the child grew up like a weed in the yard, so as an adult he feels great responsibility, because he understands that he himself will not take care of his health - no one will take care of him.

How to get rid of the fear of illness

Overcoming the pathological fear of getting sick is an important task, because a state of constant anxiety is extremely exhausting, deprives many of life’s joys and interferes with adequate communication in society.

Unfortunately, it can be almost impossible for a nosophobe to gain control over his imagination, and terrible pictures of a developing disease appear before his eyes. To do this, you need to resort to psychotherapeutic help. But before doing this, it is important to rule out organic diagnoses.

Work with a phobia of any disease is carried out by a psychotherapist, clinical psychologist or psychiatrist after the conclusion of the appropriate specialist that the patient is physically healthy.

Coping with fear can be difficult, because in hypochondriacal conditions, somatic symptoms force the nosophobe to turn to the body again and again, not believing that the problem is in the psyche. Clinical psychologist Veronika Stepanova shares her personal experience of working with hypochondriacs.

Since hypochondria is a disease with a high degree of comorbidity, therapy will depend on the presence of concomitant disorders. If we are talking about depressive conditions, then antidepressants are used for treatment.

In the case of other additional anxiety disorders, panic attacks in moments of acute fear, tranquilizers are used. Naturally, such drugs are prescribed by a doctor, and we are not talking about any self-medication here.

You can get rid of the fear of illness with the help of psychotherapy. It is important to understand and realize what need a person covers with his fear. If this is control over life, then it is necessary to find out in what areas he lacks this control. If there is psychotrauma, then removing some “fixations,” working through it, and reliving it will help the person get out of the situation.

As we have already mentioned, the reason may be an unconscious, unresolvable internal contradiction, and the symptom of phobia is just a distraction to avoid noticing what is really important. In this case, it is important to pull this intrapersonal conflict out of the unconscious into consciousness and begin to resolve it.

One of the most important topics that need to be worked through in psychotherapy for acute or chronic nosophobia is the topic of death and its inevitability. Existential and humanistic psychotherapy works successfully in this direction.

Conclusion

In order to overcome the fear of getting sick with any illness, it is important to be in touch not only with your body, but also with your thoughts, emotions, and consciousness. With hypochondria, there is an obsession with oneself, a constant search for care, a desire for someone to calm anxiety. In psychotherapy, various techniques are used to combat nosophobia, depending on the individual situation.

Cancer phobia - what is it?

The obsessive fear of getting cancer (or, scientifically, cancerophobia) has become increasingly widespread in recent years. We can easily see this from the increasing number of calls and letters from people who do not have cancer, but who suffer from anxiety, obsessive thoughts about cancer and other symptoms of phobia.

Here is one of the typical cases that we encounter.

A year and a half ago, my mother left this world due to breast cancer. Since then, everything related to oncology, even just the word “cancer,” causes me terrible internal tension and fear. I'm afraid I might get cancer myself. Or perhaps I already have it, but I just don’t know about it.
Recently I went through a period when I suffered from insomnia. I took sleeping pills to somehow improve my sleep. Many people would consider sleepiness and lack of energy to be a natural state after taking the pills, but I had myself thinking about a brain tumor. I did an MRI of the head and neck. The test results are completely normal.
And it happens all the time: if something tingles somewhere or, excuse me, itches, I begin to be afraid and worry: what if it’s cancer? Over the past 9 months, in addition to tomography, I have undergone various diagnostic procedures - colonoscopy, x-ray of the lungs, ultrasound of everything possible... Everything is clean everywhere.
Recently, after feeling nauseous several times, I can't help but wonder if I have stomach cancer. I know in advance that the tests will again show normal, but I can’t do anything about my anxiety. Moreover, the words “Cancer patient” are constantly ringing in my head like a bell. I'm very afraid of them.
My husband is very worried about me. He believes that I will drive myself into neurosis with my obsessive fears. Please help me get rid of this phobia - fear of cancer.

Symptoms of cancerophobia

For some people suffering from carcinophobia, even such a seemingly innocent photo can cause severe anxiety and fear.

Despite the fact that in each specific case of phobia the symptoms vary slightly, there are symptoms common to all those suffering from cancerophobia.

A feeling of uncontrollable anxiety when faced with a real or mental encounter with something reminiscent of the existence of a disease such as cancer;
Inability to live and work normally due to disturbing thoughts bursting into consciousness about a possible cancer.
Feeling the need to do everything possible to avoid cancer (endless tests, tests, examinations, etc.)
Understanding that your fears are groundless, but unable to cope with your growing anxiety.

Symptoms of cancerophobia affect the thinking (mental), emotional and physical spheres.

Mental symptoms:

Images associated with oncology spontaneously popping up in the mind;
Obsessive thoughts about cancer;
Inability to switch to other thoughts not related to the phobia;
Feeling of unreality of what is happening (derealization);
Fear of losing control, going crazy, or losing consciousness.

Emotional symptoms:

Constant concern about upcoming events that are associated with cancer;
Constant fear of getting cancer, discovering a tumor, etc.;
An almost instinctive desire to avoid situations and places reminiscent of cancer;
Irritability, anger at oneself, feelings of guilt and helplessness.

Physical symptoms:

Lack of air, shortness of breath;
Palpitations or chest pain;
Dizziness;
Feeling of derealization;
Nausea;
Shiver.

Symptoms of cancer phobia may be mild. In this case, the usual advice that people give to each other helps a lot: “relax”, “don’t pay attention”, “take a deep breath”, etc. In other words, the problem is at the level of consciousness and is well controlled by it.

But when fear sits deeper - in the subconscious, the feeling of anxiety can go off scale and even reach the strength of a full-fledged panic attack. Moreover, even a fleeting thought about cancer can be the trigger for a panic attack. The advice “don’t worry” will be completely useless here. Obviously, more effective means are needed (we'll talk about this a little later).

What are the reasons for the phobia of getting cancer?

Cancerophobia may appear after one of your relatives or friends has been given a disappointing diagnosis. Surely, you noticed in the example above that the author of the letter developed symptoms of cancer phobia after the illness and death of her mother.

A separate category is people who actually had an oncological diagnosis, underwent radiotherapy, chemotherapy, in a word, difficult treatment. We looked the disease in the eye, so to speak. As a rule, their cancerophobia takes on the features of fear of relapse of pathology.

However, many of those who complain of a constant fear of getting cancer cannot remember exactly when and why it all started. If you delve well into your memories, for example, with the help of hypnosis, you always discover the root causes of cancer phobia. Among the triggers, films, books and articles from the Internet about cancer patients are often found. Some particularly impressionable people are capable of being very deeply imbued with what they read, trying it all on themselves.

One way or another, no one is born with carcinophobia, it is always an acquired baggage. It just so happened that one day you were overtaken by an understanding of the possible consequences of the development of malignant tumors, you felt the fear of death. Understanding is deeper and clearer than that of other people, thanks to your impressionability and imagination.

Some part of your brain was very afraid at that moment and is still afraid. You may not remember this, say, if it is a childhood trauma.

To get rid of cancer phobia, it is not necessary to know the cause of the disorder. And here's why.

Phobia mechanisms, or how you create your fear

All symptoms of cancerophobia, from anxiety to tachycardia with derealization, are the result of various processes occurring in our psyche. At the same time, many psychologists identify 2 processes as fundamental in the formation of a phobia:

Cognitive schemas.
The body's reactions to what is happening (behavior).

Cognitive schemas is how you use your mind. Those. your habitual ways of thinking. This, in particular, includes your beliefs and values, knowledge about something (for example, about cancer), and features of internal dialogue with yourself.

To the body's reactions to what is happening This could include, for example, how exactly your breathing is carried out, the movements of your hands, body position and many, many other behavioral characteristics in certain situations.

Cognitive schemes and behavioral reactions are like “bricks” from which any emotional state can be “assembled”. For example, you can easily recognize a person with depression in a crowd by their behavioral reactions: head and shoulders down, back bent, shallow breathing, sad expression... Common cognitive patterns in depression include an endless string of questions asked to oneself that have no solution, but only aggravate the problem; thoughts that life has no meaning, etc.

Manifestations of cancerophobia are no exception. An attack of fear - an all-consuming anxiety that makes your stomach churn, intrusive thoughts and images arise - all this can also be broken down into components.

What will this breakdown of emotional states into its component elements give us? Very simple: complete control over emotions. This is similar to the work of a chemist in a laboratory: you first decompose a complex substance into individual components, then synthesize something new from them.

This leads to 2 news: good and bad.

The bad news is that your fear of cancer is solely the result of your behavior: mental and physical. You create cancerophobia yourself, from many negative mental and behavioral components. In your justification, however, we note that people do this automatically, without meaning to.
The good news is that getting rid of your cancer phobia (as well as creating it) is also in your hands. And you are able to overcome cancerophobia. Like many other people who have walked this path to health.

How to do this? First, you need to believe that you and no one else are responsible for your emotional and psychological well-being. For “according to your faith be it done to you.”

Is treating cancerophobia with medications effective?

We have already written that so-called “drug treatment” is widely used to treat phobias, including the fear of cancer. Medicines used include both traditional anxiolytic drugs, such as benzodiazepines, and newer drugs: beta blockers and antidepressants.

Benzodiazepines(diazepam, alprazolam, gidazepam) - drugs with anti-anxiety, sedative and hypnotic effects. Inhibits the activity of the central nervous system. With prolonged use they cause physical dependence and addiction.
Beta blockers(anaprilin, etc.) can reduce some physical symptoms of a phobia, for example, heart palpitations or trembling hands, by changing the action of adrenaline, which is released during anxiety. However, beta blockers do not affect emotional and mental symptoms.
Antidepressants. Some are approved for phobias and anxiety disorders. However, we have already written about many serious pitfalls in antidepressant treatment.

The phrase “drug treatment” is put in quotation marks for a reason. Is it possible to call a treatment a method from which recovery, by and large, does not occur? After all, pills can give a quick effect, but they do not cure. The relief will only be temporary, since taking medications in no way affects the root of the problem - the usual cognitive and behavioral patterns. After completing the course of medication, all symptoms of cancer phobia return in full force.

In addition, you are exposing your brain to a chemical attack, the side effects of which can be very dangerous. Not to mention the psychological and physical dependence on medications.

So, not only do medications not change the thought and behavioral patterns that make up carcinophobia, but, moreover, if you have even the slightest hope of getting rid of your phobia with the help of pills, it means that you internally do not believe that your negative emotions are yours. handiwork. Therefore, you are still far from conquering the problem.

Meanwhile, the best cure for cancer phobia is to stop taking medications. This is the only way you get a chance to live a happy and peaceful life. Become the master of your emotions and fears. However, if you are already taking medication, you should consult your doctor before making any changes. Sudden cessation of pharmacotherapy poses a health risk.

How to get rid of cancer phobia yourself?

There are many techniques to get rid of phobias. Some of them require skill to use, and it will be difficult to do without an experienced psychotherapist. But there are also those that are quite feasible for treating cancerophobia without outside intervention. Here is one of them.

Its operating principle is based on a simple mechanism. Whenever you are in some unusual situation - pleasant or unpleasant - the brain forms a connection between the emotion you are experiencing and something you see, hear or feel at that very moment.

For example, once, while in a temple, you experienced a feeling of special uplifting of spirit. At the same time, you inhaled the smell of incense. In the future, as soon as you hear the smell of incense, you not only remember this wonderful feeling, but even begin to experience it again. A pleasant emotional state at the physiological level was associated with the smell of incense.

Or perhaps you know a melody or song that makes you sad and difficult to hold back your tears. Just like it was when you heard the melody for the first time.

Quite strong neural chains can arise in the cerebral cortex - conditioned reflexes that tightly tie emotions to something from the environment. And it is precisely this feature of the human psyche that you can use to get rid of the fear of getting cancer.

You just need to attach positive emotions, say, calmness and confidence, to some specific action. For example, rubbing the earlobe. In the future, when the symptoms of a phobia begin to “cover” you, you touch your ear, and the intensity of the fear decreases. Gradually the phobia becomes weaker and weaker until it completely dissolves.

The secret of the technology is that positive emotions must be really strong, and also tied to the trigger quite well. This means you will need to train a lot and hard. We provide an approximate program for such a workout below.

A step-by-step plan for independent work with a negative emotional state in cancerophobia

Choose a strong and distinct positive experience. This is your weapon with which you will repress fear. You can remember something meaningful and pleasant for you. Search your memory. When did you feel joyful, confident, calm? Perhaps in childhood, when in the morning they discovered gifts under the Christmas tree. Or in your youth - during your first kiss? Recently, while relaxing in nature?
Choose a trigger action that you will use to activate a positive resource during each attack of a phobia - fear of cancer. It should be an action that you don't do often and that doesn't attract other people's attention. For example, this could be a massage of the little finger of the left hand, an inconspicuous pinch on the thigh, etc.
Remember all the details of a pleasant memory: smells, sounds, taste in your mouth, visuals. At some point you will feel a pleasant sensation in your body. At this point, breathe as if you are moving air from the top of your head to your heels. Try to fill every cell of your body with a pleasant feeling. Repeat this exercise several times to achieve a stable intensity of sensations.
When the sensations have stabilized at their maximum, begin to massage your earlobe, finger, in a word, begin to carry out the action from step 2. 7-8 seconds is enough.
Return to your normal state of health.
Repeat the sequence according to paragraphs 2-4, making the pleasant experience more and more distinct, simultaneously strengthening the connection with the selected stimulus. The more repetitions you do, the better.
Create a “collection of positive experiences”, for this you need to go through pp. 1-6. As you guessed, new pleasant experiences and sensations are needed, as well as new, not yet used, actions (stimuli) for attachments.

When you feel ready, you can begin the most important thing - the practical application of the acquired skills. When faced with negative thoughts about cancer, pop-up images and other symptoms of cancerophobia, you need to start doing one of the actions from your “collection”. It should be performed for much longer than 7-8 seconds.

Illness is always an unpleasant, exhausting condition, and sometimes fraught with sad consequences. Any sane person cares about maintaining his own health, strives to prolong youth and delay old age. It is common for every individual to reasonably worry, worry, and take certain measures to avoid getting sick. Leading a healthy lifestyle, taking preventive measures, not visiting places where there is a high risk of infection, and avoiding contact with virus carriers are natural and correct decisions.

Often, ordinary worry about one’s own health develops into panic, irrational fear, when an individual is exclusively absorbed in thinking about illness, and all his activities are aimed at not getting sick. Nosophobia- obsessive, long-term, uncontrollable and ununderstandable anxiety, in which a person has a fear of a specific disease (in rare cases, there are several objects of fear). Nosophobes “choose” especially life-threatening diseases for themselves: those that are difficult to cure, leading to loss of ability to work or death. As a rule, this disorder is associated to one degree or another with the fear of death -.

According to research by Russian psychiatrists, this disease occurs in varying degrees of severity in 10% of the population. In wide circles, nosophobia is better known under another name - hypochondria, although in modern psychiatry hypochondriacal disorder (ICD-10) is a mental disorder of the somatoform type (F45). Quite often, fear in nosophobia is a clinical symptom of low-grade schizophrenia (F21 “schizotypal disorder” in the adapted Russian version of ICD-10).

This disorder is quite difficult to diagnose, since when contacting doctors, patients describe symptoms of somatic diseases. To refute suspicions of non-existent diseases, a nosophobe has to undergo numerous examinations from various doctors. It takes quite a long time before the true cause of the illness is established, and in the meantime nosophobia progresses, presenting the patient with more intense manifestations of panic. An unambiguous cause of the disorder has not been established, but factors that act as a favorable background for the appearance of pathological anxiety have been clearly defined. Among the most significant:

suffered a serious illness by the nosophobe himself or his close relative;
personal characteristics of the individual: suspiciousness, impressionability, pessimism, fixation on negative events, hypochondriacal manifestations.

Although the disorder is accompanied by changes in the functioning of physiological mechanisms, nosophobia is a reversible psychosomatic illness and can be easily treated if medical help is sought in a timely manner.

Like other “global” fears, nosophobia has its own subtypes.

Among the fears of illness, a significant number of cases have been recorded - fear of a heart attack. As with other anxiety-phobic disorders, the main feature of the disease is that, without having heart problems, a classic cardiophobe expects these problems, purposefully searching for symptoms and suffering from vegetative manifestations of fear. The result is a vicious circle: the patient is in constant stress, which is harmful to the entire body and primarily affects the state of the cardiovascular system.

Among the clinically recorded cases of fears from this group, the following are often observed:

fear of infection – molismophobia;
fear of pollution - ;
fear of being bitten by dogs, fear of rabies -;
fear of injections – .

There are also “exotic” objects of anxiety:

fear of constipation - coprastaphobia;
fear of hemorrhoids - proctophobia;
fear of shock - hormephobia;
fear of a runny nose - epistaxiophobia;

People who have suffered a serious mental shock or are experiencing severe emotional stress often develop a fear of insanity - dementophobia. The fear of going crazy can also arise against the background of improper upbringing, excessive demands, and excessive criticism from parents in childhood. Just like the fear of the mentally ill - psychophobia, this disorder is a kind of cliché based on fear, intolerance and other negative feelings towards the mentally ill.

One of the most unpleasant and dangerous among pathological disorders is cancerophobia(fear of cancer). With this phobia, the patient experiences intense anxiety about the presence of a cancerous tumor. Although cancerophobia does not cause the occurrence of malignant tumors, such patients are guaranteed health problems due to constant stress. The difficulty of treating the disease lies in the fact that the carcinophobe does not believe the diagnosis made by specialists and assumes that he is obviously not informed about the real state of affairs.

Other phobias associated with the fear of getting sick:

Cardiophobia (fear of cardiovascular diseases);
anginophobia (fear of angina attack);
infarction phobia (fear of myocardial infarction);
lissophobia (fear of madness);
Diabetophobia (fear of getting diabetes);
scotomaphobia (fear of blindness);
syphilophobia (fear of contracting syphilis);
speedophobia (fear of getting AIDS);
cancerophobia (fear of getting cancer);
acarophobia (fear of getting scabies).

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Psychology of diseases: where diseases and fears come from

All doctors are unanimous in the opinion that the psychological aspects of diseases lie in the absence of positive thinking, full of faith in the future, and a tendency to see the good and bright sides in everything. But this is the main essence of how to deal with the disease, and all this has nothing to do with neglecting the real danger that the disease poses. On the contrary, from a psychological point of view, it is necessary to know where diseases come from and what consequences they have!

But under no circumstances should you succumb to panic or fear. “Fear in all its manifestations is the most significant factor that undermines human health,” argued Nobel laureate K. Lorenz. He meant all types of fear, including the common fear of illness and old age.

In the current difficult conditions, the psychology of the occurrence of diseases lies in mental instability - this, unfortunately, is a characteristic feature of modern man. In a life full of fears and worries, a person does not always find a way to himself, often he does not live life to the fullest. Experiencing enormous overload at work, a person, as a rule, does not know how to properly restore his strength. It's no secret that our free time is distributed in accordance with the television program. Many of us, day after day, passively contemplate other people's lives on television screens instead of actively building our own. The more such passive knowledge of the world, the more we move away from our immediate environment, the more quickly we doom ourselves to loneliness. Modern man is often lonely and uncommunicative. He knows the political leaders who flash on the screen every day better than his neighbors on the landing. TV does not leave him time and energy for an active, healthy life. The situation can be saved by the active actions of a person who has realized the harmfulness of such a life.

Only the person himself can understand his condition, and the first step in this direction is to become aware of his fears. Regarding fears, people can openly admit it or, conversely, deny it, but every person at some point in his life is a victim of some kind of fear. Fear is terrible because it is constantly in the subconscious. It complicates all life processes, even the mundane task of providing basic necessities becomes overwhelming. Fear destroys imagination, crushes initiative, cools enthusiasm, and undermines a person's self-confidence. Fear can also become a source of vices - irritability, greed, anger towards loved ones. Fear can sometimes manifest itself as acute pain, for example.

What protects a person from “diseases of civilization”

Each of us must ask ourselves one day:“What is most valuable to me in life?” Of course, it may seem that the most important values are career or wealth. Nobody disagrees that this is very important. But will a person who has reached the top in his profession, become famous, recognized, and managed to perfectly provide for himself and his family, be happy if this successful person in all respects has poor health? Of course not. True, if you take away a person’s fortune and give him health, his first desire will be to return the lost wealth. But this also proves that health is more important, that it is the most necessary condition for a happy life.

One of the main tips on how to protect yourself from diseases is not to follow the path of self-destruction. After all, the person himself is often simply merciless to his health. A lot of diseases are rightly called “diseases of civilization,” because they are largely provoked by an unhealthy lifestyle.

You will probably be surprised to learn what protects a person from disease, including hygiene, diet, and the correct regimen. By observing these three points, you can live to an old age, unless, of course, accidents are excluded. This is the first thing you can do on the way to protect your family from diseases, and great faith in the capabilities of the body and caring for it will help you. And this daily work to improve health will prolong life to normal limits. But... in theory, we all dream of a long life without disease, but in practice, every day we reduce our life to a minimum.

An amazing mechanism - the human body - is destroyed, paradoxically, by man himself. The average person pays unforgivably little attention to their health. It would seem that long life and good health should be mass phenomena, but they, as a rule, turn out to be rare exceptions.

How to fight illness: healing with positive thoughts

One of the psychological aspects of illness is anxious thoughts. Where to start for a person who dreams of enjoying the joy of health? First of all, you need to know yourself. This is a very ancient formula, and, as the old professor from the story by A.P. Chekhov ironically said, unfortunately, the sages did not leave us any instructions on how exactly we can know ourselves. No one will undertake to give an exhaustive answer concerning all aspects of the intellectual and moral nature of man. But the motto “Know thyself”, when applied to your physical condition, can well be brought to life. Man is a truly unique phenomenon of nature, but the biological laws that govern him are quite simple and accessible to knowledge, if only you spare no effort and time to observe your body and think exclusively about the good. The task of knowing yourself seems endless, but this is the incomparable joy - getting closer to perfection every day.

The process of healing from illnesses with positive thoughts must begin with an objective and thorough self-analysis. First of all, you need to honestly answer the following questions: “What is bothering me? What am I afraid of? What am I doing that is harmful to my health? What is the most important problem for me right now? What is my immediate goal? What is the most general and most important goal? What can I do today to achieve my goals?” In answering these questions, most people will have to admit that there is a lot wrong with their daily lives.

How to fight and overcome the fear of illness: psychological essence

So, a person may be afraid of illness. This fear is provoked by bad habits. Almost everyone knows about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco or overeating, but not everyone is able to overcome bad habits. While undermining his health, a person at the same time fears diseases that inevitably follow incorrect behavior. The fear of illness settles in the brain and literally paralyzes a person. Another common fear is the fear of old age. But there are many examples that biological and real age are different things. By careless handling of your body, you can turn yourself into an old man even at forty years old, and, on the contrary, there are hundred-year-old people who have found a source of vigor and youth. So everything is in your hands. Of course, this requires significant effort, but the reward - a full-blooded, fulfilling life without drugs until old age - is worth any effort. Read about people who were able to defeat old age, for example, about Academician N. Amosov, about his program of increasing physical activity. How did this scientist propose to fight thoughts about illness? He insisted on increasing physical activity, and not decreasing it in accordance with old age. By his own example, the famous surgeon proved that fears of illness and old age can be overcome.

The psychological essence of his teaching is that a person’s entire life, everything important in this life, is embodied in deeds and concerns about other people. If a person has worked conscientiously throughout his life, if his conscience is clear, then his soul will remain in other people. If you think this way, you will get the answer to the question of how to overcome the fear of illness, old age and death.

But besides these three phobias, a person, of course, is afraid of poverty. Today many people are in a difficult situation, but we must not forget that a lot depends on the person himself. If you constantly maintain vitality in yourself with the help of healthy habits, you will definitely find a way out of the most difficult situation. A person is also afraid of condemnation, disapproval of loved ones, and in general it is common for him to be afraid of human judgment. We are often afraid of being misunderstood, we worry ahead of time and often plague ourselves with this fear. Only confidence in your own rightness will help. If you are honest with yourself and others, if you are engaged in reasonable and useful work, you should not be afraid of human judgment. Fear does not leave a person, even if he is happy and loved, because he is afraid of losing love. Well, no one is immune from this, but the words are always true: “It is better to have love and lose it than not to have it at all.” And there will always be someone who needs your care, your affection, who needs your love and is ready to love you.

If you don’t know how to deal with the fear of illness, learn to analyze your emotions. Religion has always been a creative force that helps a person overcome despondency and endless fears. Unfortunately, many people today have a weakened sense of faith. Finding faith if it is not absorbed from early childhood is quite difficult. Let your own wisdom come to your aid then.

Engage in contemplation twice a day, morning and evening, try to replace restless and harmful thoughts with new ones: constructive, bright, life-affirming. During morning contemplation, you can plan your day, and during evening contemplation, you can take stock, analyze mistakes, and celebrate successes. You will find inner peace and be able to prepare for productive creative activity. This approach to your thinking naturally relieves fears and gives you physical strength. If you make concrete plans for the future, you will overcome all fears. Under no circumstances should you focus your thoughts only on the past, no matter how wonderful it may be.

The future - your goals, plans, ideas - should occupy you. And your will to win will constantly strengthen if you begin to think not about who you are today, but about who you will become tomorrow. After all, everything is possible if you have a clear goal.

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