Blushing & Erythrophobia

Mental Health Counselling for Blushing in Wolverhampton & Online

Blushing which is also known as Erythrophobia, is the involuntary reddening of the face, usually (but not always) triggered by an emotional experience such as embarrassment or stress and invariably occurs when you ‘need it least’!

More often than not, other areas of the body – such as the neck, ears and upper chest – can also be affected.

As well as causing redness, it can also make the affected area actually feel hot – often described as feeling “flush.”

Although this is a normal reaction to certain situations, most people feel very self-conscious when they Blush and would like to be able to stop those “inappropriate” blushes.

What Causes Blushing?

“Normal” you blush when a strong emotional trigger stimulates the nervous system to widen the blood vessels in the face, technically known as “vaso-dilation.”

This increases the flow of blood into the blood vessels just underneath the skin, causing your face to turn red.

It can be triggered by both Psychological as well as Physical causes, such as:

• Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia) – the fear of social situations and being around people (psychological)
• Rosacea – a skin condition that mainly affects the face (physiological)
• Female Menopause (physiological)
• Some medications – for example Tamoxifen used in breast cancer treatment (physiological)
• It can also be triggered by alcohol consumption, hot drinks, eating hot or spicy food and strenuous exercise.

We recommend that you always consult your GP prior to contacting us in order to rule out any of the physiological causes listed above.

Do I Need Therapy for Blushing?

Most people will blush from time to time, and it’s not usually a cause for concern.

However, if you blush frequently it can have a significant negative impact and can lead to the person avoiding certain situations and interacting with other people.

If it has become a problem then consider making an appointment to come along for one of our Confidential initial Assessments where we can discuss the types of therapy available.

Transform Your Thinking & Overcome Blushing Problems

If you’re committed to overcoming your blushing problems then we highly recommend following our Advanced Tranceformental CBT programme with Paul. Tranceformental CBT is available as Online Therapy if required.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic mental health counselling course, run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand your problem, identify how unhelpful thinking and limiting beliefs might be reinforcing the issue, and then show you how to make any changes to your unhelpful thinking styles or maladaptive safety behaviours that you may have developed as part of your coping strategies.

Our Tranceformental CBT programme is an evidence-based, research supported approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Alternative Therapy Options for Blushing

Although our preferred form of mental health counselling for blushing is Tranceformental CBT we also offer alternatives psychotherapies for those who might prefer a different approach.

These include:

• Psychodynamic therapy which focuses more on emotional problems and relies on the Therapeutic Relationship.
• General Counselling which is less structured and provides a safe and non-judgmental environment to discuss issues.