Mysophobia

Mysophobia is the Fear of Germs and during 2020 became highly relevant given the situation with the Coronavirus pandemic.

Whilst people have understandably become stressed and anxious about catching COVID19, the fact remains that most people only suffer mild symptoms.

However, in order to mobilise the British public into action through social distancing, the messages coming from the UK Government were deliberately crafted to create a sense of fear, so it important to be aware of the effects of these communications.

Although Mysophobia is relatively un-common there is a very common ‘condition’ associated with this particular phobia called Emetophobia, the fear of vomiting or being sick.

Sufferers of emtophobia have a very strong fear of ‘Norovirus’ as this is considered to be THE ‘sickness’ bug.

In this sense Mysophobia sufferers can be extremely anxious and go to great lengths to be ‘clean’ and ‘hygenic’, often washing their hands many, many time in a day.

All phobias, regardless of what the feared object or circumstances are, produce feelings of Anxiety and Stress for the sufferer, and Mysophobia is no different in this sense.

Whilst the feared object or situation may seem, to other people, to be ‘ridiculous’ or ‘silly’, the person who suffers from Mysophobia knows only too well that the Anxiety that they experience is real enough.

We completely understand this here at TranceForm Psychology and will treat you and your Mysophobia seriously.

For many years Psychologists have been aware that our minds are more than capable of producing a real biological reaction to any given situation and so as long as the Mysophobia sufferer “believes” that the object or situation they fear represents danger to them, then they will experience real fear.

The majority of people who do suffer with Mysophobia recognise that their fear is “irrational” but continue to experience it regardless of this knowledge. This is why simply being told to “snap out of it” rarely produces a solution!

Mysophobia Symptoms

The symptoms of Mysophobia are very similar to other specific phobias and will often include:

• Obsessive about cleanliness
• Won’t touch door handles
• Avoid people who are or have been ill
• Overly critical about the wearing of masks
• Inability to Relax
• Problems Concentrating
• Being quick tempered
• Feelings of dizziness
• Prickly sensations like pins and needles
• Palpitations
• Aches & Pains
• Fatigue
• Dry and Sticky mouth
• Sweating Excessively
• Breathlessness

Mysophobia Symptoms are generally automatic and uncontrollable and can seem to take over a person’s thoughts which frequently leads to extreme measures being taken to avoid the feared object or situation, what are known as “Safety” or “Avoidance” behaviours.

Unfortunately, for the sufferer, these safety behaviours have a paradoxical effect and actually reinforce the phobia rather than solve it!

Mysophobia may be the result of negative emotional experiences that can be either directly or indirectly linked to the object or situational fear.

Over time, the symptoms often become “normalised” and “accepted” as limiting beliefs in that person’s life – “I’ve learnt to live with it.”

In just as many cases, Mysophobia may have become worse over time as more and more sophisticated safety behaviours and routines are developed.

The good news is that the vast majority of people who suffer from Mysophobia will find a course of Psychological Therapy helps enormously.

Psychological Therapy for Mysophobia

If you’re determined to overcome your Mysophobia problems then we highly recommend following our Advanced Tranceformental CBT programme with Paul which is available as an Online Therapy as well as a self-directed programme.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic psychotherapy 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.

Teach Yourself CBT and Overcome Your Problems for only £149!

Our online CBT course has been designed to teach you the fundamental tools and techniques of clinically proven Cognitive Behavioural Therapy without having to see a therapist.

Structured over TEN, in-depth modules, this self-managed course will teach you everything you need to know to change the way you think about and experience your mental health problems without having to visit a therapist.

Click Self-Help CBT to find out more.

Alternative Therapy Options for Mysophobia

Although our preferred form of psychotherapy for Mysophobia is our Tranceformental CBT programme, we also offer alternative 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 to bring about change. Available with Paul.
• General Counselling which is less structured but still provides a safe and non-judgmental environment to discuss issues which is therapeutic in its own right.
• Hypnotherapy is an alternative form of therapy that can be applied to a very wide range of problems and is available with Joan.

Free Initial Consultations for Mysophobia

We offer all prospective clients a FREE initial consultation to discuss your Mysophobia prior to commencing any treatment plans.

During this consultation we will discuss the various options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available online using Zoom by prior arrangement.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapeutic relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so its important to be able to ‘meet’ to discuss our change programmes BEFORE proceeding.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking therapy with us, including both the financial and personal implications.