Is the fear of loud noises a phobia or a natural reaction? All about phonophobia and how to deal with the fear of noise. The natural reaction of the psyche to noise. Symptoms and signs of phonophobia

Phonophobia is a pathological fear of sounds, short-term or long-term exposure to which can cause panic attacks. It is human nature to be frightened by loud sounds, startle and turn around in the direction of noise. This reaction refers to unconditioned protective reflexes. It is formed from the first days of life, even a newborn freezes in fright, spreading its arms and legs to the sides, in response to a loud sound (Moro reflex). Fear of sounds is natural if it does not develop into an irrational, uncontrollable fear of even those noises that are completely harmless.

The phobia is also known by other names: lygyrophobia and acousticophobia. Usually these terms are used interchangeably. But, if you look, there are small differences. Phonophobia literally means the fear of sound. Acousticophobia is translated as a fear associated with hearing. In fact, they are synonyms. Ligyrophobia is the fear of loud sounds and devices that can make them.

Reasons for the development of bouts of fear of noise

Raised voices, loud speech, loud music in the room cause anxiety in the phobic sufferer and make him look for a safe place. A person with a loud voice is perceived by a phonophobe as a possible aggressor, causing a feeling of defenselessness in front of him. In his presence, a strong feeling of discomfort develops, which gradually develops into hysteria.

Sudden, unexpected sounds most often trigger a panic attack. For example, listening to a CD that begins with a minute of silence and then the music suddenly turns on can trigger a panic attack.

A ligirophobe experiences anxious tension around devices that can make loud noises. For example, alarm clock, computer speakers, fire alarm, loudspeaker. It is also unbearable for the patient to watch someone inflate balloons nearby. Psychological and autonomic manifestations in response to panic may develop even if the balloon does not burst.

Acousticophobia is not always the result of an anxiety-phobic disorder. Given this, with the unexpected development of fear of noise, mandatory diagnostics and clarification of the cause of the disease are necessary. An increased reaction to unexpected sounds can appear in people with a traumatic brain injury, an infectious brain lesion, migraine, tension headache, and, of course, with a hangover. Sharp and loud sounds at the same time provoke an exacerbation of other symptoms of the disease - a sharp headache, convulsions, vomiting. In this case, it is necessary to provide the patient with maximum isolation from external noise.

Phonophobia should not be confused with hyperacusis (abnormally acute hearing). Hyperacusia makes the perception of all sounds sharp, causing painful, painful sensations. Relatively weak sounds are perceived as overly intense. Caused by paralysis of one of the auditory muscles due to damage to the facial nerve.

Sound phobia symptoms

People suffering from fear of noise have to limit their stay in public places. Severe forms of phobia significantly impair the quality of life of patients. They are afraid to go outside. Visiting shopping centers, concerts, restaurants becomes impossible. We have to give up some professions in which there is a risk of either the constant presence of noise or periodic sharp sounds. Flying on airplanes and traveling in a dense stream of honking cars bring unbearable suffering. Sometimes the disease causes the phonophobe to completely isolate himself at home. Staying in the apartment, he can control the surrounding sounds.

Acousticophobia, like all anxiety-phobic disorders, has a number of characteristic features. It usually develops against the background of depletion of the human nervous system. Chronic stress, irritability and a suspicious temperament are fertile ground for the formation of a fear of noise and loud sounds.

Psychological symptoms:

• avoidance principle. The patient tends not to get into situations where a loud sound can be heard. It has been noticed that a person suffering from this phobia tends to turn off the sound of its speakers before starting work with any equipment.
• During an attack, an uncontrollable irrational fear appears, a desire to hide from a loud sound, a feeling of imminent catastrophe, a feeling of fear for one's health and life, a fear of going crazy. The fear that others will notice the attack, the feeling of shame and humiliation because of this, intensifies the panic.
• A fear of loud sounds that exists for a long time without treatment leads to the development of depression, nervous exhaustion, and in some cases to the development of addictions (alcoholism, drug addiction).

After exposure to an irritating agent (sharp sound, obsessive noise), due to the automatic excitation of the autonomic nervous system and the release of adrenaline, a certain reaction of the body develops:

• heartbeat,
• dyspnea,
• convulsions,
• feeling of nausea, vomiting,
• increased sweating,
• dizziness, possible loss of consciousness.

Characteristic is the rapid restoration of a normal emotional background after the noise disappears. The patient calms down, physiological symptoms disappear. Only the fear of a repetition of noise and an attack forces the phonophobe to leave the place that is dangerous for him.

There is a paradoxical manifestation of phonophobia - the fear of quiet sounds. It often accompanies deeper mental disorders, sometimes with delusional ideas. A quiet sound causes a strong emotional tension associated with the expectation of a painful situation for a person. Usually these are far-fetched fears, but there is a pathological fixation after some frightening incident. For example, post-war psychoses make you listen and look for sounds associated with shelling.

A severe form of acousticophobia is the fear of the sound of a voice. Formed in people with difficult childhood. The humiliation and bullying suffered at a young age, the habit of hearing only negative words addressed to oneself, causes persistent fear. Loud quarrels of parents in the presence of the child also affect. The sound of someone's speech for such children is associated with another portion of humiliation or violence. Often in such cases, the fear of one's own voice develops additionally. The child gets used to hiding and being silent so as not to cause another act of aggression in his direction. As adults, such children cannot communicate with other people and are often afraid of their own voice. They have characteristic speech disorders: it is easy for them to construct a phrase mentally, but it is impossible to pronounce it, they confuse or forget words.

Phobia Treatment

With a mild form of phonophobia, a person is able to cope on their own. All you need is awareness of your problem and a great desire to get rid of the fear of loud sounds. Auto-training, relaxation exercises, breathing exercises allow you to take control of your feelings and overcome fear.

Moderate and severe phobias require the help of competent psychologists and psychiatrists. Timely treatment based on a combination of various psychotherapeutic techniques brings stable remission.

• Medical treatment. Under the supervision of a psychotherapist, tranquilizing and antidepressant drugs are individually selected. In mild cases, before heading to a noisy place, the patient is advised to take a sedative. Cancellation of drugs should be made gradually, also under the supervision of a physician, since the development of a withdrawal syndrome is possible.
• Psychotherapeutic treatment. It is aimed directly at the cause of the disease - an unstable psyche. Phonophobia is successfully treated with the help of hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming techniques. These methods allow you to influence unconscious negative attitudes, although they are not popular with patients because of the fear of being completely controlled by another person. The method of cognitive behavioral therapy helps to develop in the patient the skill of adequately responding to a situation that frightens him.

The treatment of this phobia is mandatory, as it significantly reduces the quality of life of the patient and does not allow full participation in society.

A well-known phobia, which means the fear of noise, loud sound. Sometimes this disorder is called phonophobia, or ligurophobia. You can find descriptions where this term is used to refer to fear associated with one's own voice.

But suffering from acousticophobia, it is not at all necessary to be dependent on any noise. Sometimes, it's just a fright, due to loud unexpected sounds. If a person suffers from acousticophobia, then serious anxiety can be caused even when there is only the possibility of a loud sound.

Patients with acousticophobia are often prone to muscle cramps that occur as a result of a sound stimulus. This happens, for example, if you are listening to a musical recording, where at first a pause of deep silence precedes, and then rock music suddenly deafens sharply. This situation is accompanied by discomfort for many people if they have no idea how this disc starts sounding. The reaction is completely natural, and surprises no one, including themselves. But everything looks completely different if there is an acousticophobe among casual listeners. A person is instantly consumed by panic fear.

A person with this phobia is always apprehensive and distrustful of various technical devices designed to reproduce amplified sound. For example, to official cars with flashing lights, which are equipped with sirens and loudspeakers, speakers, and so on. No less dangerous for them are televisions, home theaters, players. In order to comfortably listen to music, acoustic phobes always keep the settings of home appliances in the minimum mode, and after turning on the sound carefully rises to the optimal value.

In most cases, such patients try to avoid any noisy entertainment events where percussion musical instruments sound, deafening rhythmic music. And if suddenly, among the general fun, a balloon suddenly bursts, an acousticophobe may begin an attack of panic fear. But even if the ball is safe and sound, every second the patient expects with horror that this air miracle will burst with a deafening crash.

People subject to this phobia are afraid to be on the street, precisely because they are not able to control the level of street noise, which is sometimes excessively high. They are well aware that at any moment, being in a restaurant, or on the avenue, they may be exposed to a suddenly increased noise, and will not be able to resist it. Patients with acousticophobia often figure out in advance exactly where, and under what circumstances, they can get into the most difficult situation for themselves, and try not to go there. It should be noted that people with this disorder are negatively affected not only by a very sharp sound, but by prolonged exposure to sounds that are quite moderate in volume, also leading to attacks of fear and severe panic. Interestingly, children and dogs are considered especially dangerous in terms of noise effects, since at any moment they can become a source of sharp and unexpected screams and noise.

Manifestations of acousticophobia

All anxiety disorders are very similar in their manifestations. This is increased sweating, heavy, confused breathing, rapid pulse. The mouth dries up, nausea may occur. An acousticophobe develops tremors, muscle tension, and blood pressure rises. The person loses control over their own emotions and behavior. The only thing that he clearly feels during the moments of the attack is a feeling of imminent catastrophe, very intense and pronounced. The patient believes that he can die, lose his mind. Some patients experience sound phobia when talking on the phone, hearing the ringing of a mobile device. It seems to them that noise creeps up on them from everywhere, and of course, in such a situation it is inevitable. Moreover, when people around pay attention to their fear, the condition takes on a more acute form.

As soon as the increased noise background returns to normal, the patients return to their normal state on their own, and very quickly find peace. But, as a rule, they fear a relapse, and therefore are immediately eliminated from this environment. Given such unforeseen situations, patients with acousticophobia prefer to be homebodies, because their bouts of fear interfere not only with themselves, but also spoil fun activities for others.

Phobias are treated by various methods, but the main condition is that they must be prescribed by an experienced specialist. A complex effect on the problem is common, but quite often doctors opt for drug therapy. Good results are given by drugs that are prescribed for anxiety disorders caused by any reason. Thanks to some drugs, the patient calms down, stops being nervous for no apparent reason. While taking medication, the patient slowly gets used to various noises. There is a chance that a person will adapt so much that he can be considered absolutely healthy. However, drug therapy has its drawbacks in the form of side effects, and therefore it is impossible to argue that this is the best treatment for any case of phobia.

Phonophobia is a pathological fear of a sharp increase in the volume of sound production. Also, this phenomenon-pathology can be considered as a psychological syndrome that occurs in an individual when he is in a room with pronounced acoustics.

Synonymous with the phenomenon of "phonophobia" can be considered such concepts as "sound fear", "acousticophobia" and "ligurophobia". In the literature, the most common concept is "acousticophobia", which is the fear of loud sounds. Including my own voice.

People with this mania are afraid of absolutely any manifestation of a loud sound, no matter what the nature of their occurrence. Unfortunately, few people know that this is a serious problem, often turning into a severe mental illness.

There are several types of prerequisites for the emergence of fear of loud sounds in a person, the causes of which appear in different periods of his life. The main perspective of the emergence of any of the psychological syndromes of the individual is his childhood. Sound phobia is no exception to this rule.

Below are some of the most common causes of ligurophobia.

Dangers of Acousticophobes

Phonophobes are most afraid of the following phenomena and objects that cause panic attacks in them.

1. Sounds from unexpectedly deafening bursting balloons. Soundophobia in this case is accompanied by glophobia (fear of balloons). A very small number of people suffer from this manifestation of pathology.
2. Toys for children that make sharp, aggressive sounds. With growing up, this pathology of childhood completely disappears.
3. Harsh voices and sounds. Regarding music, songs, films.
4. Claps when opening a bottle of champagne at a celebration.
5. Sounds produced by flying and taking off aircraft.
6. Intolerance to the cawing of crows, which many people associate with graveyards.
7. Fear of a thunderstorm, namely, thunder peals.
8. Sounds from pyrotechnics, published on the eve of celebrations and holidays.

It is almost impossible for any person to avoid the above dangers in his life. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the regulation of reactions and the treatment of such a problem.

Everyday manifestation of human sound phobia

You can define a phonophobe based on his behavior, which manifests itself against his will.

Firstly, the aggression of a person, which arose as a result of an unexpectedly loud sound, which caused him to panic.

Secondly, social phobia slowly beginning to manifest itself, caused by the danger of loud and sharp sounds.

Thirdly, the symptoms of aerophobia (fear of an airplane), amaxophobia (fear of using ground public transport: buses, trams, taxis, trolleybuses, and cars) and siderodromophobia (fear of trains, electric trains, metro).

Fourthly, the impossibility of viewing movie masterpieces from the field of "catastrophe", "horror", "action".

Fifth, the use of household appliances, mostly manual ones. Electrical appliances in the home of a real phonophobe are under a categorical ban.

Acousticophobia treatment

Having signs of sound fear, a person should be alert and take measures to ensure that they are eliminated. But to treat yourself on your own, without the help of a specialist psychologist or psychotherapist, is strictly prohibited. For, in this case, there is a risk of not curing, but aggravating the situation.

As with the treatment of any of the phobias or psychological syndromes, two types of treatment can be applied for acousticophobia.

1. Medical therapy.
2. Psychotherapy.

Psychotherapeutic assistance in the manifestation of acousticophobia

Psychotherapeutic treatment for manifestations of sound phobia is carried out in several stages.

Stage 1. Diagnostic.

At this stage, a specialist psychotherapist (psychologist) conducts:

Stage 2. Drawing up a map of the psychological state of the client and selecting methods for conducting psychotherapeutic intervention, if necessary.

At this stage, the tools of a specialist psychotherapist (psychologist) may include:

1. Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Using this method, the specialist has the opportunity to simultaneously correct the verbal and non-verbal levels of the client's behavior. It should be noted that this method represents alternative medicine in the field of the human psyche by the medical and psychotherapeutic community. The second name of this method is "therapeutic magic".
2. Hypnotherapy elements. A competent, experienced hypnologist in a short time period can relieve the client of his fear of loud sound by conducting trance sessions.
3. Music therapy. The essence of this method is that calm, relaxing music at a certain moment is replaced by a more rhythmic and loud one, which then smoothly returns to relaxing.

Psychotherapy for this problem can take up to 8 weeks of regular treatment. After half of the term and at the end, a control survey of the client is carried out, including a new diagnostic stage.

In the case when psychotherapeutic treatment does not bring success, drug therapy is applied to acousticophobia.

Medical assistance in the manifestation of acousticophobia

Drug therapy of acousticophobia is impossible without the participation of a specialist psychiatrist and a psychotherapist who has permission to conduct medical practice.

Drug therapy in this case is made up of antidepressants, sedatives, tranquilizers. Preparations are selected individually, for each patient, depending on his condition and the severity of the case.

Coercion to take drugs by persons who do not have the appropriate education and qualifications can lead to harm to health, which in turn can be recognized as a criminal offense.

Conclusion

It should be understood that sound phobia can occur at any stage of life. Acousticophobia can be experienced by anyone, regardless of age. The main factor in this case can be considered life situational circumstances, accompanied by loud sound manifestations. The individual begins to be afraid (“not to endure”) a loud sound, due to the fact that at this moment he has an instinct for self-preservation.

Phonophobia, acousticophobia and lygyrophobia are the names of phobias manifested as fear of sounds. The terms "phonophobia" and "acousticophobia" are synonymous, only phonophobia in Greek literally means a phobia of sound, and acousticophobia in Greek means a phobia associated with hearing. They can manifest as a fear of sounds in general, or sounds specific. Of particular note is the fear of the human voice. The third term - lygyrophobia - is the fear of loud sounds, as well as devices that can make them. For example, engines, machine tools or acoustic systems. Although this may seem strange, a specific fear of an alarm clock is quite common, which, with some amendments, can also be attributed to this group of phobias.

Fear of loud sounds

Intolerance to loud noise and fear of its possible occurrence (ligirophobia) are often associated with an exhausted state, neurasthenia, psychasthenia and the notorious VSD. Under these conditions, there is an increased sensitivity in general, and a special sensitivity and suspiciousness in relation to everything related to health and the physical body. In addition to increased fatigue and a tendency to arousal from the slightest stimuli, hyperstimulation of any of the senses provokes painful sensations and fear of them. This is quite enough for the development of a phobia. Also, a loud sound is unconsciously associated with something big and formidable. Even a compact device, such as a compressor or a loudspeaker, can seem to a sensitive person to be much larger than it actually is, and carrying unknown danger. A person with a loud voice is often perceived as a potential aggressor, and can cause considerable fear in weakened and defenseless people.

Fear of quiet and specific sounds

Phobias associated with quiet sounds have deeper and more complex psychological roots. Often, such fears indicate more severe disorders, in which, at a minimum, morbid fantasies are connected. A quiet sound can unconsciously be associated with some kind of unpleasant expectation, often of a far-fetched nature. For example, a quiet ringing is associated with the sound of a distant bell, which portends trouble. Although there may be simpler associations. If a teenager, staying at home alone, liked to do something reprehensible from the point of view of adults, over time he may develop the habit of listening intently and looking for signs of the approach of adults, such as steps or turning the key in the lock. Subsequently, this can give rise to a full-fledged phobia. And, of course, one cannot ignore military psychoses. Anyone who has come under mortar fire at least once will listen to the sky for many years to come, ready to rush to the ground and squeeze into it as much as possible.

Fear of the sound of a voice

This disorder is most common in people with a difficult childhood. Children who have been constantly bullied by their peers or caregivers cease to expect something good from human words. On the contrary, the sound of someone's voice portends another humiliation or beating. This can be especially noticeable if the interlocutor has a loud voice. Loud speech can sometimes lead to a state of confusion and prostration. More often this happens in women who were yelled at in childhood by fathers or older brothers, or in early youth by husbands. This also includes the fear of one's own voice. Outcast children usually got used to keeping a low profile and keeping silent, so as not to inadvertently arouse the dangerous interest of others in their own person. Growing up, such children not only do not have sufficient communication skills, they also tend to be frightened by the sound of their own voice. Sometimes an irrational fear of the need to communicate can result in bizarre speech disorders. With such violations, a person can perfectly talk to himself, but when he goes out to people, he “forgets” the words. More precisely, he can say them in his head, but out loud - no. With such violations, they are usually embarrassed to go to the doctor. And not all doctors will be able to delve into the intricacies of what is happening, limiting themselves to advice “not to let themselves down” and sedative pills. Both the first and the second are completely meaningless, that's clear.

Fear of the alarm sound

This fear stands alone. It is closely related to several experiences and beliefs. Firstly, sensitive people are frightened by the very sharp signal of the alarm clock. They pay great attention to the melody that wakes them up in the morning. As a rule, they try to find or even create their own sound file, starting with a barely audible and rare beep, carefully increasing the volume and eventually turning into a loud melody - just in case, so as not to oversleep. But not everything is so simple. An alarm clock is usually set before a working day, which means that tomorrow there will be not only sleep restriction, but also, possibly, a large and responsible load. Before her, just to get enough sleep, but, as luck would have it, the more the need to sleep, the more difficult it is. Waiting for an alarm signal can turn into an obsessive nightmare that does not let you fall asleep at all. The situation is further complicated by elements of self-flagellation for the fact that “everyone is like people, and only I am alone ...” Well, further in the text. An important factor is the hidden experience about the loss of control in a dream. If we don’t get carried away by something that absorbs attention, then in reality, as a rule, we will never miss the right time that we expect. Anxious people unconsciously make similar demands on themselves in their dreams. Which, of course, is impossible. Therefore, the sound of the alarm clock is for them a kind of discovery of the fact that the loss of control has just happened, which is always painful in an anxiety disorder.

Children's fears are an important component of the development of the baby, precisely because overcoming them, the child grows up, his nervous system strengthens. However, for parents, the appearance of certain phobias in the crumbs, in particular if the baby is afraid of loud sounds, raises a lot of questions, the essence of which boils down to the following: is everything normal with the little one? We will deal with the causes and methods of dealing with the fear of loud noises in children of different ages.

Healthy, normally developing newborns calmly endure any noise, do not get nervous and do not even wake up if others, without limiting themselves, make noise. But from 2-4 months, babies may develop a fear of sharp sounds, such as:

These manifestations should not cause concern to parents: up to 1-2 years old, almost all fears are inherent in children by nature for the proper development of the baby's nervous system. This reaction is tested by the Moro reflex - it is also called the startle reflex. In response to an external stimulus, the baby throws up his arms and seems to be trying to grab onto something. The Moro reflex manifests itself immediately after birth and is an important indicator of the development of the child's nervous system, fading away by 4–5 months of age.

The newborn moves his arms to the sides and opens his fists - I phase of the Moro reflex

It is interesting. Natural fears also include the fear of being without a mother, the fear of strangers, the dark. But they should be distinguished from acquired phobias, which have arisen as a reaction to a certain situation: for example, the fear of water after a bad dive while swimming.

If by the age of 3 the fear of loud and sudden sounds has not passed, then this may indicate that the nervous system of your child is too sensitive. And in this case, you need to consult a pediatrician, a neurologist. Or fear has become acquired due to the fact that parents do not help correct the situation, but, on the contrary, only aggravate it with censures, ridicule, shouting and excessive emotionality. Yes, the cry "Don't go there - you'll fall!" will be effective at that moment, but it’s not a fact that the child won’t climb there again - this is the first time, but the second - such a reaction of a loved one will definitely cause stress, which slows down any fight against fears. Often the described fear develops on the basis of negative memories: the baby heard the parents' conversation in raised tones, and now he perceives any change in voice towards a scream as a threat to peace and security.

It is interesting. The fear of loud, harsh sounds and the devices that make them is called ligirophobia.

What to do if the baby is scared

If the little coward shudders at the slightest rustle, mom and dad should understand that at this stage of development the baby perceives the world around him this way, and it will pass. It is much more dangerous if parents punish or sharply respond to the manifestation of such a reaction in the crumbs: the baby may begin to hide his fear, but he will not get away from this, on the contrary, it will only intensify.

It is interesting. Too much noise around leads to the fact that the child's hearing aid loses sensitivity, the heart begins to fail, the brain cells overstrain. As a result, anxiety arises, children smile less and less, cannot fully relax, get tired quickly and sleep poorly.

Tactile contact with the mother is very important to calm the baby.

How to help a baby up to a year: use voice and tape recorder

Approach the solution of the problem in a complex way. For this you need:

How to help a child from 1 to 3 years old: we teach music and household appliances

In addition to the methods described above, a few more ways to correct the situation are added:

Parents should treat their coward with understanding and patience: do not scream, but calm and cheer

It is interesting. If a child is constantly afraid of strong noises, reacts too emotionally to them, up to hysterics, hardly calms down, he is choked with fear, then the baby must be shown to a neurologist to identify disorders in the nervous system and select adequate treatment.

Komarovsky's opinion: show a household appliance - a source of noise

Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky, an experienced pediatrician, author of books on parenting, believes that the best way to rid a normally developing baby of the fear of loud noise is to show the source of this noise. This is the only way to restore the child's sense of security, which he, in his opinion, can lose due to such strong noises.

To dispel children's fear, be sure to show them the source of the noise, so that it is clear that "this is a worldly matter"

In fact, the reason for such fears is the lack of a sense of security. What an uncle - oh, horror! - will take the child, and the parents - Oh, horror, horror! - they will give it to this uncle. We'll have to make the joke true: go visit the neighbors and see who knocks there. That this is an uncle, that he really works, that he knocks with this thing. And most importantly - that he doesn’t need your child, and you won’t let anyone offend anyone.

Fear of loud noise in children with organic brain lesions

Organic brain lesions are a group of diseases in which structural pathological changes occur in the brain tissues. Neurologists prove that such a diagnosis can be made in 9 out of 10 patients of different ages. But if changes in tissues have affected more than 20–50% of the brain, then symptoms of a particular disease or tumor begin to appear. In children, organic lesions are associated with perinatal brain damage. These include diseases of the mother, including various infections, genetic pathology, hypoxia or ischemia during childbirth, the effects of radiation, etc. With complications, these disorders can develop into cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, mental retardation and epilepsy. In children with such diagnoses, fear of loud sounds is one of the characteristic features.

To provide assistance, it is necessary to strictly follow the recommendations of a specialist regarding therapy, including physiotherapy, as well as use the methods recommended by psychologists to help the baby overcome ligirophobia. However, remember that in children with developmental disabilities, the use of any methods of behavior correction must be agreed with the doctor observing the baby.

Fear of loud sounds is a natural manifestation of the development of the nervous system of a healthy child under 3 years old. The task of parents is to find the right approach to calm the baby, to return to him a sense of confidence in safety, which only mom and dad can fully guarantee. So don't panic if your little coward flinches at the vibrating phone or the hum of the vacuum cleaner. Just patiently help your little one get through this stage of growing up.