Do you ever feel like your eyes can’t focus, you feel lightheaded or dizzy, you have ringing in your ears, or like your legs can no longer support your weight? Do you envision yourself losing consciousness and the more you try to hold on, the worse your symptoms become?
Do you worry this bodily loss of control will be overwhelmingly embarrassing for you? Do you worry that passing out will put you in danger or cause you harm? Do you worry that you can’t control the symptoms and they will never go away?
The fear of passing out, known as asthenophobia, is a very distressing type of anxiety disorder that can interfere with the quality of one’s life. The thought of losing control over one’s body can actually induce panic, and can ultimately trigger many of the overlapping symptoms that accompany a fainting episode.
A feeling of excitement, anxiety or even pain can trigger something called a vasovagal syncope. The vagus nerve becomes overly activated causing a drop in heart rate and blood pressure and can trigger a fainting episode. But how can you know the difference between a real and impending fainting episode and the overlapping fear symptoms associated with passing out?
Learn more about the physiology of fainting, techniques on controlling your heart rate and blood pressure, and how to manage your overall anxiety around this fear.
According to the Handbook of Clinical Neurology, around one-fifth of all adults in the US will feel faint each year, but for some, it can cause a huge amount of concern. The fear of passing out, asthenophobia, can have a huge impact on the daily lives of some and can even lead to avoiding social activities entirely. If you are someone suffering from this phobia, you understand how limiting it can be once the panic starts to set in.
This article will help you understand the fear itself, as well as information on where to learn practical strategies you can use to overcome it. By the end, you will learn about triggers, relaxation techniques, and what to do if you need some extra help. So, keep reading and discover the next steps you should take to get back the life you deserve.
Understanding the Fear of Passing Out
As anyone with the phobia knows, this is more than a simple feeling of anxiousness. It can cause severe distress both during a lightheaded episode as well as in situations where it might happen in the near future.
This worry can lead you to avoid certain situations altogether, impacting your daily well-being. As suggested by Simon et al, a fear of fainting due to triggers could even lead to someone avoiding a necessary medical procedure.
Learning where this fear comes from can help you manage it more effectively. Several different therapeutic techniques are available, and each has its own benefits.
Common Triggers and Symptoms for a Fear of Fainting
Depending on your specific circumstances and what caused you to develop a phobia, your exact triggers may not always be obvious. Common sources of fears related to anxiety and fainting include:
- Crowded places where people may see you faint
- Feeling physically weaker
- High heat that can cause weakness
- Overworking oneself
These are all situations in which a person is more likely to faint and may trigger the phobia if not responded to. They can cause significant emotional stress, often leading to further anxiety.
Recognizing these can help you communicate these concerns to others and build up a group of supportive peers. At the same time, someone trained in techniques to manage fear may be able to overcome these triggers and continue living a normal life.
What Causes Panic Symptoms?
Panic symptoms, such as those caused by a phobia or fear, cannot always be understood using simple logic. When one is in its throes it can be hard to think straight. Instead, it is an innate biological process that taps into our instinct to either fight or flee from potential threats.
When certain brain neurons become activated, you can start to feel intense fear or apprehension during specific situations. Once the fear is triggered, the body releases a burst of adrenaline, which can boost heart rate and cause sweating. This can then make the fear of fainting worse, as these panic symptoms often match those that come during a dizzy spell.
How Therapy Can Help You Manage Fear
As confirmed by Fenn & Byrne, a structured, tailored treatment plan offered by experts in anxiety disorders is often crucial in addressing panic symptoms and the anticipation that comes with it. With time, you will learn to better manage your anxiety and increase your overall threshhold to life stressors. You will also be better adept at interpreting the physical shifts in your body in order to not precipitate the cycle of anxiety.
Any such process will usually begin with an evaluation session. During this session, a therapist will take a detailed history of your symptoms, irrational thoughts that you have about your symptoms, and any maladaptive behaviors that may accompany this anxiety loop. This initial evaluation will help the professional create a personalized treatment plan matching your specific needs.
Following this initial meeting, you will hold regular sessions with your therapist to discuss how your fear has affected you and how therapy techniques will be applied. You will learn tactical tools to help you mitigate your fear of passing out and you will be encouraged to provide regular feedback on how well you are achieving your therapy goals. Changes to the treatment plan will be made as needed.
Understanding the Mind-Body Connection
Therapists from Advanced Behavioral Health (ABH) focus on the link between mental and physical health. They understand how they are connected and influence one another in both positive and negative ways.
Therapy at ABH hinges on the fact that the thoughts and emotions you have can often lead to physical symptoms and vice versa. As such, they will work with you to form a holistic approach to your issue that addresses both of these areas at the same time.
The clinicians at ABH can discuss improvements you can make with your life including:
Lifestyle changes: What minor things you can do to help you avoid triggers and live a calmer life.
Stress management techniques: Activities such as diaphragmatic breathing, guided imagery, and muscle relaxation.
Journals such as those by Toussaint et al confirm the efficacy of these techniques. As such, we leverage each of these to center you as an individual and prevent your issue from escalating.
Nutrition: Ensuring your body gets all the appropriate food and hydration it needs to allow you to heal. They can also help ensure you have enough nutrition to prevent this from being a factor in fainting.
Behavioral therapy: This involves learning any links between your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. You can then consider learning how to alter these processes for your benefit.
Along with relapse prevention techniques, this can help you reframe any situation to prevent triggers. It can also work as a potential long-term solution to reduce or overcome your phobia.
Embrace a Fear-Free Life with Advanced Behavioral Health
Addressing your fear of passing out is the most important step toward engaging with the world again. It can help to improve your quality of life for years to come, opening up a whole new future.
Advanced Behavioral Health offers a holistic and personalized approach to this process. They can give you long-term methods to overcome your issues to get you back to normalcy.
So, take the first steps towards a fear-free life and book an appointment with ABH to learn what they can do for you. Get the hope and encouragement you need and improve your life today.