What is Hellenologophobia? (A Comprehensive Guide)
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OptimistMinds
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In this blog post we will deliberate through the causes, symptoms and treatment for Hellenologophobia.
Hellenologophobia is an irrational fear of Greek terms and complex scientific terminology.
People suffering from Hellenologophobia will suffer a full-blown panic attack at the mere thought of Greek terminology or scientific terms that are complex.
Only the thought of these is enough for the sufferer to experience the symptoms of anxiety.
Phobias are a state of the mind that impinges on the mind and all related bodily sensations, thus leaving the sufferer in a condition that requires therapy to get him back to the normal routine.
The person suffering from Hellenologophobia has a fear of terminologies that are something not to be scared of, but to him these elicit a response that is akin to severe physical and psychological upheaval.
Scientific terminologies are complex words that are used by scientists to describe the scientific processes and their professional activities.
These are the names given to new materials that are discovered or encountered during experimentation or research.
Greek language is a language that spans over 34 centuries and is considered one of the historical languages.
Greek terms are famous worldwide and are part of terms used in English language as well.
The term ‘phobia’ itself is derived from the Greek term ‘Phobos’ meaning fear. English language is full of words that are a combination of Greek words together.
‘Helleno’ itself again means ‘Greek’.
Hellenologophobia is an intense fear of the Greek and scientific terms that might be difficult for the person to decipher.
It inhibits his academics as in education there are numerous words that are of Greek origin.
Even a student of Science if suffering from Hellenologophobia will be unable to pursue his course work because of this fear of scientific terminology.
It may leave the person suffering from Hellenologophobia in a state of panic and he may not be able to concentrate on his studies, thus escaping from the source of his fear, i.e, his academic content.
Symptoms of Hellenologophobia
Different people display the symptoms of the same phobia differently; with varying degrees of severity.
There are two types of symptoms; Physical symptoms and Psychological symptoms.
The Physical Symptoms include those that involve changes in the bodily sensations and are physically felt by the sufferer.
Examples are:-
- rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- headaches
- hot flashes or chills
- ringing in ears
- Sweating and trembling
- dry mouth
- raised blood pressure
- nausea
- Dizziness
- feeling faint
The Psychological Symptoms include those that impinge on the mind and are visible through a person’s behavior.
Examples are:-
- feelings of dread in school, college or university when exposed to Greek or scientific terms
- fear of losing control
- fear of harm to self
- fear of illness
- feeling of helplessness
- confusion
- anger
- irritability
- mood swings
- Feelings of shame
- Lack of concentration
- Feeling a disconnect
Causes of Hellenologophobia
Hellenologophobia may be caused due to the following factors:-
- Genetic Predisposition
Every person has a genetic tendency to contract a disease or go through a mental illness. This predisposition is embedded in our DNA and is handed down to us over the generations.
If the person’s ancestors suffered from anxiety disorders, phobias, mental illness or even Hellenologophobia, then chances are higher for him/her to suffer from the same or from either of these.
Phobias are familial and most often than not run in families. Their intensity may vary from person to person, from one relative to the other.
- Biological Cause
Hormones play an important role in causing anxiety disorders, specifically phobias as well.
Thyroid Stimulating Hormones (TSH) is directly related to the etiology of anxiety related problems that occur.
Symptoms that indicate a Thyroid malfunctioning are:
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- Nervous demeanor
- Irritability
- Losing or gaining weight
Low levels of Testosterone (male hormone) can also lead to anxiety. Serotonin, is also called a happy chemical and depletion of this hormone can also cause anxieties of varying levels.
Dopamine, the ‘feel good’ chemical or neurotransmitter is involved in happiness and a state of elatedness.
When the levels of Dopamine drop anxiety and a feeling of dread become a common forte.
Adrenaline rush is another biological factor that emanates the ‘flight or the fight’ response. This response is triggered when the brain suffers from a threat.
This threat may be caused by a stimulus that causes anxiety. This stimulus is the very stimulus that initiates a phobia fear.
In the case of Hellenologophobia, this stimulus will be the Greek and complex scientific terminologies.
- Behavioral Cause
Children learn behaviors and attitudes from people around them.
These people may be their parents, siblings, extended family members like uncles or aunts, grandparents or any significant others they are attached to.
In Hellenologophobia it is often found that if a member of the family or peer group would have an aversion towards the Greek culture or even are not academically sound, they would tend to develop this fear, Hellenologophobia in their children.
As with most phobias and anxieties, there is no clear consensus about what causes Hellenologophobia.
The most common explanation is a childhood traumatic episode where a child may have experienced difficulty in school while pronouncing long or difficult words, he would have been reprimanded by a teacher or parent, thus giving rise to Hellenologophobia.
A person who suffers from Dyslexia or has a significant Learning problem may also develop Hellenologophobia.
Dyslexia is a learning condition in which the part of the brain responsible for language decoding shows a lag.
It can be treated with therapies, but the condition poses immense problems for the person going through this state.
People may also be afraid of losing control because this is something that is not in their hands and not controlled by them, no matter how powerful a person is.
Thus, at the time he is suffering from the symptoms of Hellenologophobia, he/she feels totally helpless, aggravating their already hiked anxiety.
There are plenty of people with Hellenologophobia who cannot even recall the traumatic incident that would have developed this fear.
Scientists believe that a combination of genetic tendencies, brain chemistry, and other biological and environmental factors could cause such fears to develop.
Treatments of Hellenologophobia
Hellenologophobia can be treated through different treatments.
These include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, Neuro Linguistic Program (NLP), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction MBSR) and forms of meditation.
- Systematic Desensitization
This is one of the most common therapies used in treating phobias and an effective way to desensitize the person suffering from phobia.
In this therapy the client with phobia is exposed to the stimulus gradually with varying degrees of severity, varying durations of time.
The degree of severity is hierarchical, ranging from low to high. Every time the ‘exposure’ of the feared stimulus is increased.
In Hellenologophobia the client is exposed to images of garlic first. For the fear to be invoked during therapy, the patient must be exposed to an intense stimulus (one that is feared).
The aim of Systematic Desensitization is to remove the ‘feared stimulus’ and substitute it with a ‘relaxation response.’
Initially a relaxation technique that involves deep breathing is taught to the client.
Then the client is asked to present a list that has a hierarchical presentation of his fears, starting from the least fear evoking situation to the most.
The therapist takes the client through these situations via two methods:
a) In vitro – where the feared stimulus is made to imagine
b) In vivo – where the client visits the the feared place in reality
The exposure to the phobic stimulus is of varying durations, where the client exercises relaxation techniques and can revert to a previous non-threatening situation any time.
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
When phobias start to prevent the daily activities of the person, therapy becomes inevitable.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is one such approach that shows the relation between thoughts, beliefs, feelings and behaviors.
It alters the way of identifying and substituting destructive thoughts and emotions that have a negative impact on behavior.
In CBT the therapist helps the client to amend his thoughts so that a desirable behavior can be achieved.
This therapy is effective, because if the thoughts or cognitions alter then there will be a lasting impact on behavior. It helps the person change the way he thinks.
The therapist helps the client to discover the reason for this thought and behavior that follows.
This therapy is goal oriented and short termed. Therefore, the results are seen soon.
It changes the way a person thinks and feels. CBT does not focus on probing the past to resolve current problems, rather it concentrates on the present situation.
Our thoughts determine how we act or react to certain stimuli and situations.
Therefore, negative thoughts bring about a negative behavior response or an undesirable behavior.
Whereas, positive thoughts propagate desirable and healthy attitude and response.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a form of CBT and designed by Albert Ellis. According to Ellis, “people are not disturbed by things but rather by their view of things.”
This is what subjective perspective is.
REBT is the dictum that it is our beliefs that makes us experience emotions like anger, depression, anxiety and not the events happening in our lives.
Changing irrational beliefs positively impacts on reducing emotional pain.
REBT’s ABC Theory: The Diagnostic Step
Based on Ellis’ theory, the ABC Model was proposed:
A – Activating Event: an event that takes place in the environment
B – Beliefs: the belief one has about the event that happened
C – Consequence: the emotional response to the belief
Not the event but beliefs cause emotional pain.
c) Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
MBSR involves being aware of one’s own thoughts, feelings and reducing the interference from around the environment.
We do not pay attention to how we process the various stimuli that affect us.
We do not process the way our bodies feel and respond, there is no focus on our thoughts and how these thoughts are influencing our emotions.
In MBSR, the client is ‘woken up’ to actually experience the various senses. ‘Focus’ is the keyword!
d) Meditation
For meditation to be effective during treatment, the mind is cleared off all the clutter of random thoughts.
The mind and body are made to be ‘in sync’ with each other, so that the feared stimulus does not invoke a negative thought.
The client will meditate during the thoughts of death and concentrate on his breathing patterns in the presence of the feared stimulus.
e) Group Therapy
Self Help groups are an effective type of therapy, in which the client does not find himself as a lone sufferer.
These groups are individuals who are afflicted with the same types of phobias.
They come together to share their thoughts, experiences and their coping strategies.
This also helps in developing a ‘sense of I am not the only one’ suffering.
f) Changing Lifestyle
Breaking down the dullness of the daily, helps break down anxiety as well.
• Take up jogging or go for daily walks:
Developing a walk routine can damper the way our negative thoughts control our behavior.
• Indulging in an exercise regime:
Vigorous exercise like aerobics has proved to reduce or alleviate the symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Exercise helps the mind to cope with stress and stressful situations better.
This is what the American Psychological Association has to say about inducting exercise to eliminate stress or phobias.
• Altering eating and drinking habits:
Cutting down on fatty foods and caffeine can improve self-image, that in turn leads to a raised self-esteem. This finally diminishes the symptoms of stress to a bare minimum.
With high intake of caffeine, the body resembles a ‘fight or flight’ response, thus giving way to anxiety.
• Improving the sleep cycle:
When we get proper rest, our concentration improves.
g) Psychiatric Medication
There are a number of medicines that the Psychiatrist can prescribe if the symptoms of Hellenologophobia are severe.
- Anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs)
These should only be taken after the consultation with the doctor and shouldn’t be initiated or discontinued as per personal discretion.
- Antidepressants
These medicines are not only used to treat depression, but also to alleviate the symptoms of Hellenologophobia as well as other phobias.
Medicines alone might not be as effective, but if used in conjunction with therapies then the results will be better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Helleno mean in English?
Helleno means the Greek in English language..
Are phobias curable?
Yes. Phobias are curable with the help of therapies and mindfulness meditation.
What is group therapy?
Group therapy means people with similar phobias coming together and discussing their problems in the presence of a psychologist.
This helps the person to feel that he is not alone in his suffering. Sharing of pain and anxieties lessens the burden as well.
Which therapy transforms our thoughts?
Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a therapy that transforms the irrational thoughts to rational thoughts.
Which medicines can be given in phobias?
Medicines like anti anxiety drugs or anti depressants can be given for treating phobias, if the need arises.
Phobias A-z
Below is a complete list of all Phobias which we currently cover.
Titles to Read
- The A-Z of Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties (Facts on File Library of Health & Living)
by Ronald M Doctor , Ada P Kahn, et al.
by Aaron Beck, Gary Emery, et al.
by Sally M. Winston PsyD and Martin N. Seif PhD
by Jon Hershfield MFT , Shala Nicely LPC , et al.
Part of: New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook (73 Books)
by Jon Hershfield MFT , Tom Corboy MFT , et al.
Citations
- www.psychtimes.com
- www.amazon.com
- www.psychologytoday.com
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