All About Friggatriskaidekaphobia, the Fear of Friday 13th, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling
What is Friggatriskaidekaphobia?
Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the Fear of Friday 13th and, like all other fears and phobias, can be a cause of significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.
There may be a number of reasons why you developed Friggatriskaidekaphobia, for example:
- Growing up in an environment where superstition was significant.
- “Inheriting” the fear of Friday 13th from a parent who suffered from it (as a learned behaviour).
- Strongly religious beliefs.
Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance in spite of the traction that biomedical models of mental illness are given in the media.
On the contrary, Friggatriskaidekaphobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (meaning-making) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial phenomenon.
Friggatriskaidekaphobia Symptoms & Behaviours
All phobias, including Friggatriskaidekaphobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.
Consequently, the symptoms of Friggatriskaidekaphobia are both specific and generic and may include:
- Avoid going out or taking risks on Friday 13th.
- An elevated heart rate.
- A sense of dread about what might happen.
- Worrying that you might pass out.
- Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
- Heart palpitations.
- Having a dry or sticky mouth.
- Hot sweats.
- Feeling Stressed.
- Difficulty breathing easily.
- Feelings of panic.
You may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Friggatriskaidekaphobia.
However, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.
What Causes Friggatriskaidekaphobia?
It’s possible that your Friggatriskaidekaphobia may be the result of traumatic events or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.
You may have been brought-up to believe that Friday 13th is a particularly ‘bad’ day when things are highly likely to go wrong.
Growing up in a religious family, or one that gave credence to superstitious beliefs may also lead to the fear of Friday 13th.
However, because a Fear of Friday 13th is by no means universal, the most likely explanation for your Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the way you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences around which you have built a set of beliefs.
Is your phobia making you anxious or are you creating the anxiety?
It might be hard to accept, but it’s almost certain that the anxiety you experience when you encounter your phobic object or situation is being unwittingly created by YOU and NOT the thing you fear.
Find out more about the subjective vs objective nature of phobias here.
Counselling and Therapy for Friggatriskaidekaphobia
We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Friggatriskaidekaphobia the Fear of Friday 13th.
Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:
- How long you have had your phobia.
- Your personal preferences.
- How your phobia is affecting you today.
You can read more about the different types of therapy for Friggatriskaidekaphobia on the following links:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Friggatriskaidekaphobia
- Counselling for Friggatriskaidekaphobia
- Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Friday 13th
Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.
Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.
Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.
If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Friggatriskaidekaphobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.
During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.
The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.
Applied Psychology Solutions
If you’d like to learn how to overcome friggatriskaidekaphobia but dislike the idea of having “therapy”, then why not learn how to change the way you make sense of your experiences with the CORE Programme.
If you believe that your problems are the result of what has happened to you and not because there is something wrong with you, then this is the solution you’ve been looking for.
Not Ready to Commit to Therapy Quite Yet?
Then why not see if you can solve your fear of Friday 13th using our comprehensive, Online Self-Help CBT course.
Written especially for people who prefer not to engage with a therapist before first doing everything they can to overcome their problems themselves.
Mirroring our in-house course of CBT, it contains everything that you need to know to tackle mental health challenges for only £149.
Counselling Locations
We offer counselling for friggatriskaidekaphobia problems for people living in:
- Wombourne
- Wolverhampton
- West Midlands
- Shropshire
- South Staffordshire
- Telford
- Shrewsbury
You can also access our services around the World using online therapy with Paul.