All About Nosocomephobia, the Fear of Hospitals, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Nosocomephobia?

Nosocomephobia is the Fear of Hospitals and, like all other fears and phobias, can cause significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

It is a relatively common phobia due, most likely, to the fact that you usually go to hospital when something is wrong with you or you are visiting somebody who is unwell.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Nosocomephobia, for example:

• You may have had negative experiences with Hospitals in the past such as surgery because of breaking a bone.
• You might have picked-up the fear of Hospitals from a parent who suffered from it.
• You may have a fear of needles or injections – Trypanophobia.

Although phobias are often described as ‘disorders’, there is no valid scientific evidence that Nosocomephobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance as proposed in the biomedical models of mental illness.

On the contrary, Nosocomephobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (what you think your experiences mean) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial symptom.

Nosocomephobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Nosocomephobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Nosocomephobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Reluctance to go to hospital for medical or preventative care.
• A fear of blood – Haemophobia.
• An elevated heart rate.
• A sense of dread about what might happen.
• Worrying that you might pass out.
• Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
• Having heart palpitations.
• Having a dry or sticky mouth.
• Hot sweats.
• Feeling Stressed.
• Difficulty breathing easily.
• Feelings of panic.

Moreover, you may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Nosocomephobia.

Furthermore, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) listed above WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

It’s important to tackle your fear of hospitals as you may avoid important medical care and increase your risk of preventable conditions.

What Causes Nosocomephobia?

it is likely that your Nosocomephobia is the result of either traumatic experiences or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

You may, for example, have had to be hospitalised following an accident which involved painful medical treatments or a long painful recovery.

What’s more, because the Fear of Hospitals has never been linked to any biological factors, the most likely explanation for your Nosocomephobia is the way that you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences.

Counselling and Therapy for Nosocomephobia

We can offer you a number of different types of therapy and counselling for your Nosocomephobia the Fear of Hospitals.

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 Nosocomephobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Nosocomephobia
• Counselling for Nosocomephobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Hospitals

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.

Could Reality Therapy Be Right For You?

Reality Therapy is an approach which argues that your Nosocomephobia, the fear of hospitals, is a product of the way that you think internally and not the result of any kind of external influence.

It also argues that any past experiences which you may believe are the cause of your phobia, are no longer influential because those situations are no longer happening and therefore do not exist.

By teaching you how to take responsibility for the way that you feel, Reality Therapy can help you to stop creating the anxiety and stress associated with your phobic trigger as well as significantly improve the sense of control you have over the trajectory of your life going forward.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Nosocomephobia 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.