Hodophobia: An intense fear at the thought of traveling

Travelling is an enjoyable experience for most people. But at the same time some people may have anxiety about going on a trip. Anxiety is a condition marked by excessive worry and feeling of fear and uneasiness. Among a range of phobias mentioned by The DSMIV-TR, hodophobia is the fear of travel. People fear to travel to tourist places or go for official trips because of the unfriendly feeling of being at unknown places far away from home. People with hodophobia experience a penetrating fear at the thought of traveling. Hodophobia and travel anxiety are interchangeably used by people. Major difference between these two phrases is the intensity of fear experienced by a person. People who suffer from hodophobia usually avoid the situation that frights them.

Numerous factors trigger a heightened fear of traveling among people. Past bitter experiences of traveling may generate extreme emotional stress and irrational fear in individuals. People with hodophobia live with the fear of losing themselves during the journey. The major cause of developing Hodophobia is traumatic events occurred in human life such as Road Accident, or loss of a loved one during the trip.

Natural disasters or pandemic eruption that cause massive human loss may be the decisive factor of developing hodophobia in persons. language barriers, feeling of moving out from a comfortable zone to challenging situations may lead to excessive fear. In some cases, fear of future incidents may cause hodophobia such as the feeling of having a heart attack while traveling or thinking about loss of luggage or valuables while going to unknown places.

Key symptoms of hodophobia include sweating, shaking, stomach aches, diarrhoea, headache or shortness of breath. They may also demonstrate mild symptoms or may experience panic attacks.

Mental health experts conduct psychotherapies to treat patients suffering from hodophobia. Hypnotherapy is offered in some cases which is a therapy based on the use of hypnotism. Exposure therapy is highly effective for the treatment of phobia. Therapists also apply Cognitive-behavioral therapy for treating hodophobia. People undergoing hodophobia may cope up with their emerging fear through educating themselves about the tourist destinations, security system and legal procedures to keep safe.

 

In concluding remark, Hodophobia is not widespread or specific phobia. Since phobia of travelling has an intense impact on a person's professional life, therefore early medical attention is needed. Hodophobia has been effectively treated with blend of pharmacotherapy and systematic desensitization

Important note: This article is developed through environmental information, academic experience and/ or personal view of the writer. Writer is not responsible for any disagreement