Everything You Need To Know About Hodophobia, Or Fear Of Traveling

Hodophobia, or fear of traveling, is a very special type of mental condition. It occurs in people who feel anxious just because they are moving away from their comfort zone. They are afraid to leave their home, what is known to them, and what they can control. However, other phobias may also be present, such as fear of flying or fear of being involved in a car accident.

The vast majority of people associate travel with leisure and pleasure. However, some see vacation time as a major source of stress.

These are days where travel, trips to visit family, moments to see new places, new cities and countries are common. These types of situations can generate high levels of anxiety in many people.

Hodophobia or fear of travel: Symptoms and causes

Despite how unusual it may sound to us, there is an undoubted fact: Phobias are the most common psychiatric condition.

All of us have fears, unique dimensions that we avoid, and that will or will not condition our lives. However, phobias are in themselves a type of irrational fear and an intense form of anxiety that we cannot control, or that we do not know how to control.

Some coping strategies and mechanisms can be put to use. Let us learn what this type of mental state consists of.

Hodophobia

In one of the letters to a colleague, Sigmund Freud explained that travel caused him anxiety. However, we do not know if what the father of psychoanalysis suffered from was a real phobia, because hodophobia or fear of traveling can be very limiting. It is one thing to feel a little anxious and another not to be able to leave home.

In other words, those who suffer from fear of traveling are not always able to board the train, board a plane or arrive at the hotel they have booked. This fact can cause the life of the sufferer to become completely conditioned. Imagine being able to travel the world.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) classifies hodophobia or fear of traveling as a specific type of phobia in anxiety disorders. Let us therefore take a look at the symptoms described for proper diagnosis.

How does hodophobia or fear of getting up manifest?

This type of phobia, like everyone else, manifests itself in different ways. Each person manifests his irrational fear in a certain way. Some do it more intensely, while others remain functional.

Still, there are a number of common emotional characteristics:

• Fear of the idea of ​​leaving our home, of being away from what is comfortable and safe.
• Intense despair when you get in a car, on a plane or on a train.
• Fear of ending up in an accident.
• Shame on the fact that others may perceive the phobia.

There are also cognitive symptoms, such as:

• The person can not stop thinking about all the terrible things that can happen. They usually do not feel able to control the negative and catastrophic thoughts.

• Their imagination leads to a spiral of horrific images: accidents, kidnappings, terrorist attacks.
• Blocking in the face of specific facts, such as having to book a trip. Inability to focus attention on other things.
• Confusion and difficulties when making decisions.

Finally, we will also mention the physical manifestations of the disorder. Hodophobia or the fear of traveling is accompanied by innumerable physical signs ranging from minor to more severe:

• Dizziness and tachycardia
• Stomach pain and intestinal disorders at the thought of going on a trip
• Sweat and dry mouth

Studies, such as those conducted at the University of California, for example, indicate that there is a direct link between phobias and panic attacks. In the case of hodophobia, this means that people sometimes experience extreme situations where they will suffer from panic attacks just from the thought of going on holiday.

What causes hodophobia or fear of traveling?

One thing we should generally be clear about regarding phobias is that there is not always a clear trigger. Phobias of non-specific origin are quite common and hodophobia is one of them.

But research work such as that carried out at the University of Marseille by Dr. René Garcia points out the following about neurobiology in fear:

• The origin may be in traumatic events in the past. In case of fear of traveling, the person may have had an accident before or been the victim of a terrorist attack.
• It can also be a genetic or even family pattern. If our parents were also afraid of travel, planes or boats, it is very easy for this fear to be passed on.

How are these phobias treated?

The most appropriate coping mechanism for all phobias is cognitive behavioral therapy. The following resources are used within this approach:

• The exposure technique: This consists in bringing the person closer to the phobic stimuli to work with the mind and emotional reactions.
• Cognitive restructuring: This presupposes that the patient can discover negative and irrational thought patterns in order to transform them into healthier approaches.
• Emotional management: Detecting paralyzing emotions, recognizing them, naming them and transforming them into relaxed and satisfying states is an important tool.

• Breathing and relaxation techniques : Hodophobia or fear of traveling can also benefit from appropriate breathing and relaxation techniques. These are complementary resources to the cognitive behavioral therapy itself.
• Virtual Reality: Today, virtual reality is an effective resource for treating phobias.

You can and should be cured of phobias

In conclusion, any irrational fear can affect our quality of life. If you can not get it under control, new phobias usually arise until you end up in a mental state where anxiety completely controls you.

Let’s avoid reaching these limits: Ask an expert for professional help.