Fear Of Bridges (Gephyrophobia): Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, How To Overcome It

Fear of bridges or gephyrophobia , is the specific anxiety or phobia disorder characterized by the fear of bridges. As a result, people suffering from gephyrophobia can avoid the routes that will take them over bridges, cross, and even in very extreme cases, just thinking about them begins the anguish in people.

Causes

• Some possible explanations for gephyrophobia may be fear of driving off the bridge, fear of being blown off the bridge by a gust of wind, fear of the structural integrity of the bridge itself, or fear that the bridge will collapse if they try. cross it.
• Fear overlaps with acrophobia, fear of heights , as gephyrophobia tends to be exacerbated on high bridges vs. those close to the water / ground below.

Symptoms

Some specialists who provide their services at the Anxiety Disorders Clinic of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, affirm: «It is not an isolated phobia, but it is usually part of a larger constellation … It is the people who get seizures panic.

• You get dizzy,
• The heart beats.
• You are afraid of feeling trapped
• It is a situational phobia.

Examples

• A driver can call the authority ahead of time and arrange for someone to drive the car over the bridge for them.
• The authority performs the service about six times a year.
• The Maryland Transportation Authority offers a similar service to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Termino

The term gephyrophobia comes from the Greek γέφυρα (gephura) which means “bridge” and φόβος (phobos) “fear”.

You might also like to read:  Fear Of Thunder And Lightning: Symptoms, Treatment

Other uses

• Gephyrophobia is the name of a map in Halo: Combat Evolved; the two bases are connected only by a bridge flanked by sniper outposts.
• The most likely name comes from the fact that players are frequently killed on the bridge.

Treatment

The fear of bridges or, more precisely, the fear of crossing bridges is a largely unknown fear. However, the symptoms are very well identifiable:

• Irrational fear of crossing a bridge, viaduct or any overpass
• Intense anxiety when the idea is considered to cross such a place
• Panic when the patient has no choice but to cross a bridge
• Sweating, palpitations, tremors are all anxiety symptoms
• Subject carefully avoids these places
• The patient is fully aware of the excessive and irrational nature of this fear

What psychological treatment for gephyrophobia?

• Gephyrophobia is usually treated with brief therapy.
• It takes about ten sessions to feel significant relief. A deconstruction of dysfunctional thoughts is essential during therapy.
• The psychologist works with the patient to develop simple exercises that will gradually and greatly relieve anxiety.

How to overcome the fear of bridges

There are many fears in life that people commonly share and the fear of bridges is one of those… It can come from many things and can cause problems especially when you have to drive on a bridge or often even unexpectedly. Here are some steps to help you overcome your fear of bridges. Instructions

• Identify the source of your fear. With bridges, this can often be a fear of heights, hearing about a bridge collapse, or having a traumatic experience beyond anything else on a bridge.
• Understand how a bridge is built and these types of safety measures are in place. When there is a certain bridge you know you have to cross it, look for information on when it was built and by whom and what kind of maintenance is done to help ease some stresses.
• Recognize the symptoms associated with your fear and how intense they are that you know what you need to overcome. Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and feelings of panic are the most common. Know that the phobia will not kill you even though it may hurt you mentally and physically. Challenge yourself by trying to walk on a bridge, have someone else ride on you, or ride on yourself.
• Overcome your fear by using a graded exposure. This method involves gradually desensitizing you to the bridges by placing you close to and over them and gradually increasing your exposure as your comfort level increases. The fear of bridges can best be overcome by hurrying rather than going around them so they don’t stop where they are or where they are down.
• Use therapy to overcome your fear of bridges. This can be done by seeing a therapist, using hypnosis, or learning on your own how to overcome fears. Learn to associate more positive things with bridges and to block negative conversations in your head.