nsensus among most mental health professionals is that both genetics and one’s environment play very significant roles. So, taking a closer look at these two different parameters may shed some light as to whether or not you may be at risk for developing technophobia.
Exposure therapy may be very effective at helping to treat many of the symptoms of technophobia. Exposure therapy works by having the patient be exposed to that which they fear over a given period of time. Though the patient can expect to experience a great deal of anxiety during such exposure, it will also help the patient to become desensitized to their fear as well.
Theoretically, the more someone is exposed to something they fear, the less it will bother them over time. This philosophy is kept in mind during exposure therapy. However, though this may be true in many instances, if a patient is exposed to too much too soon, then it can have a counterproductive effect and may overwhelm the patient, leaving their condition worse than it was at the start of treatment. So, it is very important that this form of therapy be implemented by an adept and experienced therapist.
Anti-anxiety medication may also be effective at helping to reduce some of the symptoms of technophobia. However, this is something that should first be discussed with your doctor. Though taking anti-anxiety medication can be very effective, taking it without simultaneously being involved in some sort of therapy may not be a very good idea for long term treatment as medication alone will not teach the patient the skills needed to cope with their condition in various situations.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Technophobia
CBT is a psycho-social intervention that aims to improve one’s mental health. It is a modality that is often used to treat people suffering from anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and OCD. Someone with technophobia may also be able to benefit from CBT as well seeing as how it would allow them to have a much better understanding as to why they think and behave the way they do in relation to their irrational fears.
CBT can be immensely helpful for someone with technophobia given the sheer automaticity of their symptoms. For example, when someone with technophobia is exposed to their fear, they will almost always have an instantaneous subconscious reaction to their fear. Such a lack of introspection is likely a large part of why someone with this condition will suffer to the extent that they will. CBT can help you to take a step back and analyze your fears more deeply than you typically would.
Besides learning to be more fastidious with regards to understanding one’s specific fears, someone with technophobia engaging in CBT can also expect to learn various other skills aimed at helping to relieve the anxiety caused by their condition.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Technophobia
MBSR is an 8-week evidence-based program that offers secular, intensive mindfulness training to help people who are suffering from anxiety, stress, depression, and other sorts of mental anguish. MBSR may be able to significantly help someone who is suffering from technophobia as mindfulness meditation has been shown to be very beneficial for anxious people. In such a structured program, someone with technophobia can expect to learn a plethora of different skills that can help them to relieve the intense anxiety that’s associated with their specific phobia.
Talk to your doctor or therapist to see if MBSR can help you to reduce the intensity of your symptoms of technophobia, as well as where to find MBSR programs in your area.
Meditation for Technophobia
There are many different forms of meditation that exists which can be very advantageous for someone suffering from technophobia. Specifically, mindfulness meditation has been shown to be quite beneficial for helping people to enter into a more equanimous state. There are many different ways with which you can implement mindfulness meditation and there are also many different meditation apps which are designed to ma