Carnophobia is characterized by a persistent and intense fear of meat . It is not necessarily accompanied by a political decision to abandon the consumption of this food, although it can be related to this.

We will see below what carnophobia is, what is the difference between a phobia and an aversion, and finally what are the remedies that exist to treat its symptoms.

Carnophobia: fear of meat

As its name suggests, carnophobia is the persistent and intense fear of the flesh. While it is a phobia, the persistent fear of meat must be presented in an irrational or excessive way, that is, it is a disproportionate fear of a stimulus that generally does not represent a danger for the perceiver.

In other words, to be considered a phobia, this fear of meat must not only manifest itself as a resolute rejection of the consumption of food of animal origin, as could be the case with veganism or vegetarianism.

Nor is it a poorly developed taste for meat or a preference for a specific type of this food. Rather, it is a fear that is activated by any stimulus that approaches meat, triggering a disproportionate anxiety response .

However, if this fear does not manifest itself in a persistent, intense and disproportionate way, not significantly affecting the person’s quality of life, it may not be a phobia, but an aversion.

Phobia or aversion to meat?

The main difference between a phobia and an aversion is the intensity of the fear experienced, and the way it presents itself. An aversion can be defined as a strong repulsion to touch, taste or hear things that most people are indifferent to or find pleasant (Bados, 2005).

Unlike a phobia, aversions produce discomfort, but not fear or anxiety; they are presented to stimuli other than specific phobias and do not cause obsessions or rituals.

Dislikes can cause a series of momentary physiological reactions such as the following: chills or bristle of hair, pallor, cold, wave breathing , and sometimes nausea. Common are, for example, aversions to touching hairy surfaces such as wool or feathers; to hearing squeaky sounds; or to smelling and tasting fatty foods, foods of certain textures, or animal muscle tissues (meat).

Aversions do not usually negatively and significantly affect a person’s quality of life, as they do not prevent them from carrying out everyday activities, and they do not manifest themselves through a clinically observable pattern of anxiety. However, they can represent significant discomfort in the face of the stimulus caused by the aversion.

Thus, if exposure to meat causes discomfort and mild or momentary physiological reactions, then it is an aversion. Conversely, if exposure to meat causes clinically significant discomfort (an anxiety that interferes with daily activities), and is persistent in generating voluntary and involuntary avoidance of meat, then it may be a carnophobia.

Possible causes

As with other phobias, a persistent fear of meat can be caused by real or perceived harm associated with eating such food . Some concrete examples of experiences that can provoke this fear are the following:

  • A severe illness, generated immediately after eating meat.
  • A traumatic trip to a butcher shop or slaughterhouse.
  • An accident while cooking meat.
  • Adverse emotions related to images for or against meat products.

This may have led to the development of both a phobia and an aversion to meat, and the latter may have led to a political position on the consumption or industrialization of this food, although not necessarily.

Is treatment necessary?

Any real or perceived fear, which is persistently and disproportionately experienced, can be addressed through a range of clinical strategies. , cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization or relaxation strategies, among others. All of these are aimed at reducing the experiences of anxiety associated with the stimulus that provokes them; which ultimately means that the person develops a positive contact with the stimulus.

However, if the rejection of meat is derived from a personal choice, which does not interfere with their daily life even if it implies an experience of aversion, the treatment should not aim at the consumption of this food , but at the search for alternatives and substitutes.

Bibliographic references:

  • Rodríguez, U. (2012). Gastrophobia: all the fears of the food world. Recovered September 11, 2018. Available at http://www.infonews.com/nota/37358/gastrofobias-todos-los-miedos-del-mundo.
  • Bados, A. (2005). Specific phobias. Factultat de Psicologia. Departament de Personalitat, Avaluació i Tractament Psicològics. University of Barcelona.
  • Fear of raw meat? (S/A). Perspecs. Recovered 11 September 2018. Available at http://www.perspecsnews.com/read/business/fear-of-raw-meat/rkxnikyGhz/rygKWvyf2f.