Phobias are very common anxiety disorders, and there are different types that usually fall into three groups. Specific phobias, social phobia and agoraphobia. Within the specific phobias we can find arachnophobia (fear of spiders), cinnophobia (fear of dogs) or rectophobia (fear of anorectal diseases).

In the following lines we will talk about rectophobia , a strange phobia that is also called proctophobia, and we will go deeper into what it is, its symptoms, its causes and its treatment.

What is Rectophobia

Rectophobia is a phobia, and therefore, an irrational fear of a phobic stimulus; in this case, anorectal diseases. The human being, in an unconscious way, is capable of being afraid of situations, objects and even thoughts.

This fear causes great discomfort and anxiety , and that is why this pathology is included in anxiety disorders. A characteristic of phobic disorders is that the person suffering from this condition tends to avoid the feared stimulus. A person with cinophobia will avoid contact with dogs, in the case of arachnophobia contact with spiders and in rectophobia any situation that may lead the person to suffer some kind of disease in that area of the body is avoided.

Possible causes

Phobias usually have their origin in the associative learning known as Classical Conditioning. Ivan Pavlov was one of the key figures in providing knowledge about this phenomenon for the first time. Classical Conditioning is a form of learning that involves automatic or reflex responses. This differentiates it from another form of learning known as Operant or Instrumental Conditioning.

Classical conditioning is the creation of a connection between a new stimulus and an already existing reflex (in the case of phobia, fear). If we look at the formation of a phobia, the learning of this disorder would have its beginning in an originally neutral stimulus, which does not provoke a response (for example, spiders, thoughts about a disease of the rectum or getting on a plane).

Through a traumatic experience that would provoke a strong fear response, there could be an associative connection of the originally neutral stimulus with that negative experience. This would cause the phobic patient to unconsciously respond with fear, anxiety and discomfort to the stimulus that did not previously provoke this response. Learning does not always occur through direct experience, but it is also possible that it occurs through observation

Although Pavlov was the pioneer in Classical Conditioning research, John Watson made it popular in the West and was the first to bring knowledge about the relationship between emotions and this type of associative learning.

  • In our article “John B. Watson: life and work of the behavioral psychologist” we explain a little more about his research and contributions to the field of Psychology and Education.

What role does genetics play?

While there is some consensus that Classical Conditioning has its origin in learning, other authors claim that genetics makes some people more prone to this type of pathology than others. Furthermore, according to Seligman’s theory of preparation, we are biologically predisposed to suffer from phobias, as we may more easily associate some stimuli with fear.

The cause of this is that fear is an adaptive emotion and thus would favor the survival of our species . Phobias would occur by primitive and non-cognitive associations, which are not easily modified by logical arguments.

Symptoms of this phobic disorder

The different types of phobias usually have very similar symptoms caused by the presence of the phobic stimulus. Anxiety and irrational fear are undoubtedly characteristic symptoms of rectophobia. So is the desire to avoid the feared stimulus and the avoidance of it.

It is important to note that this disorder has a strong relationship with other disorders such as Hypochondria or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and is often a secondary symptom of these. However, if the irrational fear is more pronounced than the obsessions or compulsions, the main diagnosis is rectophobia.

In summary, the symptoms of rectophobia are:

  • Irrational fear of anorectal disease or fear of death
  • Anxiety and discomfort.
  • Avoidance behaviour
  • Tingling (paresthesia)
  • Hypersudoration
  • Palpitations and increased heart rate
  • Tremors
  • Shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing.
  • Chest tightness
  • Nausea and abdominal discomfort
  • Dizziness and fainting
  • Depersonalization

Treatment and therapy

As I said, phobias originate from Classical Conditioning, and are characterized by the person suffering from them having an irrational fear of the phobic stimulus. Scientific studies have shown that behavioral therapies, both second and third generation, work very well and are very effective in treating this pathology.

By second generation therapies I am referring to cognitive behavioural therapy, which aims at modifying those thoughts, beliefs or behaviours that cause the patient discomfort . In the intervention for phobias, relaxation techniques and expository techniques are ideal to help the patient control the negative symptoms of the phobia and make him/her understand that his/her fears and beliefs about the phobic stimulus are irrational.

One exposure technique widely used by cognitive-behavioral therapists is systematic desensitization, which consists of gradually exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus while learning different coping tools.

As for the third generation therapies, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which consist of the acceptance of the phobic experience, among other principles, so that the patient relates differently to the events that cause him/her discomfort.

In extreme cases, the administration of drugs is necessary, but always together with psychological therapy.