Phobia of the Supernatural: A Distinct but Poorly Recognized Specific Phobia With an Adverse Impact on Daily Living

Abstract

The psychological and psychiatric literature has seldom appreciated the clinical fact that fears of ghosts and kindred supernatural worries may be a cause of intense discomfort, poor sleep, and socio-occupational impairment. In the present article, this claim is illustrated by the clinical features of six patients who developed intense anxiety when they had to sleep alone at night. The fears were first noticed in childhood and persisted into adolescence and adulthood. At these times, they were overwhelmed by images of ghosts and haunted houses often experiencing a vivid impression that an immaterial being not perceivable by the ordinary senses was hovering around. Comorbidity with other phobias was the rule. Owing to shame and self-consciousness, the fears were seldom if ever discussed with healthcare professionals. The overall clinical and psychopathological picture was consistent with a diagnosis of a specific phobia. In a few cases, response to pharmacological treatment and cognitive-behavioral intervention has alleviated the symptoms. “Phobia of the supernatural” may be more common than usually thought. It must actively be sought for in patients complaining of poor sleep and daytime somnolence, and in patients with other types of phobia. The differential diagnosis of phobia of the supernatural includes nocturnal panic attacks, psychosis, other types of phobia that tend to occur during the night, dissociative states of sleep, dementia, and a few rare presentations of epilepsy. Systematic studies must be carried out to settle the neurobiological correlates of phobia of the supernatural as well as the possible benefit of different modalities of pharmacological and psychological treatment.

The Symbiosis of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy and Telemental Health: A Review

“…VRET sessions are commonly conducted in the clinical settings of a therapist's office (Boeldt et al, 2019), which requires therapists to dedicate clinic space to VR arrangements and maintains travel burdens upon patients. It is common for people with phobias to avoid treatment and hide their symptoms, even from their own health care providers (Davidson, 2005;de Oliveira-Souza, 2018;Curcio and Corboy, 2020). Patients seeking phobia treatment often worry about embarrassing themselves in front of therapists (Bush, 2008).…”

Aushadha bheshajiyam of kashyapa indriya sthana - an explorative study

“…The differential diagnosis of phobia of the supernatural includes sleep terror, epilepsy, other phobias, dissociative states of sleep, dementia and nocturnal panic attacks. 39 Spiritual presence events are the various anomalous, often vividly sensory, events which people attribute to spirits, gods, or other supernatural forces (Nagnaam, Lohita Lochanaam, Danda Dharaam, Deergha Kesha, Nakha, Stana etc. characters).…”

“…35 It has been found that the large majority of children pass a stage of fearing ghosts, but these fears tend to decline after adolescence. 39 The thematic content of childhood nightmares more often included being chased, evil presence, and falling. 33 Young children who develop chronic bad dreams have shown general distress and emotional psychopathology.…”

Things That Go Bump in the Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of “Haunted Houses”

“…These beliefs likewise have implications for social identity theories of social rank, self esteem, and the belief systems that individuals hold for explanatory meaning in their lives (Tajfel and Turner, 1979;Dagnall et al, 2015b;Hill et al, 2019). Reports of ghosts and haunts may also reinforce or contextualize the anxieties of individuals who are already fearful of the paranormal (Lange and Houran, 1999;de Oliveira-Souza, 2018).…”