Telephonophobia (Fear of Telephones)

[rbcp]

Is fear of the telephone common and is it possible to overcome it?

It is actually pretty common. All fears can be overcome, it just may take a while. I'm guessing by being afraid of the telephone you mean calling people for services or answering the phone. If this is the case, start off slow, talk to friends, order a pizza. Eventually you will get used to the idea.

If your fear is of the telephone itself, get someone to put a telephone in the same room as you but keep it unplugged. Get used to seeing it everyday for a few weeks, then plug it in with the ringer off, after another few weeks try with the ringer on low and move up from there.

Think of it this way ... it's no different than using IM or email .. the person on the other end can't see you and most of the time doesn't know you. If someone calls and you start to feel uncomfortable just say someone is at the door or you have to call them back. As the above poster said it just takes time and practice.

from http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/downloads/phobias_fears/telephone-fear.html (click the link, there's more)

Do you find yourself avoiding making or taking phone calls? Do you wonder why other people seem so comfortable with it yet whatever you do, it's just uncomfortable for you?

Fear of speaking on the phone impairs your quality of life as it stops you contacting loved ones, blocks work and business opportunities and causes anxiety.

And if that isn't bad enough you can also end up feeling anxious and guilty about important calls you haven't made and calls you haven't picked up. So avoiding the phone produces its own anxiety - making the whole situation worse.

If you continued in this way it would mean resigning yourself to a life where you have to worry and think about the phone, where every in and out call feels threatening, where you'd be missing opportunities to connect and progress, to learn and grow.

Once that fear has gone for good you'll be able to fully focus on what's really important in your life - meaning you will be emotionally, and probably financially, better off.





Imagine What Your Life Would Be Like Without... Fear Of Telephone?

 How does Fear Of Telephone show up ?

The actual phobia manifests itself in different ways. Some sufferers experience it almost all the time, others just in response to direct stimuli. Everyone has their own unique formula for when and how to feel bad.

How do we do it?

We won't actually do anything: you will. Our practitioners will teach you to regain control of your emotions and conquer your Fear Of Telephone. Working with us, you'll rapidly train your unconscious mind to connect different, positive feelings to the stimuli that triggers the phobia. And you will learn quickly now to stop the root cause of your Fear of Flying: those awful thoughts, images, movies or sounds.

(There's a LOT more info at http://www.changethatsrightnow.com/problem_detail.asp?SDID=1943:1881 - apparently they're the people that inspired the FAIL image for forcing sufferers to dial a number.)


http://www.43things.com/things/view/202665/get-over-my-irrational-fear-of-the-telephone This link has comments by people who ph33r the phone and how they're doing with conquering it.  "I saw that it was one of my friends and I answered! We had a good conversation and made plans to get together. I felt great when I hung up!"

Symptoms of Fear Of Telephone:
breathlessness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack.

You are not the only one to suffer from this phobia. Most sufferers are surprised to learn that they are far from alone in this surprisingly common, although often unspoken, fear.

Fear Of Telephone is an intense fear of something that poses no actual danger. While adults with Fear Of Telephone realize that these fears are irrational, they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety.

(from http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/fear-of-telephone.html)

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If only I knew someone who had this....and their phone number.

[rbcp]

I should set up a fake site for this and have people interested in free treatment leave their phone numbers in a form.  Then I could share it with the forums.

[SpaceBison]

I should set up a fake site for this and have people interested in free treatment leave their phone numbers in a form.  Then I could share it with the forums.

... except people with telephonophobia aren't likely to have telephones in the first place.

[rbcp]

... except people with telephonophobia aren't likely to have telephones in the first place.

The people on this page seem to.

[z3wb]

"Telephonophobia hotline, how can I help you?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

[ApprenticePhreak]

"Telephonophobia hotline, how can I help you?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

That made me laugh. Just a little.

[ErrorLoading]

I'm pretty sure around where I live you have to have a phone number tied to your gas and electricity services.  Whether they are real numbers or not are a different story.  If I did give them one, they no longer have the correct information.

[ErrorLoading]

I should set up a fake site for this and have people interested in free treatment leave their phone numbers in a form.  Then I could share it with the forums.

The best way to do this would be to setup a "call ring" for support.  The only people in the ring are people with the problem.  Calling other people with the problem would cause less anxiety because they are just like "you".  Make it legit for awhile and build up some steam.  I'm sure plenty of forum members could have the problem for awhile. 

Mixing this with caller ID spoof would prove ENDLESS hours of entertainment for everyone.

I can imagine them someday answering the phone and getting a barrage of tones and ringers going off all at once and them having a mental breakdown. 

What dreams may come.

[MelloKira]

When I was a kid I use to be deathly afraid of taking to somebody I didn't know on the phone. Customer service, mainly.

[Nod]

"Telephonophobia hotline, how can I help you?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

I still dislike you but I had to give ya +1 for that.

[murd0c]

"Telephonophobia hotline, how can I help you?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Zewb was never not liked by me. Also HAHAHAAH.