Gymnophobia evidences a general fear of nudity, whether it is seeing other people naked or being seen naked or even a combination of both at the same time. However, it is not the usual modesty that arises for this cause in society. The irrational fear experienced by gymnophobes constitutes a pathology and is a limitation. The problem prevents them from enjoying a healthy sexual life , but also from activities of daily existence, such as going to the beach or the doctor, in which some body exposure is necessary.
Due to the cultural influence of psychoanalysis, one tends to think that this phobia comes from a trauma. But in reality this is not usually the case. Gymnophobia is caused by erroneous cognitive schemes – for example, by the excessive tendency to compare oneself with others – or maladaptive emotions, in the case of the compulsive need to satisfy the expectations of others in order to feel loved. This leads to excessive self-criticism that prevents us from accepting our own body.
The truth is that it can have very different causes. Those who have been through sexual trauma, for example, are at higher risk for this phobia, in part because they feel especially vulnerable when naked or experience nudity as a triggering event for that trauma. In the same way, fear of nudity can also be triggered by being raised in a conservative culture or religion that disapproves of nudity and sexual expression. Children and adolescents can also develop this fear if they are bullied or embarrassed for some reason related to their bodies, for example, if they are developing more or less quickly than their peers.
In many cases, in fact, this problem ends up leading to body dysmorphic disorders in which the person becomes obsessed with some part of their anatomy and can completely distort physical reality. The fear of intimacy or feeling vulnerable is also a trigger. Lastly, having surgical scars or other disfigurements can cause further body embarrassment that can easily turn into gymnophobia. The most effective treatment is psychotherapy. A mix between relaxation techniques and systematic desensitization or progressive approach to the feared stimuli.
Gymnophobia can be disabling in many cases, because something as simple as going to buy clothes at a shopping center, can become a task indefinitely deferred due to the fact of having common dressing rooms. In a school setting, they may skip the shower after playing sports or even ask to have sex in total darkness, with the lights off.
And is that the fear of sex or sexual intimacy is included within a more generic category called “genophobia ” or “erotophobia”. It is a condition that can cause intense fear or panic when sexual intimacy is attempted. For some people, even thinking about it can cause these feelings.
There are other phobias related to genophobia that can occur at the same time, like the one we cite today:
- nosophobia: fear of contracting a disease or virus
- gymnophobia : fear of nudity
- heterophobia: fear of the opposite sex
- coitophobia : fear of sexual intercourse
- hafephobia: fear of being touched and of touching others.
- tocophobia: fear of pregnancy or childbirth
Either way, therapy helps. It takes time and effort, but the payoff will be worth it.
