“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind”. But that may not be the case with everyone. While the thought of  travelling may be exciting for some, for others it might be the cause of fear and anxiety.

I am Ruby Agarwal and i'm here to share with you the facts about this special kind of phobia of travelling i.e hodophobia.

Fear is a very ancient and universal emotion in man. It can be defined as the sensation that you are in danger, that something bad is about to happen. Fear is almost always accompanied by a host of physical symptoms which are quite disturbing. When it is not justified by the presence of real danger or threat, or by any rational cause, and when it is also accompanied by a systematic avoidance of the situations which lead to it, then we have what is called a phobia.

Phobias come under anxiety disorders. According to the American Psychiatric Association, a phobia is an irrational and excessive fear of an object or situation. In most cases, the phobia involves a sense of endangerment or a fear of harm. Phobia is actually a kind of panic reaction caused by specific stimuli or situations

Hodophobia is derived from the Greek word "hodos" meaning path and "phobos" meaning fear. Hodophobia is an intense, irrational fear of travelling. Individuals coping with this phobia may limit travel, away from their home, to a certain distance or amount of time. Other hodophobic people fear certain forms of transportation and will not travel by boat or airplane. The fear of travelling in cars can also occur. The fear can often be linked with the fear of the unavoidable association with unknown places and/or people.

Causes of Hodophobia
Phobias are often developed during the childhood and adolescent stages in life, but can occur after any tragedy. Most phobias are caused by emotional trauma (child abuse, rape, divorcing of parents, etc.). Some others causes can be environmental trauma (in the case of hodophobia, car accident, plane crash.

Like all fears and phobias, hodophobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking road travel and emotional trauma. Whilst the original catalyst may have been a real-life scare of some kind, the condition can also be triggered by myriad, benign events like movies, TV, or perhaps seeing someone else experience trauma. But so long as the negative association is powerful enough, the unconscious mind thinks: "Ahh, this whole thing is very dangerous. How do I keep myself from getting in this kind of situation again? I know, I'll attach terrible feelings to road travel, that way I'll steer clear in future and so be safe."

Just like that hodophobia is born. Attaching emotions to situations is one of the primary ways that humans learn. Sometimes we just get the wiring wrong.

A friend  of mine had a traumatic experience in a car crash. From that day on, she is panick-stricken everytime she is required to board a vehicle and develops a specific phobia to cars and avoids travelling.

Perhaps the hodophobic person has an underlying, undiagnosed physical condition that results in vertigo when travelling. Maybe this individual simply has severe motion sickness. Maybe, as a child, the person impacted by this phobia, became lost or separated from parents while travelling. Possibly this person's parents never travelled, preferring to stay at home. In this example, the hodophobic person would have simply learned imitate the responses of others.

Whatever the cause, the hodophobic person can experience anxiety and emotional turmoil that is completely disruptive to their ability to function.

Symptoms Of Hodophobia
The symptoms of Hodophobia are individual and will vary from person to person. Some people, when confronted with their fear of travel, may begin to perspire, feel slightly uncomfortable or become nauseated. At the opposite end of the spectrum, other people are so severely compromised by this phobia, that they may experience paralyzing anxiety and/or panic attacks.

Other symptoms of Hodophobia may include:
* A Dry Mouth

* Heightened Senses

* Breathlessness

* Feeling Dizzy

* Muscle Tension

* Hyperventilation

* Trembling

* Rapid Heartbeat

* Feeling Out of Control

* Feeling Trapped and Unable to Escape

* Intense Feeling of Impending Disaster

The vast majority of cases of Hodophobia are self-diagnosed. The individual realizes that their fear of travel is irrational and is severely compromising their ability to function on a daily basis.

How Is Hodophobia Treated?
When the fear of travel becomes so intense as to disrupt an individual's ability to function, there are a number of ways to treat Hodophobia.

These can include:
* A referral from the primary physician to a therapist who specializes in the treatment of phobias.

* Traditional "talk" therapy that will teach the person to recognize and control their phobia.

* Hypnotherapy.

* Exposure Therapy.

* Self-help techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation.

* Support groups with other people who are coping with this specific phobia.

* Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Desensitization Therapy.

* Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and visualization.

* In severe cases of Hodophobia, anti-anxiety medication can be prescribed.

Unchecked, Hodophobia can become a debilitating condition that interferes with an individual's personal life, their social life and their job responsibilities. Untreated, Hodophobia can impact every aspect of a person's life.

An Amazing Discovery
Several years ago, a psychologist specializing in phobias like hodophobia, made an amazing discovery. What was the discovery? It was so simple, but nobody thought of looking there before. It is called The Discovery Statement: "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."  Note what he didn't say. He didn't say that it was in your thoughts, habits, beliefs, strategies or any other thing (although they do play a factor).

Does It Work for Everyone?
A lot of talking about problems keeps people in the "stuck" state and is counterproductive. So people who really want to talk about their hodophobia because they are not really ready to let them go may not achieve optimal results.  Energy Therapy focuses on the "root", not the "branches". It makes you feel like you have truly been heard for the first time in your life. So Energy Psychology is not perfect. And it's not for everyone, perhaps only 80% or so of the population. The only thing you have to lose is your hodophobia. Hodophobia does respond really well to energy psychology.
Energy psychology is an emerging method that is rapidly gaining favor because in studies it is shown to be rapid, safe, effective and long-lasting

Im sure this article would be helpful for all those who have been hit by this phobia. Hodophobia can severely disrupt normal life, interfering with school, work, or social relationships, so it should be dealt with on time. So go ahead and beat the fear.

Author Brief Bio: Ruby Agarwal is a psychology graduate, pursuing her MBA in Human Resource Management. She is also doing her Advanced Diploma in Counselling and Guidance. She practices Pranic Healing and is working with a few NGO’s, highly creative, loves travelling, reading and a guitar player.
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