Overcoming Gamophobia: The Fear of Getting Married

The fear of marriage, known as gamophobia, can cause unnecessary heartache for the person with the fear and their significant other. There is a difference between the fear of marriage and the fear of commitment. A person who is afraid to get married may have no problem having a life long relationship with their partner, but are horrified at the thought of getting married.

What Causes Gamophobia

Most all phobias are unique to each individual but can often be generalized. A phobia, regardless of what the phobia is about, is when a person has a persistent, irrational, and uncontrollable fear of something. In this case, the phobia is about getting married or actually being married. It has nothing to do with being in a committed relationship, but with being in a married relationship.

Most mental health professionals agree that phobias generally start before a person reaches adulthood; unless something catastrophic happens during their adult life to cause a phobia of something. In the case of gamophobia the cause may be due to the fact that the gamophobe was a product of a divorce, maybe they were not raised in a home where the parents were married, or possibly they have an underlying mental or anxiety condition that is magnified by their fear of marriage.

Symptoms of Fear of Marriage

The symptoms that often occur to someone who is gamophobic usually show up when the idea of marriage is brought up. It is not uncommon for the person to try anything to avoid having the conversation with their significant other. Avoidance is one of the main symptoms of gamophobia. When faced head on with the thought or idea of marriage the person may begin to panic, have a rapid heartbeat, be short of breath, tremble, and have feelings of fear, dread, and terror.

Overcoming Gamophobia

Like most other phobias, gamophobia can be treated and sometimes can even be cured if the right treatment is used. The person may need to talk about the ins and outs of marriage with someone they trust such as their parent, a mentor, their closest friend, or their pastor. In more extreme cases it may be necessary for the person who is afraid to get married to see a mental health professional that specializes in phobias. Psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and exposure therapy are often used to help someone overcome their fear of marriage.

If you have gamophobia and are in a committed relationship it is important that you educate yourself about the phobia but also tell your partner about it. Phobias are uncontrollable unless treated properly. It is important that your significant other understand your love and loyalty to them and your determination to overcome your irrational and uncontrollable fear of getting married. Communicating with your partner and with a trained professional will make life easier for you and your partner and hopefully have a happily ever after result.

Sources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/phobias.html

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/complete-index.shtml

http://www.phobiasource.com/gamophobia-an-exaggerated-or-irrational-fear-of-marriage/

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/g/gamophobia/intro.htm