People living in the frantic pace of modern life have completely unimaginable fears that seem far-fetched and unnatural to those around them. One of these phobias is the fear of mirrors, which causes people no less suffering than more serious obsessive fears. However, like any phobia, it can be successfully overcome.
The fear of mirrors in the scientific world can be called either spectrophobia (fear of reflection in a mirror or mirror surface) or eisoptrophobia (fear of panic directly in front of mirrors). In connection with the object of fear, the causes of the phobia are distinguished and the methods of getting rid of it.
How does spectrophobia appear?
The ways of overcoming them also depend on the cause of the appearance of phobias, and therefore it is advisable to remember when and why it became scary for the first time. It is often difficult to do this yourself, if this has not happened already at a conscious age. When the cause cannot be identified, it is best to see a hypnosis specialist or a psychotherapist with experience with phobias.
The mirror is considered a kind of magical attribute, in various legends, fairy tales and myths it is assigned a negative and mysterious role: supposedly in it you can see something otherworldly, get through it into another dimension, etc. This gives rise to the prejudices inherent in most people, for example, failure due to a broken mirror, communication through them with dead people. This is successfully used by the creators of horror films, thrillers and horror stories, which frightens especially impressionable people. From here, a fear of mirrors can develop, which does not even imply a person's reflection in them. People are simply scared to be in a room with mirrors, to walk past them, etc.
Another possible reason for the appearance of fear of looking in the mirror can be rejection of yourself or certain features of your personality. It is more difficult to fight this phobia, since a huge personal work is needed to realize oneself, one's positive and negative qualities, one's actions, accepting responsibility or guilt for some actions, etc.
How to get rid of your fear of mirrors?
Determining the cause of the fear is already half the battle. If the fear appeared after reading a terrible book, watching a horror movie, performing some kind of ceremony or fortune-telling, you can fight it yourself. During the day or in a lighted room, you need to overcome yourself (you can call a friend or relative for help), stand in front of the mirror, smile and say pleasant things: to yourself, to the room, to the mirror. You can come up with affirmations (formula statements) that will tune in to a positive attitude towards mirrors even without their participation, and often repeat throughout the day: “I like to look in the mirror,” “The mirror shows only my beauty,” etc.
If the fear has sunk deeper, then you will not be able to cope on your own. In this case, you can turn to a psychologist or psychoanalyst who will help overcome the phobia and realize how irrational it is.
If the fear appeared due to the fact that a person cannot accept something in himself and therefore cannot look in the mirror, it is important to find out those qualities, traits, actions that the mind so stubbornly does not accept. People can do unpleasant, insidious, evil, or simply perceived as wrong actions, and after realizing them, feel guilty. If this feeling is not worked out, consequences are possible in the form of fear of oneself, one's reflection, etc. Such problems are solved only with hypnologists, psychotherapists or psychiatrists.
