Last Updated on April 13, 2023 by Mike Robinson

The overwhelming and unreasonable dread of comprehending the idea of infinity and eternity is known as apeirophobia. This fear might appear at any time of day or night and produce severe physical agony. An obsessive notion of infinity can bring on an intense anxiety episode.

Therefore, the concept of being in contact with infinity causes a strong feeling of dizziness. People who have this fear steer clear of anything that can trigger their sensation of infinity. For instance, the universe, the ocean, or endless numbers could cause severe anxiety. They also refrain from contemplating the future and never consider eternity.

How is Apeirophobia Different?

Examples of phobias include the fear of spiders, blood, heights, traveling by plane, being in enclosed spaces, driving, certain types of animals, etc. Apeirophobia differs from the other more well-known specific phobias in terms of the element with which it is associated. Still, it is similar to them in terms of how the sufferer reacts.

People with apeirophobia and spider phobia exhibit a specific fear response when exposed to their feared element. As a result, a person with a phobia of spiders may react to these creatures in a manner that is remarkably similar to a person with an apeirophobia who deals with thoughts of infinity.

Exposure differs in both cases since it is not the same to expose a person to a spider (a perfectly identifiable animal) as to expose a person to infinity (a more abstract concept). However, we will put the characteristics of what causes the fear aside and focus on the anxiety response they produce.

The most crucial factor in dealing with this type of problem is not so much what causes the fear but the anxiety response it produces. Therefore, to determine the presence of apeirophobia, we have to focus on the fear that the person experiences when exposed to the idea of infinity.

Characteristics of Apeirophobia

Thus, to claim that someone has apeirophobia, they must experience the following type of fear when dealing with intrusive thoughts about infinity or eternity:

1. Fear is too intense for the situation.
2. No other reasonable explanation exists for their anxiety.
3. They have lost all control over their fear.
4.  They take extreme measures to avoid situations that produce their fear of infinity or eternity.
5. The fear occurs every time they have these thoughts of infinity. 
6. It is tough to adapt to social settings because of this fear. 
7. The fear experienced is not specific to a particular phase or age, so it lasts for years.

How to Diagnose Apeirophobia

There are certain conditions necessary to confirm a positive diagnosis of apeirophobia. These conditions are:

1. Persistent fear is excessive or irrational, triggered by the presence or anticipation of an object or specific situation that triggers the idea or the thought of infinity.
2. Exposure to phobic stimulation causes an immediate anxiety response, which may become a crisis or less intense, depending on the situation.
3. The person with apeirophobia recognizes that the fear he experiences regarding infinity is excessive or irrational.
4. Avoidance behaviors, anxious anticipation, or discomfort caused by the feared situation(s) interfere sharply with the person’s daily life. This includes work, school, and social relationships.
5. In those under 18 years, these symptoms must have been present for at least six months.
6. No other mental disorder can better explain anxiety, panic attacks, or phobic avoidance behaviors that occur.

What Causes Apeirophobia

Since apeirophobia is a rare form of a specific phobia, little research has taken place on its characteristics. However, due to the striking similarities that all specific phobias share, there appears to be some agreement that apeirophobia’s causes need not be distinct from those of the other specific phobias.

As we’ve already stated, the feared component is the only thing that distinguishes one specific phobia from another. Thus, all types of specific phobias, even the less common ones, fall under the same category of mental disorder, with potential common origins and, for the majority of them, a similar response to the recommended psychological therapies.

We can mention six main factors that explain the development of apeirophobia through the numerous studies on the pathogenesis of specific phobias.

Direct or Classical Conditioning

Direct or classical conditioning would explain how a person can match a neutral stimulus, like the idea of infinity, with an unpleasant stimulus that makes them feel anxious. So, combining the concept of infinity with other things makes a person uncomfortable. The feeling then grows into a phobic reaction.

For this to happen, many factors may be involved:

• Early traumatic experiences
• Rigid thought styles
• Specific educational styles
• Personality types in need of excessive control over their lives

Vicarious Conditioning.

According to this theory, you don’t get apeirophobia from personal experiences. Instead, you can get it by learning about or imagining things that can make the idea of infinity seem like something terrible. In these situations, it is imperative that their parents or someone close to them had apeirophobia or a similar fear when they were young.

 Also, people could get apeirophobia if they saw or did things as a child or teen controlled too much by fear or needing to be in charge.

Listening to the Fears of Others

The verbal and direct information a person receives is vital in developing particular phobias. Exposure to symptoms of or repeated information about the negative aspects of ideas of infinity may create apeirophobia.

Inherited Through Genetics

Other theories indicate that fear is a natural component of people and discuss the genetics of phobias. The response to fear is an inherent trait that all humans possess and experience throughout their lives. Even though it can take different forms in different people, the fear response may have significant genetic components. 

However, there appears to be a low degree of specificity regarding the genetic transmission of phobias.

The Cognitive Impact 

Cognitive factors do not likely explain the acquisition of apeirophobia, but they can explain why it persists over time. Unrealistic ideas about the damage that occurs when thoughts of eternity arise are the main factors that keep specific phobias alive.

Likewise, cognitive factors explain the attentional biases that people with apeirophobia present by paying greater attention to any threat related to the phobic element.

Finally, the primary indicator of recovery from apeirophobia lies in the person’s exposure to harmful thoughts. Cognitive factors prevent the person from being exposed to these situations by predicting anxiety and discomfort, which is why these factors strengthen apeirophobia.

How to Successfully Treat Apeirophobia

The treatment of specific phobias, as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA), is based on two intervention techniques. The first focuses on exposing the person the harmful thoughts and has shown greater effectiveness in eliminating phobic thoughts.

Stimulus Exposure Technique

By exposing the person to their feared element, they get used to the phobic stimulus. The exposure helps eliminate their irrational thoughts about their fears. The person’s fear prevents him from exposing himself to the stimulus, thus demonstrating that his fearful thoughts are unfounded. 

Long-term exposure to the feared element causes the person to gradually realize that their fears are unfounded, which lowers their anxiety response and eventually causes the phobia to vanish.

However, the treatment of exposure for apeirophobia is hampered by the fact that a person with this type of phobia cannot get exposure to their fears. This is because their fears are not based on something concrete but rather on thoughts about concepts of infinity.

Virtual Reality Exposure

Thus, people with apeirophobia experience phobic anxiety when they have thoughts about the universe, infinity or feelings of falling into an endless void. These elements are not tangible, so we can not expose the person directly to their feared stimulus.

Therefore, exposure for apeirophobia patients can occur by using virtual reality. Virtual reality exposes a person to situations of infinity that generate phobic anxiety through computer programs.

Another treatment methodology consists of the exhibition of imagination. This process involves the guidance of a therapist. The patient gets exposure comes from suggestions of imagined situations. 

Both exposure techniques have successfully eliminated phobic thoughts and the anxiety that arises in those moments.

Other Exposure Options

Finally, two more treatments can occur in parallel with the exposure treatment. One of them, the relaxation technique, is especially effective in reducing the anxiety levels in the person before exposure to their feared elements.

Also Read: Panophobia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Before initiating therapy on exposure, they perform a relaxation treatment to expose the person to their fears with the lowest level of anxiety possible. Finally, you can apply cognitive techniques to finish modifying irrational thoughts that have not disappeared during exposure therapy.