Nomophobia and Therapy
I am sure that there will be some of you who read the title of today’s piece and ask yourself, “Just what the heck is Nomophobia?” You would be right to ask, as this is a little known name for something that is becoming more and more common for people in this age of technology. Nomophobia is a pathological fear of not knowing where exactly your phone is. I am sure there will be some of you who will be rolling your eyes at the notion that there can be a phobia about not knowing where your phone is, but let’s be honest. The phone, by which I mean the smart phone, has become an intergal part of our lives.
For many people, myself included, have much of our lives on our phones. Emails, calendars, contacts are all things that many of us need in order to conduct our day to day business. Without it, people can feel lost and confused. Additionally, with so much personal data on our phones is it any wonder that people get anxious about not knowing where their phone is, lest it fall into the wrong hands. As with most phobia, nomophobia can be worked with using a combination of hypnosis and psychotherapy quite effectively. Being able to rationalise our relationships with our mobile devices is the first best step in being able to deal with the fact that sometimes we will forget our phones at home or mislay them without experiencing that sinking feeling that comes with an anxiety response.
