Ayurvedic Treatment of Scriptophobia – Fear Of Writing Phobia

Abstract

Each one of us has their own fears which may or may not be expressed in front of others. The fear of water, fear of heights, fear of talking to some unknown person, fear of blood, fear of thunder & lightning, fear of crowds etc. are some of them. We have encountered many people during our life that are afraid of performing some tasks, and sometimes these fears become so severe that they start affecting our daily life and resulting in various mental and physical manifestations. One of such conditions is scriptophobia, in this article we are going to discuss this fear in detail along with the best Ayurvedic formulations for the management of this disease.

Introduction

The extreme fear of writing in public is known as Scriptophobia. Script means writing and phobia means fear, so the worldly meaning of this condition is fear of writing. The extreme and irrational fear of handwriting is termed as Graphophobia, which is a very similar condition but relatively more specific to Scriptophobia. It looks incommon someone to have this type of fear, but it's true, this is a rare disorder and the people suffering from it may have mild to severe symptoms. The clinical picture of scriptophobia is often supported with anxiety, stress and loneliness like symptoms. It is generally less possible to diagnose this condition in early childhood during school time, as it is most common among children due to their lesser interest in the studies. Inability to express their thoughts and lack of self-confidence are commonly found in the affected person with Scriptophobia.

Sign and Symptoms

Scriptophobia is characterized by episodes of anxiety which is triggered even by the thought of writing in the public. The clinical features of scriptophobia include avoidance of the events to write in the public, concentration problems, dizziness and nausea, anger issues, unable to relax, palpitations, pricking sensation in whole body like pins, needles, disturbed breathing rate, headache, dry and sticky mouth, profuse sweating, decreased thinking capacity and panic attacks (shortness of breath, sweaty palms etc.)

Causes

Scriptophobia is a disorder of unknown etiology, but the genetic inheritance or experience of some traumatic incidence is believed to be responsible for this disease. This traumatic experience may be self experienced or witnessed by some other person due to whom a fear arose in mind, about the criticism for their writing in the past or the fear of having it in future. The lack of confidence due to underlying mental weakness is the prime cause associated with disease.

Ayurvedic Aspect

The sattva, rajas and tamas are considered as the three vital energies monitoring various activities of the mind. Out of these three sattva is the quality of mind and other two i.e. rajas and tamas are considered as mental dosha. Rajas dosha is responsible for governing anger and passion and anxiety related functions whereas increased tamas dosha is responsible for loneliness, fear, and depression, stress, etc. like features as seen in Scriptophobia. The sattva guna (positive energy) is the best quality of mind, one must do practice to increase the sattva guna of mind. When the sattva guna of mind is increased by an holistic approach of herbal medications and dietary and lifestyle modifications. This condition of fear of writing will start resolving on its own, with permanent effects that too without side effects.

Treatment of Scriptophobia

Few healthy advice that helps in overcoming the Scriptophobia include-

1. Avoiding caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and other drugs may help relieve fear and anxiety.
2. Getting regular good quality sleep for at least 7-8 hours during night is necessary.
3. Practising relaxation techniques such as pranayama and deep breathing may also help.
4. Making a habit of writing down your own thoughts in the diary every day will help in accepting and dealing with Scriptophobia.
   
   

Planet Ayurveda Is An Herbal Manufacturing Unit. It Is Globally Emerging and India’s One of The Most Reputed and Leading Brand of Herbal Medicines. These Products Are Made From 100% Natural Sources. These Herbal Medicines Are Made With The Strict Adherence To Ayurvedic Texts And Principles. These Products Are Being Made With Time Tested Formulas Under The Guidance And Supervision Of The Expert Team Led By Experienced Ayurvedic Physicians.

Herbal remedies as suggested by Planet Ayurveda’s expert Ayurvedic Physicians for the management of Scriptophobia

These are

1. Brahmi Chyawanprash
2. Ashwagandha capsules
3. Gotu Kola capsules

Product Description

1. Brahmi Chyawanprash

This classical formulation is available in avaleha form. The ingredients of this formulation include

• Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)
• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
• Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus)
• Bala (Sida cordifolia)
  
  

like other herbs which are having positive effects on mind and help in enhancing strength of the brain cells and promoting sattva guna of the mind and reducing the aggravated tamas dosha that help in keeping the mind relax and thus preventing the occurrence of panic attacks in Scriptophobia.

Dosage- 1 teaspoonful twice daily, preferably with milk after meals.

2. Ashwagandha capsules

These are the capsule formulations manufactured by Planet Ayurveda's expert team having the standardized extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) as the sole ingredient. Ashwagandha is a well known nervine tonic that is used for various neurological and mind related disorders. It has the properties that provide strength to the person both physically and metally. Regular consumption of these herbs helps in relieving the stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and insomnia like symptoms associated with Scriptophobia by balancing the various brain functions.

Dosage- 1 capsule twice daily with water, after meals.

3. Gotu Kola capsules

These single herbal formulated capsules consist of the standardized extract of mandookparni (Centella Asiatica). Mandookparni is used for improving mental clarity by fighting oxidative stress. Gotu Kola is having a medhya (nervine tonic) effect on the brain cell that helps in boosting the sattva guna in the mind and thus helps the patients of scriptophobia

Dosage- 1 capsule twice daily after meals, with water.

Conclusion

Most of the patients of Scriptophobia even fear to talk about his situation in front of others, as he/she finds that the other people will judge his/her mental ability or call/consider him mentally disturbed. There is a treatment method available for this disease in modern (allopathic) science, they mostly rely on some psychological therapies, but most of the time the sufferer avoids such therapies. The key to treat this disease is that the affected person must have to accept their fear, and try making the habit of writing at least one write-up daily. Further, these herbal medicines will help in enhancing the dhee(intelligence), dhriti (retention power) and samriti (memory power), which allow the sufferer of this scriptophobia to overcome his fear and avoid such panic attacks.