Social Anxiety Disorder or Fear of Women?

I am unbelievably uncomfortable around women.
Some would call this social anxiety disorder...

Anxiety Question:

Ever since I broke up with my ex-fiancée three years ago, I have been unbelievably uncomfortable around women. Some would call this social anxiety disorder, but I can carry on a conversation fine and can be with people.

My problem stems from being around physically attractive women.
I am definitely attracted to women, but for some odd reason I cannot get physically close to a woman without feeling horribly uncomfortable.

Even when I was engaged I had this problem. I could be intimate with her, but I never felt totally at ease in her arms. Additionally, I am unusually aware of a woman's physical beauty. I have a tendency to back away a few inches when a woman gets too close to me.

Are these spatial-boundary issues, as I was born three months premature and was constantly surrounded by female nurses in the premature ward?

Anxiety Answer:

You show an awareness of the reason for your discomfort with women and I don’t think it is social anxiety disorder.

It could be a fear of intimacy which is quite common especially if you had some kind of abuse as a child. It is a subconscious fear that you may be hurt somehow.

I don't know how you would resolve this without some regular talk therapy. You need to explore it a lot each day and write your thoughts about it in a journal you keep to help you figure out and understand it.

Once you understand it completely it will lose its hold on you and you can gradually overcome it.


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