Sparks of Anxiety: Static Electricity-induced Specific Phobia Maintained by Interoceptive Conditioning and Somatosensory Amplification

Abstract Specific phobias are typically conditioned to discrete external objects, but the same mechanism can extend to benign interoceptive or somatosensory cues that are catastrophically misinterpreted, a process termed somatosensory amplification. We report a 40-year-old male software professional with a two-year history of debilitating anxiety triggered specifically by electrostatic shock sensations while touching metallic objects such as door knobs, laptops, and elevator buttons, with a marked diurnal pattern of worsening in the morning. He developed severe fear and systematic avoidance of conductive surfaces, causing considerable occupational impairment, despite retaining full intellectual insight into the harmlessness of the sensation. Physical and neurological findings were unremarkable. He was managed with escitalopram, propranolol, brief clonazepam, and cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention, leading to significant and sustained improvement. This case broadens the recognised spectrum of specific phobia triggers to include subtle everyday interoceptive sensations, and highlights interoceptive conditioning and somatosensory amplification as maintaining mechanisms, with circadian arousal potentially modulating symptom severity.