Phobias

[bindeweede]

There are some unusual ones here.....

Portarideluomophobia fear of people wearing costumes
Pygmaliadevengalavidadiabolicaphobia fear of being attacked by mannequins
Angoraphobia fear of itchy sweaters
Quisappositusphobia fear of distant objects coming closer
Sophismataphobia fear of falsehoods
Stockabbildungophobia fear of drawings of stick figures
Terminolectolibriphobia fear of reading the last page of a book
Atrichophobia fear of bald people and, or fear of going bald
Janephobia fear of killing animals accidentally when driving
Dipatiphobia fear of stepping on cracks in the sidewalk
Dodecahedrophobia fear of twelve sided polygons
Aliusanusphobia fear of others' anuses
Tactile pseudofecalphobia fear of touching fake poop
Corposurculustermesphobia fear of sprouting branches from ones body
Incidofurtaphobia fear of being tricked
Votuphobia fear of prayer
Nonlatineloqueriaphobia fear of being unable to speak Latin
Catapultimataphobia fear of being killed by a catapult
Notitiatotadiesphobia fear of 24-hour news
Agricolaphobia fear of farm houses and people who live on farms

I'm not convinced they are totally serious.:-\

[bobdezon]

Aliusanusphobia fear of others' anuses


who the hell discovered that one? :-\

[seren]

I once knew of a girl who was terrified that post-it notes would attach themselves to her. Suggestions for this one please....?

[Mongrel]

There's some more here (http://phrontistery.info/phobias.html):smiley:

[bindeweede]

I once knew of a girl who was terrified that post-it notes would attach themselves to her. Suggestions for this one please....?

Adhesionoteletophobia?

[tkingdoll]

Hmm. I bet some of these only have one fearee each. Like, someone is in therapy and they say "oh yeah, and another thing, I'm really scared of 24 hour news, it's like we can't ever escape from the misery of the world and time is pressing down on us all I want to kill someone help me"

And then the shrink rushes to his book to check that particular fear hasn't already been taken, and writes a paper about it. But no-one else ever suffers from it in the entire history of the world. Or maybe you don't even need to do that. Perhaps it's one of those scams like buy a moon land plot or having a star named after you. Pay £50 and you get to name a phobia!

[Lord Muck oGentry]

There are some unusual ones here.....


Agricolaphobia fear of farm houses and people who live on farms



Agricolaphobia? Oi'll give 'ee agricolaphobia!

Get orff moy larrnd!!!

[bindeweede]

Agricolaphobia? Oi'll give 'ee agricolaphobia!

Get orff moy larrnd!!!

LordMuck

yes,.....that's your Belgian ancestry coming through, yet again.

But I have been to Brugge.

[Lord Muck oGentry]

LordMuck

yes,.....that's your Belgian ancestry coming through, yet again.



Latin bloodymindedness, more like!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnaeus_Julius_Agricola

[dee]

I cannot stand chalk - even the thought of it makes me go goosebumpy (it is now even writing about it), any suggestions for a phobia name to call it?

[bobdezon]

coccolithophoridophobia?

[dee]

Aliusanusphobia fear of others' anuses


who the hell discovered that one? :-\

Must have been my ex as he was a rather large one at the best of times

[bindeweede]

Scotch-egg phobia? Well, yes, apparently......

http://www.eveningleader.co.uk/latest-features/Scotch-egg-phobia-ruining-Wrexham.3481251.jp

Unfortunately, I'll be out when the programme is on the TV.:-[



Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – Fear of long words!

[siestatime]

There are some unusual ones here.....

Pygmaliadevengalavidadiabolicaphobia fear of being attacked by mannequins


Reminds me of a Doctor Who episode.

Just because you haven´t got pygmaliadevengalavidadiabolicaphobia doesn´t mean that the Autons aren´t out to get you.
>:D

[siestatime]

Arachibutyrophobia is fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, and arachnophobia is a fear of spiders. If you combine the two you get "arachni-butty-phobia", which is a fear of eating a spider sandwich.

I´ll get me coat:eek3:

[chaggle]

From wikipedia



phobia (from the Greek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language): φόβος, phóbos, "fear"), or morbid fear is an irrational, intense, persistent fear (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear) of certain situations, activities, things, or people.


As rational thinkers are skeptics allowed to have phobias? Do any here have phobias?

[Tony Williams]

Janephobia fear of killing animals accidentally when driving

Does everyone called Jane go around accidentally driving over animals, or just some of them?

[Tony Williams]

As rational thinkers are skeptics allowed to have phobias? Do any here have phobias?
Sure skeptics can have phobias - as long as they recognise that they're a psychological condiition which can be treated, and not a justified fear.

I can't offhand think of any phobias I have. I've always hated wasps, and don't like being close to a long drop wiithout a solid railing in place, but those are relatively rational...

[Trinoc]

As rational thinkers are skeptics allowed to have phobias? Do any here have phobias?
It's a mistake to think that anyone - even a diehard skeptic - can manage to be totally rational about all things. We can be just as prone to mental blocks and aberrations as anyone else ... it's just that one hopes that once irrational issues are pointed out to and understood by a skeptic, they will be understood rather than swept under the carpet and ignored.

[Nukapai]

Well, as funny as these all sound (love the one about fear of not being able to speak Latin...) - I do suffer from a phobia and have read a lot of literature about phobias in general; trying to rationalise it, trying to understand what it's all about. It's very difficult to deal wholly rationally with real phobias (the word gets misused a lot for extreme aversion and other things).

The trouble with a phobia is that when you're presented with a trigger, your brain chemistry reacts before your rational mind can kick in. There may only be a split-second difference, but it makes ALL the difference. Then you're having a panic attack and it's very difficult to talk yourself out of it again.

You can learn though. It takes extreme, long-term effort to learn to manage that and you have to be willing to accept that there may be setbacks. Reinforcing "see? nothing happened!" thoughts after a traumatic encounter is one of the keys to managing the irrational side, which makes the talking yourself out of a full-blown freakout that much easier in the future.

Many people are slightly claustrophobic or slightly agoraphobic, but there are some for whom phobias can become completely debilitating.

I absolutely detest the "yes, but once you know it's irrational, surely it will go away" argument and really feel for anyone who has ever had been told just to "snap out of it".

[chaggle]

Many people are slightly claustrophobic

That's me. I really don't like riding in the back of a two door car or sitting in the window seat of an aeroplane with two fat people between me and the aisle. I tend to panic a bit which is not like me at all - I'm very laid back usually.

I don't think that this is entirely irrational though. In an accident it's a good idea to have access to an unobstructed escape route. Most people don't have this fear and I guess that it's that rather than the fear itself which makes it irrational.

[polomint38]

That's me. I really don't like riding in the back of a two door car or sitting in the window seat of an aeroplane with two fat people between me and the aisle. I tend to panic a bit which is not like me at all - I'm very laid back usually.

I don't think that this is entirely irrational though. In an accident it's a good idea to have access to an unobstructed escape route. Most people don't have this fear and I guess that it's that rather than the fear itself which makes it irrational.

Cacomorphobia - fear of fat people

I am overweight and in an accident my belly will be a soft landing at least. :cheesy:

An illogical fear? If I fall on you in same accident probably not. >:D

[Nukapai]

That's me. I really don't like riding in the back of a two door car or sitting in the window seat of an aeroplane with two fat people between me and the aisle. I tend to panic a bit which is not like me at all - I'm very laid back usually.

I don't think that this is entirely irrational though. In an accident it's a good idea to have access to an unobstructed escape route. Most people don't have this fear and I guess that it's that rather than the fear itself which makes it irrational.
That's the irrational part. Your real fear is that there will be an accident and you will need to escape.

[chaggle]

That's the irrational part. Your real fear is that there will be an accident and you will need to escape.

I'm not sure about that. I'm not overly worried in lifts (although I wouldn't get into a tiny one). I wouldn't go caving. To be in a narrow tunnel with people behind me blocking my way out would freak me - nothing about accidents there.

I read a book by Sebastian Faulks - maybe Birdsong? The account of the fighting in the tunnels in WW1 left me unable to sleep through fear.

[Pebble]

Theophobia- Fear of gods or religion.

Intriguing, I would have thought religion exists only through fear of what god(s) might do, thus theophobia is religiousness.

[Tony Williams]

I'm not sure about that. I'm not overly worried in lifts (although I wouldn't get into a tiny one). I wouldn't go caving. To be in a narrow tunnel with people behind me blocking my way out would freak me - nothing about accidents there.
I went caving when I was a student and really enjoyed it. I went on an expedition to Northern Spain, where we were exploring and mapping caves. In those days (40 years ago) mapping used long tape measures, so there I was holding the end of the tape at the bottom of a cave system where the passage sumped out (dropped below water level). It was about four feet high with three feet of water. The distant guy at the other end shouted "OK, we're off now" and reeled up the tape, so I tried to move from my sitting position and knocked my carbide lamp (much more reliable than electrics) which fell off my helmet into the water and went out. It was somewhat dark. I can only remember feeling mildly irritated as I groped around underwater to find the damned lamp. I wasn't worried, because I knew that even if I couldn't get out, they would soon miss me and come back for me. As it happened I found the lamp and got it restarted, so I made my own way out. It did make me realise though, that claustrophobia isn't something I'm particularly subject to!

OTOH, I really disliked rock climbing; caving's easier, because you go up and down wire ladders!

[Matt]

Carbide is somewhat frowned upon these days as it can leave sooty deposits on the limestone formations. I too went caving at university.

[Nukapai]

I'm not sure about that. I'm not overly worried in lifts (although I wouldn't get into a tiny one). I wouldn't go caving. To be in a narrow tunnel with people behind me blocking my way out would freak me - nothing about accidents there.

I read a book by Sebastian Faulks - maybe Birdsong? The account of the fighting in the tunnels in WW1 left me unable to sleep through fear.

Okay, then it sounds like your standard claustrophobia:


Claustrophobia is typically thought to have two key symptoms: fear of restriction and fear of suffocation. A typical claustrophobic will fear restriction in at least one, if not several, of the following areas: small rooms, locked rooms, tunnels, cellars, elevators, subway trains, caves, and crowded areas. Additionally, the fear of restriction can cause some claustrophobics to fear trivial matters such as sitting in a barber’s chair or waiting in line at a grocery store simply out of a fear of confinement to a single space. However, claustrophobics are not necessarily afraid of these areas themselves, but, rather, they fear what could happen to them should they become confined to said area. Often, when confined to an area, claustrophobics begin to fear suffocation, believing that there may be a lack of air in the area to which they are confined. Any combination of the above symptoms can lead to severe panic attacks. However, most claustrophobics do everything in their power to avoid these situations.


The irrational part is the underlying fear - whichever route you arrive to it. Often it's a fear of dying, when you really boil it down.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is really helpful. If someone is suffering from such debilitating phobia that they are confined to their home, or have just had a traumatic experience, etc - counselling is good at first to give the person the strength to engage in CBT. It's pretty exhausting and forcing someone into it when they're not ready will only reinforce the phobia.

One word of caution: sometimes a "small phobia" that you occasionally notice, but doesn't really control your behaviour too much, can grow into a debilitating phobia by stealth and by the time you notice, you're avoiding most social situations and explain to yourself why you "never really liked going out" or "enjoy quiet evenings at home". If there is a sudden trauma (a death of a loved one or redundancy or something like that), one day you might find that you can't leave your house. So get therapy when you still think "nah, I don't need therapy".

CTB is interesting at first because it feels like going against everything your brain and body are telling you. It feels like the tail trying to wag the dog.

Slowly, by identifying your unhelpful thought patterns, by reinforcing positive experiences over negative ones, and repeatedly questioning your fears as they happen (what's the worst that could happen? And has that ever happened to me?), you end up being able to overcome the previously difficult situations.

Set-backs can happen and they are fairly stressful because you think that you'd be over the phobia and bugger, here it is, making me sweat again. That's normal under situations where you've been otherwise stressed or ill or not at your full force. It doesn't mean all the hard work has just been thrown away.

Good luck! O0