Everyone fears something. But some people fear things so greatly, it can really affect their life. The extreme fears some face are what is called phobias, and is really not that uncommon. If you have a phobia you’re not alone, you are actually in the ranks with Johnny Depp, Muhammad Ali, and former President Ronald Reagan. 1 in 20 Americans suffer from a phobia...do you?
If you are one that does there are some ways to get over your phobia. One of the most common and effective ways to deal with a phobia is to flood yourself with your fear. I don’t mean to lock yourself and a hundred mice in a room filling up with water. Flooding is a term that means to surround yourself with what you are afraid of, either real or imagined until you are no longer afraid. For example, if you’re afraid of heights you can go to the top floor of a tall building and look out of the window. You are in a safe environment and you know nothing can happen to you from inside the building, so if you stay there long enough your fear of heights might eventually dissipate. If you try and it doesn’t work then it hurts nothing, but if it works then you have successfully avoided living a life ruled by fear.
There’s a phobia of that?
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – Fear of long words
Dutchphobia – Fear of the Dutch
Xanthophobia – Fear of the color Yellow
Genophobia – Fear of Sex
Helliophobia – Fear of the Sun
Apotemnophobia – Fear of persons with amputations
Chorophobia – Fear of dancing
Allodoxaphobia – Fear of Opinions
Real people, real phobias
Coulrophobia – Fear of Clowns – Chris Starner
Arachilbutyrophobia – Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth – Mr. Brisker
Musophobia – Fear of mice – Erin Dorris-Astley
Ornthophobia – Fear of birds – Katie Howard
Phobophobia – Fear of phobias – Staci Johnson
Spermatophobia – Fear of Germs – Christi Saunders
Selachophobia – Fear of Sharks – Ryan Williams
Claustrophobia – Fear of enclosed Spaces – Mrs. Skidmore
Aichmophobia – Fear of needles – Mr. Lamb
Common Phobias
Acrophobia – Fear of Heights
Autophobia – Fear of being alone
Didaskaleinophobia – Fear of going to school
Enochlophobia – Fear of crowds
Entomophobia – Fear of insects
Keraunophobia – Fear of thunder and lightening
Necrophobia – Fear of death
Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes