IT IS ALL ABOUT PHOBIA

2008-05-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

Phobia

A phobia (from Greek: φόβος, phobos, "fear"), is an irrational, intense, persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one's control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disoder can be made.

Symptoms of a Phobia

Phobias can interfere with your ability to work, socialize, and go about a daily routine. They may focus on something as common as germs, or they may arise whenever you venture from home. A phobia that interferes with daily living can create extreme disability and should be treated.

Phobias are emotional and physical reactions to feared objects or situations. Symptoms of a phobia include the following:

*Feelings of panic, dread, horror, or terror

*Recognition that the fear goes beyond normal boundaries and the actual threat of danger

*Reactions that are automatic and uncontrollable, practically taking over the person’s thoughts

*Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, and an overwhelming desire to flee the situation—all the physical reactions associated with extreme fear

*Extreme measures taken to avoid the feared object or situation

Another common symptom experienced by people with phobias is anticipatory anxiety. Anticipatory anxiety can cause people to avoid situations in which they might have a panic attack or to avoid the objects that trigger a response of intense fear and anxiety.

When avoidance causes distress or interferes with the ability to work, socialize, or care for day-to-day needs, a psychiatric evaluation should be sought.

Risk Factors for Phobias

Most individuals with agorephobia have a history of panic disorder. There is also some evidence that agoraphobia may run in families. Also, a child who suffers seperation anxiety.

(anxiety for being away from home and immediate family) may be predisposed to developing agoraphobia.

There appears to be a link between alcoholism and social phobia . The stress associated with social phobia is thought to create an increased risk for alcohol abuse (e.g., drinking to "calm the nerves"). Similarly, the depression caused by the low self-esteem and social isolation that results from social phobia may predispose a person to alcohol abuse and dependence. Conversely, people with alcoholism tend to withdraw and become inhibited and may develop fear of being embarrassed or humiliated in social situations.

A person who has a particularly frightening or threatening experience with an animal or in certain situations may put a person at risk for developing a specific phobia. Witnessing a traumatic event in which others experience harm or extreme fear is another risk factor for specific phobia. Receiving repeated information or warnings about potentially dangerous situations or animals is also a risk factor.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is anxiety about being trapped in situations or places with no way to escape easily if anxiety or panic develops, often resulting in avoidance.

Agoraphobia is diagnosed in about 4% of women and 2% of men during any 12-month period. Most people with this disorder develop it in their early 20s. Agoraphobia rarely develops after age 40.

Although agoraphobia literally means “fear of the marketplace,” the term more specifically describes the fear of being trapped, often in a busy place filled with people, without a graceful and easy way to leave if anxiety becomes severe. Typical situations that are difficult for people with agoraphobia include the following:

Standing in line at a bank or supermarket

Sitting in the middle of a long row in a theater or classroom

Riding on a bus or airplane

Some people develop agoraphobia after experiencing a panic attack in one of these situations. Other people simply feel uncomfortable in these settings and may never, or only later, develop panic attacks. Agoraphobia often interferes with daily living, sometimes so drastically that it makes people housebound.

Treatment

If agoraphobia is not treated, it usually waxes and wanes in severity and may even disappear without formal treatment, possibly because the person has conducted some personal form of behavior therapy.

Exposure therapy, a type of behavior therapy in which people are exposed repeatedly to the anxiety-provoking situation, is the best treatment for agoraphobia. This therapy helps more than 90% of people who practice it faithfully. Cognitive-behavior therapy may also help. With this therapy, people learn to recognize when their thinking is distorted, to control the distorted thinking, and to modify their behavior accordingly. Substances that depress the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), such as alcohol or large doses of antianxiety drugs, may interfere with behavior therapy and are often tapered off before therapy is begun.

If people with agoraphobia are deeply depressed or have panic attacks, they may need to take an antidepressant.

Social Phobia

A person with specific fears being watched or humiliated while doing something in front of others. As a result, he or she avoids any situation in which such activity may be required.

The activity is often as mundane as signing a personal check, drinking a cup of coffee, buttoning a coat, or eating a meal. The most common social phobia is the fear of speaking in plubic Many people have a generalized form of social phobia, in which they fear and avoid interpersonal interactions. This makes it difficult for them to go to work or school or to socialize at all.

Social phobias generally develop after puberty and peak after the age of 30. The cause of social phobia is unknown. There is a possibility that altered function of serotonin (a neurotransmitter involved in many behaviors) may be a factor.

The list of Phobia

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing.

Acarophobia- Fear of itching or of the insects that cause itching.

Acerophobia- Fear of sourness.

Achluophobia- Fear of darkness.

Acousticophobia- Fear of noise.

Acrophobia- Fear of heights.

Aerophobia- Fear of drafts, air swallowing, or airbourne noxious substances.

Aeroacrophobia- Fear of open high places.

Aeronausiphobia- Fear of vomiting secondary to airsickness.

Agateophobia- Fear of insanity.

Agliophobia- Fear of pain.

Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets. Fear of leaving a safe place.

Agraphobia- Fear of sexual abuse.

Agrizoophobia- Fear of wild animals.

Agyrophobia- Fear of streets or crossing the street.

Aichmophobia- Fear of needles or pointed objects.

Ailurophobia- Fear of cats.

Albuminurophobia- Fear of kidney disease.

Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.

Algophobia- Fear of pain.

Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic.

Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions.

Altophobia- Fear of heights.

Amathophobia- Fear of dust.

Amaxophobia- Fear of riding in a car.

Ambulophobia- Fear of walking.

Amnesiphobia- Fear of amnesia.

Amychophobia- Fear of scratches or being scratched.

Anablephobia- Fear of looking up.

Ancraophobia- Fear of wind. (Anemophobia)

Androphobia- Fear of men.

Anemophobia- Fear of air drafts or wind.(Ancraophobia)

Anginophobia- Fear of angina, choking or narrowness.

Anglophobia- Fear of England or English culture, etc.

Angrophobia - Fear of anger or of becoming angry.

Ankylophobia- Fear of immobility of a joint.

Anthrophobia or Anthophobia- Fear of flowers.

Anthropophobia- Fear of people or society.

Antlophobia- Fear of floods.

Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single.

Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity.

Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched. (Haphephobia)

Apiphobia- Fear of bees.

Apotemnophobia- Fear of persons with amputations.

Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.

Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders.

Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers.

Arrhenphobia- Fear of men.

Arsonphobia- Fear of fire.

Asthenophobia- Fear of fainting or weakness.

Astraphobia or Astrapophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.(Ceraunophobia, Keraunophobia)

Astrophobia- Fear of stars or celestial space.

Asymmetriphobia- Fear of asymmetrical things.

Ataxiophobia- Fear of ataxia. (muscular incoordination)

Ataxophobia- Fear of disorder or untidiness.

Atelophobia- Fear of imperfection.

Atephobia- Fear of ruin or ruins.

Athazagoraphobia- Fear of being forgotton or ignored or forgetting.

Atomosophobia- Fear of atomic explosions.

Atychiphobia- Fear of failure.

Aulophobia- Fear of flutes.

Aurophobia- Fear of gold.

Auroraphobia- Fear of Northern lights.

Autodysomophobia- Fear of one that has a vile odor.

Automatonophobia- Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues - anything that falsly represents a sentient being.

Automysophobia- Fear of being dirty.

Autophobia- Fear of being alone or of oneself.

Aviophobia or Aviatophobia- Fear of flying.

Bacillophobia- Fear of microbes.

Bacteriophobia- Fear of bacteria.

Ballistophobia- Fear of missiles or bullets.

Bolshephobia- Fear of Bolsheviks.

Barophobia- Fear of gravity.

Basophobia or Basiphobia- Inability to stand. Fear of walking or falling.

Bathmophobia- Fear of stairs or steep slopes.

Bathophobia- Fear of depth.

Batophobia- Fear of heights or being close to high buildings.

Batrachophobia- Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc.

Belonephobia- Fear of pins and needles. (Aichmophobia)

Bibliophobia- Fear of books.

Blennophobia- Fear of slime.

Bogyphobia- Fear of bogeys or the bogeyman.

Botanophobia- Fear of plants.

Bromidrosiphobia or Bromidrophobia- Fear of body smells.

Brontophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.

Bufonophobia- Fear of toads.

Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness.

Cainophobia or Cainotophobia- Fear of newness, novelty.

Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women.

Cancerophobia or Carcinophobia- Fear of cancer.

Cardiophobia- Fear of the heart.

Carnophobia- Fear of meat.

Catagelophobia- Fear of being ridiculed.

Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places.

Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting.

Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors.

Cenophobia or Centophobia- Fear of new things or ideas.

Ceraunophobia or Keraunophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.(Astraphobia, Astrapophobia)

Chaetophobia- Fear of hair.

Cheimaphobia or Cheimatophobia- Fear of cold.(Frigophobia, Psychophobia)

Chemophobia- Fear of chemicals or working with chemicals.

Cherophobia- Fear of gaiety.

Chionophobia- Fear of snow.

Chiraptophobia- Fear of being touched.

Chirophobia- Fear of hands.

Cholerophobia- Fear of anger or the fear of cholera.

Chorophobia- Fear of dancing.

Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia- Fear of money.

Chromophobia or Chromatophobia- Fear of colors.

Chronophobia- Fear of time.

Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks.

Cibophobia- Fear of food.(Sitophobia, Sitiophobia)

Claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces.

Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia- Fear of being locked in an enclosed place.

Cleptophobia- Fear of stealing.

Climacophobia- Fear of stairs, climbing, or of falling downstairs.

Clinophobia- Fear of going to bed.

Clithrophobia or Cleithrophobia- Fear of being enclosed.

Cnidophobia- Fear of stings.

Cometophobia- Fear of comets.

Coimetrophobia- Fear of cemeteries.

Coitophobia- Fear of coitus.

Contreltophobia- Fear of sexual abuse.

Coprastasophobia- Fear of constipation.

Coprophobia- Fear of feces.

Consecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticks.

Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns.

Counterphobia- The preference by a phobic for fearful situations.

Cremnophobia- Fear of precipices.

Cryophobia- Fear of extreme cold, ice or frost.

Crystallophobia- Fear of crystals or glass.

Cyberphobia- Fear of computers or working on a computer.

Cyclophobia- Fear of bicycles.

Cymophobia or Kymophobia- Fear of waves or wave like motions.

Cynophobia- Fear of dogs or rabies.

Cypridophobia or Cypriphobia or Cyprianophobia or Cyprinophobia - Fear of prostitutes or venereal disease.

Decidophobia- Fear of making decisions.

Defecaloesiophobia- Fear of painful bowels movements.

Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations.

Dementophobia- Fear of insanity.

Demonophobia or Daemonophobia- Fear of demons.

Demophobia- Fear of crowds. (Agoraphobia)

Dendrophobia- Fear of trees.

Dentophobia- Fear of dentists.

Dermatophobia- Fear of skin lesions.

Dermatosiophobia or Dermatophobia or Dermatopathophobia- Fear of skin disease.

Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.

Diabetophobia- Fear of diabetes.

Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school.

Dikephobia- Fear of justice.

Dinophobia- Fear of dizziness or whirlpools.

Diplophobia- Fear of double vision.

Dipsophobia- Fear of drinking.

Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone.

Domatophobia- Fear of houses or being in a house.(Eicophobia, Oikophobia)

Doraphobia- Fear of fur or skins of animals.

Doxophobia- Fear of expressing opinions or of receiving praise.

Dromophobia- Fear of crossing streets.

Dutchphobia- Fear of the Dutch.

Dysmorphophobia- Fear of deformity.

Dystychiphobia- Fear of accidents.

Ecclesiophobia- Fear of church.

Ecophobia- Fear of home.

Eicophobia- Fear of home surroundings.(Domatophobia, Oikophobia)

Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors or of seeing oneself in a mirror.

Electrophobia- Fear of electricity.

Eleutherophobia- Fear of freedom.

Elurophobia- Fear of cats. (Ailurophobia)

Emetophobia- Fear of vomiting.

Enetophobia- Fear of pins.

Enochlophobia- Fear of crowds.

Enosiophobia or Enissophobia- Fear of having committed an unpardonable sin or of criticism.

Entomophobia- Fear of insects.

Eosophobia- Fear of dawn or daylight.

Ephebiphobia- Fear of teenagers.

Epistaxiophobia- Fear of nosebleeds.

Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge.

Equinophobia- Fear of horses.

Eremophobia- Fear of being oneself or of lonliness.

Ereuthrophobia- Fear of blushing.

Ergasiophobia- 1) Fear of work or functioning. 2) Surgeon's fear of operating.

Ergophobia- Fear of work.

Erotophobia- Fear of sexual love or sexual questions.

Euphobia- Fear of hearing good news.

Eurotophobia- Fear of female genitalia.

Erythrophobia or Erytophobia or Ereuthophobia- 1) Fear of redlights. 2) Blushing. 3) Red.

Febriphobia or Fibriphobia or Fibriophobia- Fear of fever.

Felinophobia- Fear of cats. (Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Galeophobia, Gatophobia)

Francophobia- Fear of France or French culture. (Gallophobia, Galiophobia)

Frigophobia- Fear of cold or cold things.(Cheimaphobia, Cheimatophobia, Psychrophobia)

Galeophobia or Gatophobia- Fear of cats.

Gallophobia or Galiophobia- Fear France or French culture. (Francophobia)

Gamophobia- Fear of marriage.

Geliophobia- Fear of laughter.

Geniophobia- Fear of chins.

Genophobia- Fear of sex.

Genuphobia- Fear of knees.

Gephyrophobia or Gephydrophobia or Gephysrophobia- Fear of crossing bridges.

Germanophobia- Fear of Germany or German culture.

Gerascophobia- Fear of growing old.

Gerontophobia- Fear of old people or of growing old.

Geumaphobia or Geumophobia- Fear of taste.

Glossophobia- Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.

Gnosiophobia- Fear of knowledge.

Graphophobia- Fear of writing or handwriting.

Gymnophobia- Fear of nudity.

Gynephobia or Gynophobia- Fear of women.

Hadephobia- Fear of hell.

Hagiophobia- Fear of saints or holy things.

Hamartophobia- Fear of sinning.

Haphephobia or Haptephobia- Fear of being touched.

Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed.

Hedonophobia- Fear of feeling pleasure.

Heliophobia- Fear of the sun.

Hellenologophobia- Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.

Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms.

Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia- Fear of blood.

Heresyphobia or Hereiophobia- Fear of challenges to official doctrine or of radical deviation.

Herpetophobia- Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things.

Heterophobia- Fear of the opposite sex. (Sexophobia)

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- Fear of the number 666.

Hierophobia- Fear of priests or sacred things.

Hippophobia- Fear of horses.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.

Hobophobia- Fear of bums or beggars.

Hodophobia- Fear of road travel.

Hormephobia- Fear of shock.

Homichlophobia- Fear of fog.

Homilophobia- Fear of sermons.

Hominophobia- Fear of men.

Homophobia- Fear of sameness, monotony or of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual.

Hoplophobia- Fear of firearms.

Hydrargyophobia- Fear of mercurial medicines.

Hydrophobia- Fear of water or of rabies.

Hydrophobophobia- Fear of rabies.

Hyelophobia or Hyalophobia- Fear of glass.

Hygrophobia- Fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture.

Hylephobia- Fear of materialism or the fear of epilepsy.

Hylophobia- Fear of forests.

Hypengyophobia or Hypegiaphobia- Fear of responsibility.

Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.

Hypsiphobia- Fear of height.

Iatrophobia- Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.

Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish.

Ideophobia- Fear of ideas.

Illyngophobia- Fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down.

Iophobia- Fear of poison.

Insectophobia - Fear of insects.

Isolophobia- Fear of solitude, being alone.

Isopterophobia- Fear of termites, insects that eat wood.

Ithyphallophobia- Fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis.

Japanophobia- Fear of Japanese.

Judeophobia- Fear of Jews.

Kainolophobia or Kainophobia- Fear of anything new, novelty.

Kakorrhaphiophobia- Fear of failure or defeat.

Katagelophobia- Fear of ridicule.

Kathisophobia- Fear of sitting down.

Kenophobia- Fear of voids or empty spaces.

Keraunophobia or Ceraunophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.(Astraphobia, Astrapophobia)

Kinetophobia or Kinesophobia- Fear of movement or motion.

Kleptophobia- Fear of stealing.

Koinoniphobia- Fear of rooms.

Kolpophobia- Fear of genitals, particularly female.

Kopophobia- Fear of fatigue.

Koniophobia- Fear of dust. (Amathophobia)

Kosmikophobia- Fear of cosmic phenomenon.

Kymophobia- Fear of waves. (Cymophobia)

Kynophobia- Fear of rabies.

Kyphophobia- Fear of stooping.

Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables.

Laliophobia or Lalophobia- Fear of speaking.

Leprophobia or Lepraphobia- Fear of leprosy.

Leukophobia- Fear of the color white.

Levophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the body.

Ligyrophobia- Fear of loud noises.

Lilapsophobia- Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.

Limnophobia- Fear of lakes.

Linonophobia- Fear of string.

Liticaphobia- Fear of lawsuits.

Lockiophobia- Fear of childbirth.

Logizomechanophobia- Fear of computers.

Logophobia- Fear of words.

Luiphobia- Fear of lues, syphillis.

Lutraphobia- Fear of otters.

Lygophobia- Fear of darkness.

Lyssophobia- Fear of rabies or of becoming mad.

Macrophobia- Fear of long waits.

Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking.

Maieusiophobia- Fear of childbirth.

Malaxophobia- Fear of love play. (Sarmassophobia)

Maniaphobia- Fear of insanity.

Mastigophobia- Fear of punishment.

Mechanophobia- Fear of machines.

Medomalacuphobia- Fear of losing an erection.

Medorthophobia- Fear of an erect penis.

Megalophobia- Fear of large things.

Melissophobia- Fear of bees.

Melanophobia- Fear of the color black.

Melophobia- Fear or hatred of music.

Meningitophobia- Fear of brain disease.

Menophobia- Fear of menstruation.

Merinthophobia- Fear of being bound or tied up.

Metallophobia- Fear of metal.

Metathesiophobia- Fear of changes.

Meteorophobia- Fear of meteors.

Methyphobia- Fear of alcohol.

Metrophobia- Fear or hatred of poetry.

Microbiophobia- Fear of microbes. (Bacillophobia)

Microphobia- Fear of small things.

Misophobia or Mysophobia- Fear of being contaminated with dirt or germs.

Mnemophobia- Fear of memories.

Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia- Fear of dirt or contamination.

Monophobia- Fear of solitude or being alone.

Monopathophobia- Fear of definite disease.

Motorphobia- Fear of automobiles.

Mottephobia- Fear of moths.

Musophobia or Muriphobia- Fear of mice.

Mycophobia- Fear or aversion to mushrooms.

Mycrophobia- Fear of small things.

Myctophobia- Fear of darkness.

Myrmecophobia- Fear of ants.

Mythophobia- Fear of myths or stories or false statements.

Myxophobia- Fear of slime. (Blennophobia)

Nebulaphobia- Fear of fog. (Homichlophobia)

Necrophobia- Fear of death or dead things.

Nelophobia- Fear of glass.

Neopharmaphobia- Fear of new drugs.

Neophobia- Fear of anything new.

Nephophobia- Fear of clouds.

Noctiphobia- Fear of the night.

Nomatophobia- Fear of names.

Nosocomephobia- Fear of hospitals.

Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia- Fear of becoming ill.

Nostophobia- Fear of returning home.

Novercaphobia- Fear of your step-mother.

Nucleomituphobia- Fear of nuclear weapons.

Nudophobia- Fear of nudity.

Numerophobia- Fear of numbers.

Nyctohylophobia- Fear of dark wooded areas or of forests at night

Nyctophobia- Fear of the dark or of night.

Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight.(Pocrescophobia)

Ochlophobia- Fear of crowds or mobs.

Ochophobia- Fear of vehicles.

Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.

Odontophobia- Fear of teeth or dental surgery.

Odynophobia or Odynephobia- Fear of pain. (Algophobia)

Oenophobia- Fear of wines.

Oikophobia- Fear of home surroundings, house.(Domatophobia, Eicophobia)

Olfactophobia- Fear of smells.

Ombrophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on.

Ommetaphobia or Ommatophobia- Fear of eyes.

Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams.

Oneirogmophobia- Fear of wet dreams.

Onomatophobia- Fear of hearing a certain word or of names.

Ophidiophobia- Fear of snakes. (Snakephobia)

Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at.

Opiophobia- Fear medical doctors experience of prescribing needed pain medications for patients.

Optophobia- Fear of opening one's eyes.

Ornithophobia- Fear of birds.

Orthophobia- Fear of property.

Osmophobia or Osphresiophobia- Fear of smells or odors.

Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish.

Ouranophobia or Uranophobia- Fear of heaven.

Pagophobia- Fear of ice or frost.

Panthophobia- Fear of suffering and disease.

Panophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everything.

Papaphobia- Fear of the Pope.

Papyrophobia- Fear of paper.

Paralipophobia- Fear of neglecting duty or responsibility.

Paraphobia- Fear of sexual perversion.

Parasitophobia- Fear of parasites.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia- Fear of Friday the 13th.

Parthenophobia- Fear of virgins or young girls.

Pathophobia- Fear of disease.

Patroiophobia- Fear of heredity.

Parturiphobia- Fear of childbirth.

Peccatophobia- Fear of sinning or imaginary crimes.

Pediculophobia- Fear of lice.

Pediophobia- Fear of dolls.

Pedophobia- Fear of children.

Peladophobia- Fear of bald people.

Pellagrophobia- Fear of pellagra.

Peniaphobia- Fear of poverty.

Pentheraphobia- Fear of mother-in-law. (Novercaphobia)

Phagophobia- Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten.

Phalacrophobia- Fear of becoming bald.

Phallophobia- Fear of a penis, esp erect.

Pharmacophobia- Fear of taking medicine.

Phasmophobia- Fear of ghosts.

Phengophobia- Fear of daylight or sunshine.

Philemaphobia or Philematophobia- Fear of kissing.

Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love.

Philosophobia- Fear of philosophy.

Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.

Photoaugliaphobia- Fear of glaring lights.

Photophobia- Fear of light.

Phonophobia- Fear of noises or voices or one's own voice; of telephones.

Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking.

Phthiriophobia- Fear of lice. (Pediculophobia)

Phthisiophobia- Fear of tuberculosis.

Placophobia- Fear of tombstones.

Plutophobia- Fear of wealth.

Pluviophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on.

Pneumatiphobia- Fear of spirits.

Pnigophobia or Pnigerophobia- Fear of choking of being smothered.

Pocrescophobia- Fear of gaining weight. (Obesophobia)

Pogonophobia- Fear of beards.

Poliosophobia- Fear of contracting poliomyelitis.

Politicophobia- Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians.

Polyphobia- Fear of many things.

Poinephobia- Fear of punishment.

Ponophobia- Fear of overworking or of pain.

Porphyrophobia- Fear of the color purple.

Potamophobia- Fear of rivers or running water.

Potophobia- Fear of alcohol.

Pharmacophobia- Fear of drugs.

Proctophobia- Fear of rectums.

Prosophobia- Fear of progress.

Psellismophobia- Fear of stuttering.

Psychophobia- Fear of mind.

Psychrophobia- Fear of cold.

Pteromerhanophobia- Fear of flying.

Pteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathers.

Pupaphobia - Fear of puppets.

Pyrexiophobia- Fear of Fever.

Pyrophobia- Fear of fire.

Radiophobia- Fear of radiation, x-rays.

Ranidaphobia- Fear of frogs.

Rectophobia- Fear of rectum or rectal diseases.

Rhabdophobia- Fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod, or of being severely criticized. Also fear of magic.(wand)

Rhypophobia- Fear of defecation.

Rhytiphobia- Fear of getting wrinkles.

Rupophobia- Fear of dirt.

Russophobia- Fear of Russians.

Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween.

Sarmassophobia- Fear of love play. (Malaxophobia)

Satanophobia- Fear of Satan.

Scabiophobia- Fear of scabies.

Scatophobia- Fear of fecal matter.

Scelerophibia- Fear of bad men, burglars.

Sciophobia Sciaphobia- Fear of shadows.

Scoleciphobia- Fear of worms.

Scolionophobia- Fear of school.

Scopophobia or Scoptophobia- Fear of being seen or stared at.

Scotomaphobia- Fear of blindness in visual field.

Scotophobia- Fear of darkness. (Achluophobia)

Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public.

Selachophobia- Fear of sharks.

Selaphobia- Fear of light flashes.

Selenophobia- Fear of the moon.

Seplophobia- Fear of decaying matter.

Sesquipedalophobia- Fear of long words.

Sexophobia- Fear of the opposite sex. (Heterophobia)

Siderodromophobia- Fear of trains, railroads or train travel.

Siderophobia- Fear of stars.

Sinistrophobia- Fear of things to the left or left-handed.

Sinophobia- Fear of Chinese, Chinese culture.

Sitophobia or Sitiophobia- Fear of food or eating. (Cibophobia)

Snakephobia- Fear of snakes. (Ophidiophobia)

Soceraphobia- Fear of parents-in-law.

Social Phobia- Fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations.

Sociophobia- Fear of society or people in general.

Somniphobia- Fear of sleep.

Sophophobia- Fear of learning.

Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others.

Spacephobia- Fear of outer space.

Spectrophobia- Fear of specters or ghosts.

Spermatophobia or Spermophobia- Fear of germs.

Spheksophobia- Fear of wasps.

Stasibasiphobia or Stasiphobia- Fear of standing or walking. (Ambulophobia)

Staurophobia- Fear of crosses or the crucifix.

Stenophobia- Fear of narrow things or places.

Stygiophobia or Stigiophobia- Fear of hell.

Suriphobia- Fear of mice.

Symbolophobia- Fear of symbolism.

Symmetrophobia- Fear of symmetry.

Syngenesophobia- Fear of relatives.

Syphilophobia- Fear of syphilis.

Tachophobia- Fear of speed.

Taeniophobia or Teniophobia- Fear of tapeworms.

Taphephobia Taphophobia- Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.

Tapinophobia- Fear of being contagious.

Taurophobia- Fear of bulls.

Technophobia- Fear of technology.

Teleophobia- 1) Fear of definite plans. 2) Religious ceremony.

Telephonophobia- Fear of telephones.

Teratophobia- Fear of bearing a deformed child or fear of monsters or deformed people.

Testophobia- Fear of taking tests.

Tetanophobia- Fear of lockjaw, tetanus.

Teutophobia- Fear of German or German things.

Textophobia- Fear of certain fabrics.

Thaasophobia- Fear of sitting.

Thalassophobia- Fear of the sea.

Thanatophobia or Thantophobia- Fear of death or dying.

Theatrophobia- Fear of theatres.

Theologicophobia- Fear of theology.

Theophobia- Fear of gods or religion.

Thermophobia- Fear of heat.

Tocophobia- Fear of pregnancy or childbirth.

Tomophobia- Fear of surgical operations.

Tonitrophobia- Fear of thunder.

Topophobia- Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.

Toxiphobia or Toxophobia or Toxicophobia- Fear of poison or of being accidently poisoned.

Traumatophobia- Fear of injury.

Tremophobia- Fear of trembling.

Trichinophobia- Fear of trichinosis.

Trichopathophobia or Trichophobia- Fear of hair. (Chaetophobia, Hypertrichophobia)

Triskaidekaphobia- Fear of the number 13.

Tropophobia- Fear of moving or making changes.

Trypanophobia- Fear of injections.

Tuberculophobia- Fear of tuberculosis.

Tyrannophobia- Fear of tyrants.

Uranophobia or Ouranophobia- Fear of heaven.

Urophobia- Fear of urine or urinating.

Vaccinophobia- Fear of vaccination.

Venustraphobia- Fear of beautiful women.

Verbophobia- Fear of words.

Verminophobia- Fear of germs.

Vestiphobia- Fear of clothing.

Virginitiphobia- Fear of rape.

Vitricophobia- Fear of step-father.

Walloonphobia- Fear of the Walloons.

Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.

Xanthophobia- Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.

Xenoglossophobia- Fear of foreign languages.

Xenophobia- Fear of strangers or foreigners.

Xerophobia- Fear of dryness.

Xylophobia- 1) Fear of wooden objects. 2) Forests.

Xyrophobia-Fear of razors.

Zelophobia- Fear of jealousy.

Zeusophobia- Fear of God or gods.

Zemmiphobia- Fear of the great mole rat.

Zoophobia- Fear of animals.

Escape fear of rejection or abandonment and the damage they cause to relationships

Fear of rejection can come from many sources; from being rejected as a child, or feeling abandoned or unloved.

It can come from being repeatedly rejected in other situations, but regardless of the cause, it can create real problems in the ‘here and now’.

Fear of rejection can lead to obsessiveness, clinginess or jealousy in relationships.

It can make you become too serious too soon, driving others away.

It can cause you to reject others to avoid being rejected yourself; overall it is a very damaging pattern of emotion and behavior that can cause real hurt to relationships and your enjoyment life in general.

And in addition, people often spend a lot of time looking for, and finding, ‘evidence’ to support their idea that they are being rejected…

* A partner talking to someone else can be transformed from an innocent chat into a 'sure sign' that they are about to leave you.

* Lack of contact from a friend can lead to feelings of anxiety and anger as you assume they don’t want to spend time with you.

The most important thing to understand about fear of rejection is that it is driven by emotion.

It is not thoughts that cause you to act this way, but rather the way that you feel.

Fear of confrontation and conflict

Nobody likes confrontation, conflict or disagreement, but for some the fear is much worse than a simple dislike.

For a variety of reasons, some people would rather do anything than be involved in any kind of confrontation.

This can be due to childhood learning, or previous experiences of confrontation that have had a traumatising effect, making any future conflict (or even the thought of it) laden with anxiety.

The person will then either try to escape the situation, or placate those involved in an attempt to 'smooth things over'.

In the long term, this can lead to the individual failing to consider their own needs, and even doing things they regret, or feel bad about later.

Fear of failure and enjoy pushing yourself.

Do you find it difficult to finish things properly?

Or perhaps you find yourself avoiding new situations and experiences?

Maybe you feel that you just don't push yourself to your full potential?

Fear of failure is a commonly given reason for these sorts of problems, and it certainly seems that some people find these sorts of things more difficult to overcome than others.

Whether driven by perfectionism, low tolerance of uncertainty, past experiences or childhood situations, inability to overcome fear of failure can get in the way of a successful and satisfying life.

Have you ever noticed a young kid with 'fear of failure'?

I doubt it. Children are blessed with an unstoppable curiosity about new things which drives them to try everything. Try eating it, try throwing it, try talking to it. :-)

And those adults who seem to be free of any fear of failure - what are they like?

Often, they demonstrate a similar curiosity - the ability to grasp new challenges and opportunities and extract everything they can. They race through achievement after achievement, overcome obstacles, enjoying the ride as much as the destination, just like kids, loving the experience of it.

Fear of flying

Fear of flying didn't used to be such a problem, but with the availability of cheap flights, and the increased requirement to travel for business and pleasure, more and more people are looking for help overcoming the anxiety they feel when flying.

From the sweaty palms in turbulence, to the anxiety around odd noises and movement, fear of flying can make air travel very unpleasant indeed.

Like other downloads in the Fears and Phobias series, Overcome Fear of Flying uses an incredibly effective technique to quickly decondition the fear that has become associated with being in an airplane.

"It's not rational"

Those who have experienced how it feels to be gripped by fear, way beyond what they consider rationally to be reasonable, know that there is an unconscious response causing them to feel that way.

Fear of elevators

Fear of elevators is just as real to the person suffering as a fear of being attacked is to the rest of us.

Although it may seem irrational, so are most phobias or fears. Fear is not a rational emotion; it is there to keep us safe, and so is much more powerful than thought.

That is why when dealing with a fear of elevators, or elevator phobia, we have to get rid of the fear at the same level it is generated – the unconscious mind.

Fear of new situations and unfamilar surroundings

Developing a fear of going somewhere new, or even a place too far from home, can make life difficult.

When the sufferer responds naturally by staying closer to home, the scene is set for things to get worse because with anxiety, avoidance tends to make the problem worse.

Developing internal comfort

Although the obvious 'solution' to a fear of new situations is to avoid them, it is of course the wrong one.

The way to be comfortable away from home is to generate feelings of comfort and security within yourself.

With this skill, you can be almost anywhere and remain calm and in control.

Fear of heights

Try this 20 minute audio to remove the fear permanently and painlessly.

You may feel like you are the only one that has a fear of heights but it is one of the most common fears.

Yes, it is important that we are wary when up high but for you and many others it is more than that. Even thinking about heights produces a powerful fear response.

I am sure that you have tried to be OK with heights many times. But no matter how hard you try to be calm when up high, anxiety and panic overrides what you're thinking.

Does even imagining being up high produce fear?

Right now, even just imagining yourself being on a bridge or on the top floor of a building probably fills you with panic. As a therapist many of my clients describe their experiences as feeling 'frozen' or getting a sudden and uncontrollable sense of danger.

Exam nerves

There is nothing worse than, after all your hard study, you walk into your exam and your mind goes blank. Your nerves and anxiety get the better of you and your brain simply stops working properly!

This is a well-known phenomenon in psychology - known as state-dependant memory. The state you are in determines what you can remember. If you are in a very different state to when you learned, it is hard to recall things.

If you are very anxious, your brain is simply in the wrong state for thinking!

Fear of Going Mad

Going crazy, insane, mad, nuts, losing it and going loco. There are many ways to express what happens to the human mind when it is stressed. But we often talk about madness or craziness when we really mean just stressed out. True madness is something else. And fear of madness or going crazy happens often when people just don't truly understand what true madness is and how much they can do for themselves to feel better and more sane.

Fear of going mad can be terrifying. Having a sense of control is so important and people everywhere fear 'losing it' and going mad. We all behave irrationally sometimes but when we start to feel overwhelmed it's easy to fear going mad or 'crazy.'

It's important to know that just about everyone has seriously thought they were going mad at some time or another.

Maybe there is someone in your family who had emotional difficulties and you fear that it will happen to you just because it happened to them. Having emotional problems isn't the same as 'being mad'.

What does 'mad' mean?

Madness means 'psychotic' which is a disorder in which people hallucinate visual images or sounds or even smells. During proper psychosis the contents which originate from within the mind seem to originate from outside of the mind to the point at which the person experiencing the psychosis really believes that images and sounds produced by their imaginations are actually produced by the environment. We all experience this when we dream at night-we believe that our dreams are real when we are dreaming them. The psychotic person dreams whilst awake and believes these 'dreams' or hallucinations to be real.

In fact the human brain is designed to simulate reality and make imagination seem real. During dreaming your brain simulates images, sounds and other sensations. It does this in a controlled way. So dreaming is controlled 'reality simulation' and psychosis is uncontrolled reality simulation. In order for psychosis (madness) to be happening you'd need to believe that hallucinations weren't hallucinations but in fact real.

This happens in an uncontrolled way during waking consciousness it is seen as madness if the person believes the hallucinations to be real and starts to act on them.

People can hallucinate without being crazy.

* Perfectly sane people will hallucinate if they haven't slept for a couple of nights. This isn't madness just a sign they need to sleep.

* Perfectly sane people can sometimes feel anxious for no obvious cause. This is not a sign of madness just a sign that you need to calm down.

* Perfectly sane people will behave irrationally. Sometimes this is not insanity, just a part of being human.

We might describe someone as 'mad' or 'crazy' because they experience strong anger or anxiety and, indeed, any strong emotion makes us irrational but this is not the same as madness.

Of the 1% of the population who do 'go mad' (have a psychotic episode) many of them will go on to live normal healthy lives having just had the one 'break down' so even people who do experience 'madness' at some point don't necessarily become mad forever. They move on from it.

We all have needs in life which, when they are fulfilled, make us feel more normal and 'sane.' This session will describe some of those needs so you can begin to see what you really need to feel better and more settled in your own mind.

Strong emotions make us irrational

Being irrational is caused by strong emotions - this isn't madness just irrationality and confusion brought on by strong emotion. When the emotion calms down the rationality comes back.

There are things you can do to make you feel more 'sane' one of which is to calm the emotional part of the mind down by regular and deep relaxation and comfort.

Fear of Change

Fear of change doesn't just hold you back it stops you truly living.

We humans like a sense of safety and security in our lives. Some of us need more security than others but a feeling that the world is a manageable (and to some extent predictable) place is important to all of us.

No change = security

This sense of security is partly maintained by things feeling as if they are constant and unchanging. That's why a certain amount of routine is vital for everyone.

But it's this need for security that can prevent you taking calculated risks and make you shy away from change. Fear of change steals your potential.

People have always feared change, some early humans would have feared the change brought on by people who adopted the wheel, those were the ones left behind in evolution. Some people feared electricity and others thought that going above thirty miles an hour in a train would be impossible to survive.

Fear of change robs you of possibilities

Someone once said it's not what you have done that you regret later, rather what you failed to do because you didn't even try!

And, of course, the one certainty in life is change.

As Albert Einstein said: 'Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.' And if you do what you've always done you will get what you've always got!

Won't it be great when you can embrace change and make the best of it? It's amazing how often people fear change only to have a great sense of relief when it actually happens.

Overcome fear of death and enjoy life more

Fear of death is natural if you feel threatened in some way - after all your survival instinct is an essential drive.

However when fear of death becomes a preoccupying obsessive thought then something needs to change. If you are constantly ruminating about death, or if the mere mention of the word 'death' makes you feel anxious then a natural concern has gone too far.

An overriding fear of death stop you living life properly now!

The thought that some day we won't be around any more can be hard to comprehend and cause fear and even panic. Or maybe it's the process of dying that is feared. Obsessive fear of death may originate from witnessing the death of a loved one, or even being traumatized by something on TV!

A proper perspective on death can add joy to life

Putting death into its proper perspective can allow you to see how an occasional awareness of death can add to life, making living much more enjoyable, fulfilling and meaningful.

We live in a world where for many of us death has become a taboo, something to be brushed under the carpet and ignored. Occasional awareness of death is a great motivator to do better, take life by both hands, dismiss pettiness and live more fully.

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IT IS ALL ABOUT PHOBIA