What is a Phobia?
The word phobia means fear. Phobia is form of anxiety or irrational fear (or aversion) to a specific Object or a situation. It will generally result in as Panic Attack of Fight of Flight as we covered in What Is Anxiety.
What causes a phobia?
It’s difficult to know what seems to cause phobias, but there are usually several factors that may indicate a possible root cause.
Although most phobias can be detected at an early stage in life or early childhood.
As the child matures it’s possible that phobia will weaken as they grow older no longer an issue in later life. Sadly in some the Phobia grows stronger as the child becomes an adult.
Phobia can be linked to a particular incident or trauma; for example, a child who experiences a lot of turbulence on a plane might develop a phobia about flying.
Phobias can be “learned responses”, picked up in early life – you might develop the same specific phobia as a parent or older sibling. It has also been shown that factors in the family environment, such as parents who are very worried or anxious, can have an effect on the way you cope with anxiety in later life.
There does seem to be some evidence that genetics can play a role – some people appear to be born with a tendency to be more anxious than others.
What are the Symptoms of a Phobic Response?
You won’t normally show any signs that you have that Phobia. Its only when the situation presents itself you will know and experience a severity of anxiety. However. In some cases the phobia is extreme, then even thinking about the phobia can provoke high levels of anxiety.
Some of the most common signs and symptoms of phobia are: Nausea, shortness of breath or tight chest, racing heart, palpitations, chest pain, sweating, trembling, fear of losing control.
The symptoms alone can make you more anxious, and this result in the release of more adrenaline (fight or flight response) and this can lead to a full-blown panic attack. Feeling will eventually pass, but you may feel stressed or overwhelmed by them.
Although these feelings will pass, you may feel stressed and frightened by them, and this can lead to feeling out of control and overwhelmed. Afterwards, looking back, you may feel depressed and embarrassed about it.
Why Can’t I Control My Fear Response?
The brain has been conditioned due the phobia in the part of the brain called the Amygdala. This is responsible for storing situations that it considers dangerous.
Once a situation or object has been stored as dangerous any future connection with the trigger initiates the fight or flight response or panic attack.
It is a fast and powerful response because it is key to our survival. And because this all occurs in a primitive part of the brain the conscious mind cannot control what happens. Basically you can’t just tell yourself to stop being anxious.
Common phobias include: spiders, flying on planes, using lifts, enclosed spaces, speaking in public, going outside, dentists, doctors, needles, hospitals, driving, the dark, thunder storms, dogs, cats, rats, mice, snakes, fish, clowns, balloons, vegetables and, literally anything else you can think of.
A
Achluophobia – Fear of darkness.
Acrophobia – Fear of heights.
Aerophobia – Fear of flying.
Agliophobia – Fear of pain.
Aichmophobia – Fear of needles or pointed objects.
Amaxophobia – Fear of riding in a car.
Androphobia – Fear of men.
Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders.
Astraphobia – Fear of thunder and lightening.
Ataxophobia – Fear of disorder or untidiness.
Atelophobia – Fear of imperfection.
Atychiphobia – Fear of failure.
Autophobia – Fear of being alone.
B
Bacteriophobia – Fear of bacteria.
Barophobia – Fear of gravity.
Bathmophobia – Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Batrachophobia – Fear of amphibians.
Belonephobia – Fear of pins and needles.
Bibliophobia – Fear of books.
Botanophobia – Fear of plants.
C
Cacophobia – Fear of ugliness.
Catoptrophobia – Fear of mirrors.
Chionophobia – Fear of snow.
Chromophobia – Fear of colors.
Chronomentrophobia – Fear of clocks.
Coulrophobia – Fear of clowns.
Cynophobia – Fear of dogs.
D
Dendrophobia – Fear of trees.
Dentophobia – Fear of dentists.
Domatophobia – Fear of houses.
Dystychiphobia – Fear of accidents.
E
Ecophobia – Fear of the home.
Elurophobia – Fear of cats.
Entomophobia – Fear of insects.
Ephebiphobia – Fear of teenagers.
Equinophobia – Fear of horses.
G
Gamophobia – Fear of marriage.
Genuphobia – Fear of knees.
Glossophobia – Fear of speaking in public.
Gynophobia – Fear of women.
H
Heliophobia – Fear of the sun.
Hemophobia – Fear of blood.
Herpetophobia – Fear of reptiles.
Hydrophobia – Fear of water.
Hypochondria – Fear of illness.
I
Iatrophobia – Fear of doctors.
Insectophobia – Fear of insects.
K
Koinoniphobia – Fear of rooms.
L
Leukophobia – Fear of the color white.
Lilapsophobia – Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
Lockiophobia – Fear of childbirth.
M
Mageirocophobia – Fear of cooking.
Melanophobia – Fear of the color black.
Microphobia – Fear of small things.
Mysophobia – Fear of dirt and germs.
N
Necrophobia – Fear of death or dead things.
Noctiphobia – Fear of the night.
Nosocomephobia – Fear of hospitals.
Nyctophobia – Fear of the dark.
O
Obesophobia – Fear of gaining weight.
Octophobia – Fear of the figure 8.
Ombrophobia – Fear of rain.
Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes.
Ornithophobia – Fear of birds.
P
Papyrophobia – Fear of paper.
Pathophobia – Fear of disease.
Pedophobia – Fear of children.
Podophobia – Fear of feet.
Porphyrophobia – Fear of the color purple.
Pteridophobia – Fear of ferns.
Pteromerhanophobia – Fear of flying.
Pyrophobia – Fear of fire.
S
Samhainophobia – Fear of Halloween.
Scolionophobia – Fear of school.
Selenophobia – Fear of the moon.
Somniphobia – Fear of sleep.
T
Tachophobia – Fear of speed.
Technophobia – Fear of technology.
Tonitrophobia – Fear of thunder.
Trypanophobia – Fear of needles / injections.
V-Z
Venustraphobia – Fear of beautiful women.
Verminophobia – Fear of germs.
Wiccaphobia – Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xenophobia – Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Zoophobia – Fear of animals.
Hypnotherapy for Specific Phobia
Tachophobia – Fear of speed.
Technophobia – Fear of technology.
Tonitrophobia – Fear of thunder.
Trypanophobia – Fear of needles / injections.
V-Z
Venustraphobia – Fear of beautiful women.
Verminophobia – Fear of germs.
Wiccaphobia – Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xenophobia – Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Zoophobia – Fear of animals.
Hypnotherapy for Specific Phobia
