Conquering Our Phobias
The biological underpinnings of paralyzing fears
Specific Phobias
Officially, about 8 percent of adults suffer from one or more phobias. The real number is probably higher.
Animal phobias. Fear of snakes and spiders makes evolutionary sense. We couldn't survive as a species without fear.
Panic disorder. People afflicted cannot predict when the next wave of agony will occur, so the cycle of avoidance begins.
Exposure therapy. Coming face to face with your deepest fear; over and over again, can eventually help to extinguish it.
Agoraphobia. Literally translated from the Greek, as the fear of the marketplace, today it might be called the fear of the mall.
Gamophobia Fear of marriage.
Rhytiphobia Fear of getting wrinkles.
Arachibutyrophobia Fear of peanut butter's sticking to the roof of one's mouth.
Homilophobia Fear of sermons.
Onomatophobia Fear of hearing certain words.
Ephebiphobia Fear of teenagers.
Genuphobia Fear of knees.
Necrophobia Fear of death.
Scholeciphobia Fear of worms.
Anuptaphobia Fear of staying single.
Myxophobia Fear of slime.
Amychophobia Fear of being scratched.
Chionophobia Fear of snow.
Novercaphobia Fear of your stepmother.
Coulrophobia Fear of clowns.
Catagelophobia Fear of being ridiculed.
Euphobia Fear of hearing good news.
Myctophobia Fear of darkness.
Sources For Help
Freedom From Fear (888) 442-2022; www.freedomfromfear.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) (240) 485-1001; www.adaa.org
Virtually Better (virtual-reality therapy) (440) 634-3400; www.virtuallybetter.com
Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center (914) 681-1038; www.phobia-anxiety.org
Ross Center for Anxiety (202) 363-1010; www.rosscenter.com
Famous people and famous fears
Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Europe but was crippled throughout his life by ailurophobia, the fear of cats.
Queen Elizabeth I is said to have been terrorized by roses, a subcategory of anthophobia, a generalized fear of flowers.
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, who coined the term "anxiety attack," suffered most of his life from agoraphobia, literally the fear of the marketplace, or open or crowded spaces.
Edgar Allan Poe suffered for much of his life from claustrophobia, a disorder also endured by HARRY HOUDINI and ADOLF HITLER.
Donald Trump might not wow a potential boss in a job interview because of his chirophobia: fear of shaking hands.
Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire, lived his final years immobilized by mysophobia, or fear of germs. Nonetheless, he lived in squalor.
Andre Agassi may ace many of his serves, and he still boasts a wicked backhand, but if a spider happens to crawl onto the court, his steely composure may crack, as he suffers from arachnophobia.
Cher and Whoopi Goldberg are unlikely to sit in first class together because of their fear of flying, or aviophobia. Fellow sufferers include former NFL coach JOHN MADDEN and songbird ARETHA FRANKLIN.
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