10 Most Common Phobia

1. Arachnophobia

Fear of Spiders.

Spiders usually make you feel uncomfortable.

More women suffer from arachnophobia than men.

You would be searching for spiders upon entering a room and when opening a closet or wardrobe.

The thought of a creepy hairy crawly lurking in the dark would be enough to trigger panic attack.

It cannot be imagine what your reaction would be, if the creepy hairy crawly landed on you.

Arachnophobia is a cultural fear, passed down to us for centuries.

Spiders were once believed to be the cause of the bubonic plague.

2. Socialphobia

Fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations.

Socialphobia is also called social anxiety disorder, a fear of social situations where you may be feeling embarrassed or fear of being judged.

If you have socialphobia you may be excessively self-conscious and afraid of humiliating yourself in front of others.

Often it is mistaken for extreme shyness.

Socialphobia is an intense discomfort around people and large crowds can be terrifying.

Even in small groups of 2 or 3 people can be acutely uncomfortable for you.

3. Aerophobia

Fear of flying.

You are horrified at the prospect of flying, travel by air on an airplane.

Actually aerophobia is a combination of other common phobias,

Agoraphobia

Fear of being stuck in inescapable places.

Claustrophobia

Fear of being trapped in small confined spaces.

Brontophobia

Fear of heights.

Necrophobia

Fear of death.

Aerophobia is understandable.

The fear of an impending disaster, aerophobia affects millions of people around the world.

4. Agoraphobia

Fear of being stuck in inescapable places.

Agoraphobia is a form of anxiety disorder.

You fear social situations where emergency assistance may not be readily available, in areas where an escape route is unclear or help unavailable in the event of developing sudden panic-like symptoms.

And you are petrified of being in unfamiliar places, surrounded by unfamiliar people.

However, you are perfectly comfortable accepting visitors in a defined space (comfort zone) you feel in control of.

5. Claustrophobia

Fear of being trapped in small confined spaces.

Claustrophobia is an irrational fear of small enclosed areas or tight spaces.

Places such as elevators, closets, Ferris wheel cabins or cable cars.

As soon as you enter a room, you mark or note all exit points and always stay near them.

Claustrophobia is a learned fear, acquired when you experienced panic attack.

Example, while looking for something in the storeroom, the door suddenly closed behind you, the light switch not working, you are in total darkness and the door could not be open from inside.

6. Acrophobia

Fear of heights.

"Vertigo" is commonly used to describe this fear.

When you are at height, your anxiety levels increases and you are gripping with fear.

These conditions lead to an inability to move or immobility.

Acrophobia can also urge you to jump from heights in order to escape the situation.

Simple tasks like climbing stairs and changing a light bulb can be impossibly difficult and unthinkable.

Acrophobia is a learned condition that affects your quality of life.

7. Emetophobia

Fear of vomit.

Emetophobia is surprisingly common.

This phobia begins at any age, although you may think that emetophobia affects mostly children.

You fear vomiting or watching others vomit.

Emetophobia is a learned reaction resulting from a vomiting event after food poisoning or similar circumstances, eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Emetophobia may be related to fear of food.

8. Carcinophobia

Fear of cancer.

You worry about getting cancer or might suffer from this disease.

And think that cancer is contagious.

You feel uncomfortable to be near or having any contact with someone who has cancer.

As a carcinophobics you often jump to conclusions at the slightest bodily discomfort, believing that a stomach ache means you have contracted cancer and a headache is a sure sign of brain tumor.

Carcinophobia can be triggered by life circumstances and the media, reporting news of person having suffered from cancer and died from the disease.

9. Brontophobia

Fear of thunderstorms.

Most brontophobia sufferer are children but this phobia also affects adults.

The sudden sound of thunder loud explosion usually the triggers brontophobes.

You will fill uncomfortable at the sight of thunderclouds gathering, rain or wet weather.

During storms, cloudy and rainy day, you often hide in closets, under your beds, in cupboards and places where you cannot hear or see the storm.

You would also be changing television channels and radio stations looking at weather report or information.

The fear of being struck by lightning is constantly present in your mind.

10. Necrophobia

Fear of death.

Necrophobia is the fear of death, fear of corpses or dead things in general.

Thanatophobia is the term used to describe the fear of your own death or dying.

Necrophobia can be triggered by,

Life circumstances

Paranormal encounter, example: ghost.

Being exposed to a corpse when there is a death in the family or relatives.

News reports

Scene of horrifying war death, suicide and murder.

Televisions and Cinemas

Watching ghost and scary movies.

Necrophobia commonly triggered by seeing, watching or thinking about dead humans and other negative thoughts.

You would have trouble sleeping or going to sleep.

Getting Past Your Phobia and Fear

Most phobias are learned reactions to feared events and any learned reaction can be modified.

Being irrational is very real to you.

When you are exposed to the feared stimulus, a panic attack ensues causing excessive perspiration, dry mouth, high levels of anxiety, heavy breathing and even immobility.

With proper treatment and counseling, your phobias can be resolved so that you can continue with your normal and fulfilling lives.

Posted by: Mo Salle