Irrational Fears

I found an article in my daily "Healthy Living" email called Phobias from A to Z--a list of 33 common phobias.  I clicked over and found this list:

Acrophobia: Fear of heights

Agoraphobia: Fear of being in a public place

Ailurophobia: Fear of cats

Androphobia: Fear of men

Anthropophobia: Fear of human companionship

Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders

Bathophobia: Fear of deep places

Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed spaces

Cynophobia: Fear of dogs

Entomophobia: Fear of insects

Ereuthophobia: Fear of blushing

Gamophobia: Fear of marriage

Gephyrophobia: Fear of crossing a bridge

Gymnophobia: Fear of seeing a naked person

Gynephobia: Fear of women

Hedonophobia: Fear of pleasure

Hypengyophobia: Fear of responsibility

Hypnophobia: Fear of sleep

Ichthyophobia: Fear of fish

Mysophobia: Fear of dirt

Nostophobia: Fear of going home

Nyctophobia: Fear of night or darkness

Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes 

Pathophobia: Fear of disease

Pediophobia: Fear of children or dolls

Phobophobia: Fear of phobias

Psychrophobia: Fear of the cold

Scopophobia: Fear of being stared at

Spectrophobia: Fear of mirrors

Tocophobia: Fear of childbirth

Theophobia: Fear of God

Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the number thirteen

Zoophobia: Fear of animals

My heart actually started beating a little fast as I scanned the list for my own phobia.  I admit I don't like snakes, (or heights, or bridges, or spiders) but I wouldn't say I have a phobia about them.  All things being equal, I'd prefer not to pick up a snake, I call my husband to kill spiders, I stand far back from the edge of anything high, and my legs feel weak if I have to walk across a bridge, but I can do all those things if I must.  But I can't be near a clown.  Nope. No way.  No how.

I can tell my rational self that it's an irrational fear.  I even believe it.  But that doesn't mean I can tolerate being in the presence of a clown.  Or watch a "Blue Man Group" commercial on TV.  I could NEVER watch the new Batman movie.  The commercials make my heart pound.

So that's my confession of the day.  I suffer from COULROPHOBIA:  fear of clowns.

How about you?  Any irrational fears?

Comments

[rebecca]

I used to have a neighbour who was so afraid of snakes that whenever a book with pictures came into the house she had one of her kids look through it first to make sure there were no pictures of snakes. If she happened to see a picture of a snake, it took a couple of hours for her to get her racing heart back to normal.

I hate clowns. I don't know that I'm afraid of them, but they really, really, give me the "no" feeling. Ick. Disgusting.

[rebecca]

Oh, and when Andrew was young, he was terrified of puppets. Any puppets, even little hand puppets that were children's toys. He was school age, I think, before he could face a puppet without trembling.

I think puppets must be a close relative to clowns--and costumes of any kind. I can tolerate puppets and some costumes, but I really don't like any of them. Come to think of it, I don't like ventriloquist's dummies, either.

Nothing unnatural in human form for me, thanks.

[Elle]

My irrational fear is of alligators and crocodiles. It started as a child when the pond we used to swim in gained an alligator resident. It so creeped me out, I refused to swim in it ever again. Since then I actually ask about any potential vacation spot and whether or not alligators might be present. My husband really wants to take the boys to the Everglades. I will be at a mall.

I don't consider that irrational! Alligator are dangerous beasts. They are also tricksy dangerous beasts--swimming along with only their eyeballs above the waterline. I'd NEVER swim in a pond with alligators