Sure, we’ve all heard of the common phobias such as claustrophobia, the fear of closed-in places, or acrophobia, the fear of heights. In fact, we all have fears; some people have more fears than others and some are severe while others are mild. [via amog]Some fears are completely unjustified,but if you say you don’t have any fears, then perhaps one thing you’re afraid of is telling the truth!
So, we’ve established that fears are normal; however, there are some individuals that are afraid of some not-so-normal things. Sure, there are some strange phobias out there, but none stranger than that of things that don’t exist.
1. Spectrophobia: Fear of ghosts (Boo!)
It’s true that some people truly believe in ghosts and some don’t so this is certainly up to your interpretation. However, with the help of Hollywood with movies such as the Poltergeist movie series, the perception of ghost, whether you believe in them or not, is highly magnified; not only on the big screen, but to the public. Movies certainly help to let our imaginations go to new heights when it comes to creepy things such as ghosts.
Most people that have spectrophobia (the fear of ghosts) realize that this is an irrational fear and that there’s truly nothing to be afraid of. These people may be afraid to be in old, empty houses, dark places, or quiet woods, especially at night; even though the logical side of them says that nothing will happen.
2. Ambulothanatophobia: Fear of zombies
Ambulothanatophobia is fear of the walking dead, or zombies. It’s a long name for something so irrational, but if you break it down, it makes sense. Ambulo is Latin for “walking”, thanato is Latin for “death”, and of course phobia means “fear”.
This is a genuine fear in which it can be argued that Hollywood is somewhat responsible for with movies such as the Resident Evil movies and Dawn of the Dead. Though most people realize that zombies aren’t real, individuals with this fear let their imaginations get the best of them.
3. Demonophobia (also called Daemonophobia): Fear of demons
Demons are said to be evil spiritual beings. Now, again we might run into an issue where some people think that demons are real while others feel that it’s nonsense. Either is fine, but individuals with this fear take the fear to the extreme and often realize that it’s irrational. Like people with spectrophobia (mentioned above), people suffering from demonophobia would most likely be afraid to go into an old, dark house, or be alone in the woods.
4. Pneumatiphobia: Fear of spirits
Pneumatiphobia, the fear of spirits, is very similar to spectrophobia and demonophobia. This fear however is more broad and open to all supposed forms of spirit life. Because some people believe that there are spirits all around us, this can be a truly dehabilitating, though the individuals who suffer from it do realize how silly it is.
5. Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches
Though there are individuals that still have a fear of witches and witchcraft, it was a lot more prominent in the days of the Salem Witch Trials.
These days, we have people who openly practice witchcraft and it’s perfectly lawful in the United States for them to do so. However, if you have wiccaphobia, this could be very disturbing.
6. Sanguivoriphobia: Fear of vampires
The literal translation of sanguivoriphobia is “the fear of blood eaters”, or quite simply put, the fear of vampires. Again, with all of the vampire movies out, some individuals are bound to go a little overboard and take things a bit too literally.
7. Teratophobia: Fear of monsters
Though not a very common fear in people over the age of ten years old, teratophobia (the fear of monsters) does indeed exist. Though for the most part, we all suffered from it as a child for at least a short amount of time.
8. Phagophobia: Fear of eating, or being eaten
Perhaps phagophobia should be a fear in farm animals or wild game animals, but it’s definitely an unreasonable fear for a human to have. Though there have been some gruesome real stories over the years of true cannibalism, the chances of you really getting eaten aren’t very good.
9. Spakafobia: Fear of aliens
Now, here’s one that can truly be controversial. Do you believe in aliens? Maybe, maybe not. Do you believe that people on Earth have ever been abducted by aliens? If you’re a believer in the movie Fire in the Sky (1993), then you certainly are. Whether you believe in aliens or alien abductions or not, most of us can agree that the chances of you getting abducted are slim to none. However, some people suffer from this fear so badly that they may even be afraid to leave their house.
10. Capgras Syndrome: Fear of an individual being replaced by an imposter
Capgras Syndrome is actually a condition, but the condition is a fear. Individuals with this condition fear that a person or people normally a spouse or immediate family member, has been abducted and replaced by an imposter that looks exactly the same.
Can you imagine trying to convince someone that you really are you? If they truly believe that you’re not, they will only get more paranoid and defensive against you for trying to convince them otherwise.
11. Ornithoscelidaphobia: Fear of dinosaurs
Individuals who suffer from ornithoscelidaphobia perhaps watched the Jurassic Park movies a little too much. As any rational person can see, the fear of dinosaurs is a truly illegitimate fear since these animals have been extinct for a long time. It’s quite possible that people suffering from this fear also realize that it’s irrational, but they can’t help it.
12. Automatonophobia: Fear of wax statues, ventriloquist dummies
The fear of wax statues and ventriloquist dummies, or automatonophobia, is caused by people thinking that these inanimate objects will come alive. While it’s true that the items these people are afraid of exist, the fear of what they believe may happen isn’t real. Of course movies such as Child’s Play harbor that fear in people. Remember Chuckie?
13. Gnomophobia: Fear of gnomes
Gnomophobia is the fear of garden gnomes. Of course no one is afraid of a garden gnome if they realize that it’s an inanimate object. However, some people are afraid that the gnome may come to life and attack them. Perhaps this is a childhood fear that some people never grew out of.
14. Santaphobia: Fear of Santa Clause
When you were a child, you may have suffered from Santaphobia, the fear of Santa Clause. Why not? Your parents try to teach you not to talk to strangers and then they put you on some fat guy’s lap. The guy is covered in hair and red clothing. What are you supposed to feel? Seriously, there are some children that have the fear for longer than a season or two and it can put a slight crimp in the holiday festivities.
15. Bogyphobia: Fear of the boogieman
Seriously, this is a true phobia. Sure, you may have feared the boogieman when you were a child, but some people don’t outgrow it. Some individuals have been known to have full blown anxiety attacks from fearing that the boogieman will get them. [lead art]
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