10 Unlikely Phobias and How to Treat Them
For a fun Top Ten this month, let’s take a look at rare phobias and some possible treatments for them!
Effective Phobia Treatment
For each of the ten phobia types below, we will use three of the most effective treatment methods for combatting phobias. Understanding, Humor, and Exposure. Understanding might look like getting to a root place of the phobia and treating the event which caused the fear in the first place. Using humor in a non-mocking, but rather compassionate way, can help the individual feel comfortable associating the fear with something less intimidating. Exposure therapy has been found to be the most effective treatments for phobias and as I have described in a previous post, may utilize something like an exposure hierarchy to gradually introduce the fear in healthy and approachable ways. For an example of an exposure hierarchy, let’s look at the number one most common phobia, Arachnophobia - The Fear of Spiders!
Low Exposure (Start Here):
Read a Book About Spiders (Ideally w/ Pictures)
Watch a Funny Video Compilation of Spiders
Envision a Spider Sitting Near You
Moderate Exposure (Keep Going!):
Sit Outside Near a Spider Web
Visit a Reptile Shop that Sells Spiders and Look at Them
High Exposure (End Here):
Go to the Butterfly Pavilion and Hold Rosie the Tarantula
Phobias:
Arachibutyrophobia - The Fear of Peanut Butter Sticking to the Roof of Your Mouth
Humor: Either no dog alive has suffered this phobia… or they all do and we are just horrible, horrible people.
Understanding: This phobia tends to follow an incident of chocking or from an allergic reaction.
Low-Level Exposure: Practice touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth and holding it there in brief intervals.
Arithmophobia - The Fear of Numbers
Humor: Making number (AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!) on our list, arithmophobia.
Understanding: This is not just the fear of math, this is the fear of seeing the symbols themselves which can be connected to dyslexia.
Low-Level Exposure: Listening to a program like School House Rock then graduating to the video.
Xanthophobia - The Fear of the Color Yellow
Humor: The sunflower… a symbol of light or an ominous warning…?
Understanding: Although rare, this can be a debilitating phobia as yellow is a color found almost everywhere, certainly once you step outside during the day. It may come from an adverse early childhood experience involving the color.
Low-Level Exposure: Try using a marker or crayon that allows you to control the creation of the color.
Ablutophobia - The Fear of Bathing
Humor: Coming at the ideal time, this phobia often sets in about the same time puberty does. On the bright side, it tends to end about the same time that people stop having cooties.
Understanding: This may stem from an incident of drowning, being forced into water, or using social isolation as a coping mechanism.
Low-Level Exposure: Help a pet bathe or perhaps clean an area that you care about in your environment, then pair that habit with washing your hands.
Globophobia - The Fear of Balloons
Humor: Carl Fredrickson’s neighbor came down with a sever case of Globophobia the second Carl went “Up!”.
Understanding: If you have seen IT, then you already get that balloons can be scary. Globophobia is most often brought on by a child experiencing a balloon popping and being afraid of the noise.
Low-Level Exposure: Hold a deflated balloon and feel the texture. Gently blow up a balloon yourself.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia - The Fear of Long Words
Humor: Mary Poppins may need a pre-film warning… Ohhhhh… Super-Cali-Fragil-Istic-Expi-Ali-Do-Cious! Umm-Diddle-Iddle-Iddle-Umm-Diddle-Aye!
Understanding: This fear is often considered to be connected to dyslexia as well and pair with the fear of being embarrassed by mispronouncing a word.
Low-Level Exposure: Daily vocabulary practice might help desensitize you to unfamiliar words and help build confidence with pronunciation.
Ephebiphobia - The Fear of Adolescents
Humor: Teachers report experiencing this phobia to a heightened severity in June and July.
Understanding: Many have difficult experiences getting through adolescence and may have a link in their mind to adolescents and bullying.
Low-Level Exposure: Address topics like bullying, change, and acceptance in therapy.
Omphalophobia - The Fear of Belly Buttons
Humor: I get what it did for me then but… what does it do for me now?!
Understanding: Some with this condition might not only avoid others belly buttons, but may also cover up their own with a bandage. They might avoid going to the beach or other areas where they may be exposed.
Low-Level Exposure: You’ve got a natural resource here that is with you everywhere you go.
Ergophobia - The Fear of Work
Humor: Studies show that the most common time to get this fear is after 4pm on a Sunday.
Understanding: I think we can all understand that a poor work-life-balance can start an unhealthy cycle. Try to focus in on your well-being before it gets too serious.
Low-Level Exposure: Pick an enjoyable task and start with that, then see how you are feeling.
Phobophobia - The Fear of Phobias
Humor: Wouldn’t you know that there is a term for being afraid of being afraid? Thanks anxiety.
Understanding: We are naturally programmed to sense danger, it is how we survive. Fearing fear may be due to an underlying level of anxiety that keeps you hyper vigilant.
Low-Level Exposure: Consider fears that you used to have that no longer bother you. How did you do that? Then consider another, and another.
What is a Fear You’ve Conquered?
Feel free to share some ideas that worked well for you! Who knows? It just might help someone conquer their fear!