Four Rare Phobias You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

a man in fear

Fear is a common and essential human emotion. Without fear we would act recklessly and end up endangering ourselves and even risking our lives. Fear allows us to be cautious, to think before acting, and to avoid certain people and situations which may compromise our health and wellbeing. However, experienced in excess, fear can become limiting and restrictive, impeding our quality of life by holding us back from new experiences or making us wary of things unnecessarily. When fear is experienced in irrational excess, objects of that fear are known as phobias. Properly defined, phobias are irrational and extreme fears. For example, many of us may not particularly enjoy the circus or find humor in clowns, but those of us who may be classified as coulrophobic have an extreme fear of clowns which can lead to strong adverse reactions upon seeing a clown or hearing the word mention. This might include triggering a panic attack. This is characterized by trembling or shaking, increased heart rate, sweating, and shortness of breath, to name a few more obvious symptoms.

While many of us may be familiar with certain popular phobias such as claustrophobia, or fear of closed, confining spaces, or arachnophobia, fear of spiders, there are actually a myriad of existing phobias that many people suffer from all over the world. In this article, we shall discuss 4 lesser known phobias and what they actually mean as well as possible triggers to look out for should you or someone you know struggle with any one or more in particular.

Four Rare Phobias You May Have Never Heard Of

1. Ailurophobia

Ailurophobia translates to fear of cats. This phobia is characterized not necessarily by a hatred or loathing of felines, but rather by a response to cats that is similar to how many people might react to seeing a rat, spider, or snake in their path. Triggers for this phobia include any situation in which an individual may see, hear, or feel a cat, or if they imagine a situation in which they do. Like many phobias, ailurophobia varies in severity on an individual basis, but in many cases it is perfectly treatable. Treatment is normally conducted by a psychiatrist or therapist who works with the patient to understand their phobia, its origins, and slowly work with them to lessen the intensity of their phobia so that they might be able live more happily without having to worry of whether or not they might encounter the popular household pet.

2. Bibliophobia

Bibliophobia is the irrational fear of books. More than just a dislike of the tangible object, those with bibliophobia tend to fear what books represent or the effects that they can have on people. After all, knowledge is very influential, and it is this very influence that a bibliophile may fear. However, some bibliophiles are less afraid of the function of books and instead fear the very act of reading, particularly if aloud. Bibliophobia may arise if an individual has an existing reading disability in which case they are predisposed to becoming nervous when confronted with having to read, especially in front of others. Although, is is not necessarily always the case. The roots of bibliophobia are varied, but the focus on books and reading remains. Bibliophobia, like most phobias, is incredibly life limiting, and thus it is recommended that individuals with bibliophobia seek treatment immediately. A therapist treating someone with bibliophobia is likely to encourage their patient to adopt a different perspective about reading and even work with them to get them to grow comfortable with the act of reading according to their own pace. In any case, treatment can be a pivotal means of healthy and normal life function for the bibliophobe in a word surrounded by the importance of books and literature.

3. Leukophobia

This phobia is one of the rarer phobias that exist. Leukophobia is fear of the color white, which, although seemingly straightforward in terms of object of fear, is actually more complex once examined more closely. Those who are Leukophobic are most likely not just afraid of the color white but afraid of the connotations of that color and what it might represent to them. For example, an individual who experienced a traumatic incident with snow or an accident may associate this experience with anything that is colored white and, consequently, transfer their fear of that incident onto the color which they feel represent it. Leukophobia can be obsessive, with individuals suffering from this phobia going out of their way to make sure their homes and wardrobe contain as little to no white as possible to avoid triggering their phobia or agitation. Some individuals with leukophobia, however, appear to have no obvious traumatic basis for their fear and simply dislike the color. In any case, the best way to treat leukophobia is to discover the real cause of the phobia and address that. In doing so, individuals suffering from leukophobia may be able to overcome their irrational fear and live life as a normally functioning person unlimited by their chromatic phobia.

4. Sesquipedalophobia (Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia)

The irony here is incredibly strong. Sesquipedalophobia, alternatively known as Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, is perhaps more easily referred to as the irrational fear of long words. The exact cause or causes of this phobia are unknown, but some suspect that it may be rooted in a lack of education as that may make larger words more difficult to read or pronounce, leading to potential experiences of embarrassment and/or humiliation. However, these claims require closer examination before they can be determined to be true or not. In any case, individuals with this phobia may be triggered by any instance in which they are confronted by long, complex, or difficult to pronounce words. That being said, this phobia, as well as each of the others, can be treated through therapy and self-reflection to determine the true source of the phobia and how the patient might be able to gradually overcome their aversion to long words.