7 Most Interesting And Strange Phobias

A phobia is defined as a strong and irrational fear of a person, object, or situation that actually represents only a small threat, if any.  The word has its roots in the Greek term “Phobos” which means “panic”. In Greek mythology, Phobos was also the son of Ares, the god of war, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Phobos was the embodiment of fear. Alexander the Great prayed for “Phobos” before each fight to remove the fear from his heart.

Sigmund Freud studied phobias really extensively. He found out that they usually take shape during childhood. In addition, he found a significant chain of events operating within them. First, the individual experiences something traumatic. Second, the experience is so strong and painful that the  individual mistakenly places the pain caused by this trauma on the responsibility of some object, situation, or person that is related to the situation in a random way.

In other words, people suffering from phobias are not, in fact, afraid of that object, person, or situation that ostensibly causes them to panic. In reality, they are afraid of a traumatic experience that they randomly associate with a particular object, situation, or person.

From a psychiatric perspective, phobias are associated with a spectrum of anxiety disorders. A person with a phobia may fall into the grip of a severe panic attack when exposed to the subject of their fear. Many may think this is irrational, but this is how phobias work. They are illogical when viewed by the power of our reason alone. Below, we break down in a little more detail the  7 most interesting and strange phobias that people suffer from.

Chrometophobia, one of the strangest phobias

It can be hard to understand how someone might be afraid of money these days, but that’s the way it is. This particular fear is called “chrometophobia”. Some people struggling with the claws of this phobia are afraid to touch money because they think it is dirty, infiltrated by bacteria, or the cause of evil itself.

In other cases, the whole thing is a little more mysterious. In this case, the  money is subconsciously rejected and for this reason the person under influence performs acts for which he loses or fails to make money, without even realizing that this is happening. This may be the case, for example, for people who constantly lose their wallets. Or people who invest in “silly stuff” that just about no one else would show interest in.

Catisophobia

While this may be hard to believe, some people are afraid to sit down. This fear is called “catisophobia”. People with this phobia sweat, shake and may even have difficulty breathing when they see the chair they are supposed to sit on .  Sometimes it is a particular style of chair that triggers panic-like sensations.

Why would anyone develop a phobia like this? Such a phobia is the result of traumatic stress.  Behind this fear lies some painful and creepy experience. For example, the punishment given as a child to sit for a long time, or in appalling circumstances, leaves its mark. Or if a person has been tortured or otherwise experienced deep emotional pain while sitting in a chair.

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

This is indeed one of the most interesting phobias available. This phobia is also known as “thrihexaphobia” and  signifies the extreme fear of the “666” chapter.  Everything directly or indirectly related to this chapter causes the individual to experience a rampage that is difficult to control. This is something similar to what happens to many people at “13”.

As is widely known, the number “666” is biblical and is associated with the “Devil”. Because of this, many people believe this chapter will bring bad luck or warn of misfortune or catastrophe.  When a person with a phobia sees this figure on the license plate of a car or on the bill of a restaurant, he is panicked. He believes something creepy is going to happen to him. One of the most famous cases of hexacosiohexecontahexaphobia was Ronald Wilson Reagan, whose name ironically has three parts, each consisting of six letters.

Colophrophobia

While this is one of the strangest fears, it is also one of the most common. We are now talking about the fear of the clowns.  Many children suffer from this. And why not suffer?  Pellets dress and make up in a way that is not overly restrained. Their big eyes and exaggerated mouths can make a child run like a child. For this reason, pellets have often been given the dubious honor of starring in various horror films.

The fear of clowns is primarily due to the fear that their appearance may have caused. Obviously, there is no need to attach any other feminine activity to this.  However, some parents force their children to tolerate clowns because they find this fear completely illogical.  The problem with such an approach is that forcing a child to face their fears in this way directly only buries the fear deeper, allowing it to remain affected for the rest of its life.

Clinophobia

This phobia is the fear of going to bed or sleeping. This is one of the most varied phobias because this fear comes from so many different sources. Some children fear that if they fall asleep, they may die while sleeping.  Interestingly, they often don’t feel the same fear of sleeping in a chair.

Others, on the other hand, think that something, like some kind of demon or monster, might be hiding in the dark or under spaces. Others, on the other hand, are a little more realistic and feel that if they go to bed to sleep, they may lose control of their sphincter muscles.  Naturally, almost all sufferers of clinophobia also suffer from insomnia. This is because going to bed causes them such tremendous anxiety.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

This strange phobia is the fear of long words. In addition, the phobia covers the fear of strange words.  It is somehow funny that in itself such a long and strange word has been chosen to describe this compulsive fear. How can you ask for help if you experience physical horror just trying to voice your problem out loud?

The truth, however, is that this fear has little to do with the words themselves. This fear is rather a manifestation of an inability to understand or pronounce long words correctly.  Basically, we are now referring to the fear of being ridiculed or otherwise under-represented. Most obviously  this is related to shyness.

Ablutophobia

It’s pretty sure each of us feels like someone’s dirt is creepy. There are those types of people who wash their hands every five minutes and are disgusted by just about anything that can be dirty or in the buttocks. At the other end of this spectrum  are people who suffer from ablutophobia. This means feeling panic about water and soap .

In the most extreme cases, sufferers can spend months or even years without taking a shower.  They believe soap and water can make them sick. In fact, some even believe they can drown in the shower. Others, on the other hand, experience really great fear when they get wet. This fear is usually caused by some traumatic experience of cleansing or cleanliness.