The Real Fear Factor

There are plenty of phobias out there.  Some are stranger than others; ranging anywhere from papaphobia (fear of the pope) to arachnophobia (fear of spiders).  Before writing this blog I understood that there are a lot of phobias, but I did not realize the extremity of them.  There is a phobia for almost anything.  But my fear is that these phobias aren't being faced. (I wonder what kind of name they could come up with for that fear.)

It's easy to say "I have a fear of doctors, I am Iatrophobic."  This makes the fear seem concrete and potent in one's life.  When people have a slight fear of something, most people will stay away from it.  They just accept the mindset "Well, I'm afraid of that."  We name our fears as if they're our pets; nurturing to their needs by avoiding any factor of that phobia which may consequently lead to some form of discomfort.  Giving names to these fears make them seem as if they cannot be fixed.  People aren't meant to diagnose themselves, especially without fighting back..  A true diagnosis would consist of the three D's (deviant, dysfunctional, and distressful).  Once a fear is intrusive in one's life, affects many areas of one's life, and causes one great stress, then a diagnosis may be made.  Without these indicators, a problematic fear may not be considered a full-blown disorder or phobia.  

Here is a website with comments from people with strange "phobias."  Some tell their source of the fear which makes those phobia appear more valid.

One example from that website is the fear of cars.  He says it is the result of having nightmares of being run over as a child.  This is the source of his fear.  Perhaps with enough exposure to automobiles, and by coming to the realization that the nightmares weren't real, he may be able to combat his fear of cars.  Here is an article about the idea of simply facing your fears, which offers great advice.  

Finding the origin of the phobia may lead to the triumphant end of it.  One method is reducing your heart rate by breathing in the presence of your fear, which results in a reduction of anxious discomfort.  There are plenty of universal ways to cope with fear, so check them out before diagnosing yourself as a lost cause.