November 2018 Costa Link Magazine.qxp_Editorial Layout 24/10/18 12:38 pm Page 30
of the most unusual phobias
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1) Xanthophobia: A fear of the colour yellow...
Sufferers of xanthophobia may fear anything yellow, including the sun, daffodils and yellow paint. In its most aggressive form xanthophobic symptoms may include an overwhelming fear of even the phrase yellow.
2) Turophobia: A fear of cheese...
Sufferers of Turophobia usually associate cheese with a traumatic memory. From cheddar to mozzarella turophobes often have to run away if they so much as see a slice of cheese. Some may fear one type of cheese while others may fear cheese altogether.
3) Somniphobia: A fear of falling asleep...
Somniphobia comprises often irrational and excessive fear of sleep. Somniphobes may fear falling asleep because they associate going to bed with dying. It may also result from a feeling of lack of control or from suffering repeated nightmares. Somniphobics may also fear losing time while sleeping.
4) Coulrophobia: A fear of clowns...
Coulrophobia is a relatively common phobia, and usually present in children according to various surveys. Having grown up with films such as “IT’ & Chucky it’s no surprise many of us have a slight loathing of clowns. The 'scary clown' has often been used in popular culture, for example in the form of the Joker in Batman comics and film adaptations. Coulrophobia has some celebrity sufferers- namely Daniel Radcliffe and Johnny Depp. Depp said of his clown fear: "it’s impossible, thanks to their painted-on smiles, to distinguish if they are happy or if they are about to bite your face off."
5) Hylophobia:
A fear of trees... Hylo-
phobia involves an irrational fear of wood, forest, or trees. It is often caused by exposure to films and fairy tales which involve scary woods in childhood. Many sufferers don't grow out of the phobia and any walk in a scenic setting can trigger anxiety. Hylophobes suffer extreme anxiety when they simply think about a wood.
6) Omphalophobia: A fear of the navel..
Omphalophobia is the fear of belly buttons. Sufferers are afraid to have their belly buttons touched, or to touch another person's belly button. The fear is often linked with the belly button's association to the umbilical cord and a mother's womb. Omphalophobes can be repulsed just by seeing or thinking about a belly button.