Strange and Unusual Phobias

A lot of people are afraid of the dark, of dying, of snakes, spiders, and creepy crawlers in general, but there are some more interesting phobias out there that are less common. It's important, however, to take a closer look at the phobias to try to understand them.

Ambulophobia is the fear of walking, and while the fear itself sounds odd, it becomes understandable when a site like Depression Guide describes it as "common in people who had been through a leg injury recently". (1) In that circumstance, the trepidation is explained. A similar explanation is found on the British website Null Hypothesis about the fear of sitting down, kathisophobia. The site recounts the story of a man who hated his job, at which he had to sit all day, and ended up jumping whenever he had to sit down. (2)

The writer of the blog "The Sushi Files" admitted to having arachibutyrophobia, which is fear to peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth. "I mean I love peanut butter...But whenever it touches the roof of my mouth I think I'm going to die," he/she writes. (3) Such a fear can make someone avoid the food completely, and as the writer states, he/she avoids the peanut butter aisle in the supermarket and can't be around those who are eating it.

It can be argued that there's a fear for anything, or some fears are so off-kilter that they are disputed. In their list of "Top Ten Weird Phobias", Null Hypothesis debunked paraskavedekatriaphobia (the fear of Friday the thirteenth), genuphobia (the fear of knees), and also arachibutyrophobia. (4) One odd fear that I can vouch for is gamophobia, the fear of marriage, because I have it.

I have had gamophobia for most of my life. Gamophobia is the fear of marriage, and while it sounds like something people make up to get out of a commitment or avoid wedding ceremonies, it's an actual fear. Details of the phobia are outlined on PhobiasOnline.com, where it lists symptoms, causes, and "Strategies to Overcome". (5)

For me, I knew that my fear stemmed from my parents' divorce, but it seemed that whenever I saw bride magazines or wedding decorations, I would feel panicky and repulsed. As PhobiasOnline.com explains, this apprehension comes from a fear of commitment, and while it's frightening to trust someone, it can be worth it to get into a fulfilling relationship. What I've realized is that my fear comes from a fear of the unknown, and a fear of getting hurt. Also, images of wedding ceremonies are so common that I've simply gotten used to them. I may never get married, or I might actually want some sort of ceremony, but I've learned to overcome my fear (even though I still dislike "The Wedding March" and "Going to the Chapel").

SOURCES AND REFERENCES:

"The Phobia List" By Fredd Culbertson, July 17, 1995 (http://www.phobialist.com)

1 - "Ambulophobia? Hope and Effective Treatment" Depression-Guide.com (http://www.phobia.depression-guide.com/ambulophobia.html)

2 - "Kathisophobia: the fear of sitting down" By Hayley Birch, Null Hypothesis
(http://www.null-hypothesis.co.uk/science//item/weird_phobias_fear_sitting_kathisophobia)

3 - "Arachibutyrophobia-Not just hard to spell. Hard to live with." The Sushi Files (http://thesushifiles.wordpress.com/2006/06/13/arachibutyrophobia-not-just-hard-to-spell-hard-to-live-with/)

4 - "Top Ten Weird Phobias" By Hayley Birch, Null Hypothesis (http://www.null-hypothesis.co.uk/science/strange-but-true/item/top_ten_strange_weird_phobias)

5 - "Gamophobia - Fear of Marriage" Phobiasonline.com (http://www.phobiasonline.com/Fear_of_Relationships_Phobia.html)