Lumps and bumps, oh my!
Are you afraid of bumps, lumps and holes? If so, you may be suffering from trypophobia. According to Very Well Mind dot com, trypophobia is often described as “the fear of holes,” but it is important to note that it may also apply to bumps or other patterns that are closely clustered together. When people see trigger objects, they experience symptoms such as severe fear, nausea, itching, sweating, shaking, and even panic attacks. Examples of objects that might trigger a fear response include seed pods, bubble wrap, fruit seeds, insect eyes or a close-up image of someone’s pores. There is some debate among researchers as to whether trypophobia is a genuine condition. Early reports of trypophobia were first described in an online forum in 2005, but it has not been recognized as a distinct diagnosis in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association. While not listed in the DSM-5, trypophobia would fall under the broad classification of specific phobias as long as the symptoms are persistent, excessive, and lead to significant impairment or distress. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact March 17, 2022.
May the luck of the Irish be with you, especially if you are a prasinophobic or chlorophobic. Both of these phobias describe the fear of the color green. Both words have Greek origins; prasinos is Greek for green while chloros means yellow-green in Greek. According to phobia dot fandom dot com, sufferers would avoid seeing or encountering grass, trees, and other things that are green. They would avoid eating green-colored foods like peas, pickles, asparagus, broccoli, lime, green peppers, and lettuce. Sufferers would not celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as well as not having green-colored items like green clothing. They would not have Christmas trees, wreaths, and other green-colored decorations up during the holiday season. Also going outside in summer is a big no if you have a lawn. Strictly in the interest of easing the suffering of those who are plagued with these phobias, I’m willing to eat all the green M&M’s, all the cupcakes with green icing and all the mint chocolate chip ice cream. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact March 10, 2022.
If you are a chronophobic, this weekend may cause you some anxiety. This Saturday night, before you go to bed, it’s time to “Spring forward.” In other words, move the clock one hour ahead for Daylight Savings Time. According to Health line dot com, chronophobia is the fear of time. It’s characterized by an irrational yet persistent fear of time and of the passing of time. Chrono is Greek for time and phobia means fear. A related condition, chronomentrophobia is the fear of watches and other forms of time pieces. This weekend is not going to be easy for those who suffer from either of those two phobias. To them it’s more than just loosing an hour of sleep. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact December 22, 2021.
Another phobia that makes this time of year a nightmare for those who suffer from it. Doronophobia is the fear of gifts! They’re not trying to be rude by refusing your gift, they are just afraid of what it could be. The wrapping make it even worse because it completely hides what’s in the box. At least if it’s unwrapped the box may give away what the gift is. They fear that the item may be harmful physically to them or to others, or even possibly hazardous to their health and their loved ones. Some fear that it may even possibly kill them and those around them. it’s not only holiday events and birthdays, it’s also packages that arrive at their doorstep that they didn’t order and gift bags sitting on desks at the office. One treatment is the use of a stress ball. Squeezing it can relieve the tension felt by the doronophobic, just don’t give the stress ball to them in a wrapped box or gift bag. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact December 16, 2021.
Here’s yet another odd phobia; Christougenniatikophobia. Christougenniatikophobia is a full-blown fear of Christmas itself. This phobia, according to multiple online medical sites, typically develops in early childhood and may overlap or include fear of Santa and fear of gatherings or parties. This phobia is a sub-phobia of herotophobia. Herote is the Greek word for holiday. There are several other phobias that can contribute to a fear of holidays in general and Christmas in particular. Selaphobia is the fear of flashing lights and phonophobia is the fear of loud noises. Some Christmas customs involve “Christmas crackers”, a tube filled with gifts and goodies that make a loud noise, like a fire cracker, when the ribbon is pulled. These are more common in England than here in the US. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact November 17, 2021.
Winter is coming and that’s a bad thing if you are cryophobic. Cryophobia is the fear of the cold, or cold things. Cryo is a combination form meaning icy cold or frost. You may have heard of cryogenics. A similar phobia is frigophobia. Fridge from the Latin word for cold, frigus. Here in the US frigophobia is virtually nonexistent. While still rare in other countries, it seems to be a culturally-related phobia in Chinese populations in Asia. Whether cryophobic or frigophobic, winter is not your favorite time of year and you may even have a aversion to cold things or even cold food. I wonder if that includes ice cream. I don’t think I could be a frigophobic, I love ice cream. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact November 10, 2021.
Today is not your day if you suffer from Sredaphobia. Sredaphobia is the fear of Wednesdays. According to Phobia dot wikia dot org, scientists are not sure why this is but some people have an irrational fear of Wednesday. It seems to mostly effect people born in September or August. The most common reason is ocd and not liking that Wednesday is in the middle of the week and they think it shouldn’t exist in the first place. Nevertheless this is a real condition that plagues a very, very small number of people. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact November 3, 2021.
Another odd phobia today; Dendrophobia. I would be willing to bet that none of the thousands of people who visited Skyline Drive over the last several weekends suffer dendrophobia. Dendrophobia is the fear of trees. This is a rare phobia and those who have it may not express it and therefore suffer in silence. The word is from Greek, dendro meaning tree and of course phobia meaning fear.
The fear is usually triggered from a traumatic childhood experiences, like getting poked by low or fallen branch or a tree falling onto them. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact
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Fun Fact October 21, 2021.
You probably don’t eat too many pb&j’s if you have this phobia. Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Not making this up, there are people who have this fear. The severity of arachibutyrophobia varies from person to person. Some with this condition may be able to eat small amounts of peanut butter while others will avoid eating peanut butter or anything with the consistency of peanut butter altogether.
Arachibutyrophobia can stem from a greater phobia of things that are sticky or a fear of choking. It may also stem from a traumatic incident with peanut butter such as choking on or being allergic to it. For my next trick, I’ll be gargling peanut butter! Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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Fun Fact October 6, 2021.
If you have this phobia, you’re not loving this time of year. Phyllophobia is the fear of falling leaves or leaves in general. Not making that up. Phyllo is from the Greek phyllon which means leaves. You may have heard of phyllo dough, which is a very thin, leaf-like pastry. Think of Baklava and all those thin, delicious layers. But I digress. The phobia can present itself due to a negative experience dealing with leaves, like perhaps you jumped in a pile of leaves when you were a kid and got injured in some way. This phobia is a branch of botanophobia, which is the fear of plants in general. As with most phobias, those who suffer phyllophobia may experience anxiety attacks, loss of focus, difficulty concentrating and even fainting. I think I’ll develop this fear in a couple of weeks so I don’t have to rake my yard. Listen to the podcast here; https://theriver953.com/lonnies-fun-fact/
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