Turophobia - 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.
Somniphobia - 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.
Coulrophobia – fear of clowns. Coulrophobia is a relatively common phobia, and usually present
in children according to various surveys.
Hylophobia - fear of trees. Hylophobia 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.
Omphalophobia - 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.
Nomophobia - fear of being without mobile phone coverage. The name for the phobia of being
without mobile phone coverage was coined five years ago after researchers discovered the
phenomenon. According to recent surveys, more than half of people in the UK suffer from
it. The phobia is brought on by the fear of losing signal, running out of battery or even
losing sight of a mobile phone.
Ombrophobia - fear of rain. Ombrophobes have an abnormal fear of rain which can cause severe
anxiety attacks. It is thought to be triggered by a number of factors, including the fact that
children are often told not to go out in the rain because it will make them ill. Rain is also
often associated with depression.
Papaphobia - fear of the pope. The fear of the pope or the papacy is uncommon. It is closely
related to Hierophobia (the fear of holy individuals or sacred things). It is also related to
hagiophobia which is an exaggerated or irrational fear or dislike of saints and holy things.
The fear is often triggered by a trauma associated with the pope.
Uranophobia - fear of heaven. Sufferers of uranophobia fear the sky and the afterlife. It can be
triggered in religious believers who fear the idea that they will be judged after life.
Pogonophobia - fear of beards. The term pogonophobia has been used since the 1850s to
describe a strong fear of beards.
Trypophobia - fear of holes. Sufferers of trypophobia fear objects with small holes. It is not yet
considered an official phobia, although thousands of people are reported to suffer from it.
According to new research trypophobia associate holes with danger. Examples of feared
objects include honeycomb, sponges and any plant with small holes in it. Symptoms of
Trypophobia range from nausea and itchy skin to full blown panic attacks.
Triskaidekaphobia - fear of the number 13. Many people are superstitious about the number
13 but few have a fully fledged phobia. It is closely associated with the fear of Friday 13.
Sufferers take great care to avoid using, or doing anything related to the number.
April - June 2017
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