Sunday 31 August 2008

An alphabetical list of phobias relating to general experience of space


image: Arne B. Langleite

A-
Achluophobia- Fear of darkness.
Acrophobia- Fear of heights.
Aeroacrophobia- Fear of open high places.
Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets. Fear of leaving a safe place.
Agyrophobia- Fear of streets or crossing the street.
Altophobia- Fear of heights.
Amaxophobia- Fear of riding in a car.
Ambulophobia- Fear of walking.
Anablephobia- Fear of looking up.
Anemophobia- Fear of air drafts or wind.(Ancraophobia)
Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity.
Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched. (Haphephobia)
Astrophobia- Fear of stars or celestial space.
Asymmetriphobia- Fear of asymmetrical things.
Ataxophobia- Fear of disorder or untidiness.
Atephobia- Fear of ruin or ruins.
Auroraphobia- Fear of Northern lights.
Autophobia- Fear of being alone or of oneself.
Aviophobia or Aviatophobia- Fear of flying.


B-
Barophobia- Fear of gravity.
Basophobia or Basiphobia- Inability to stand. Fear of walking or falling.
Bathmophobia- Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Bathophobia- Fear of depth.
Batophobia- Fear of heights or being close to high buildings.


C-
Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places.
Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting.
Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors.
Chorophobia- Fear of dancing.
Chronophobia- Fear of time.
Claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces.
Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia- Fear of being locked in an enclosed place.
Climacophobia- Fear of stairs, climbing, or of falling downstairs.
Clinophobia- Fear of going to bed.
Clithrophobia or Cleithrophobia- Fear of being enclosed.
Coimetrophobia- Fear of cemeteries.
Cremnophobia- Fear of precipices.
Cymophobia or Kymophobia- Fear of waves or wave like motions.

D-
emophobia- Fear of crowds. (Agoraphobia)
Dendrophobia- Fear of trees.
Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school.
Dinophobia- Fear of dizziness or whirlpools.
Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone.
Domatophobia- Fear of houses or being in a house.(Eicophobia, Oikophobia)
Dromophobia- Fear of crossing streets.

E-
Ecclesiophobia- Fear of church.
Ecophobia- Fear of home.
Eicophobia- Fear of home surroundings.(Domatophobia, Oikophobia)
Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors or of seeing oneself in a mirror.
Eleutherophobia- Fear of freedom.
Enochlophobia- Fear of crowds.
Eosophobia- Fear of dawn or daylight.
Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge.
Eremophobia- Fear of being oneself or of lonliness.

G-
Gephyrophobia or Gephydrophobia or Gephysrophobia- Fear of crossing bridges.

H-
Hadephobia- Fear of hell.
Heliophobia- Fear of the sun.
Hodophobia- Fear of road travel.
Homichlophobia- Fear of fog.
Hylophobia- Fear of forests.
Hypsiphobia- Fear of height.

I-
Illyngophobia- Fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down.
Isolophobia- Fear of solitude, being alone.

K-
Kathisophobia- Fear of sitting down.
Kenophobia- Fear of voids or empty spaces.
Kinetophobia or Kinesophobia- Fear of movement or motion.
Koinoniphobia- Fear of rooms.
Kosmikophobia- Fear of cosmic phenomenon.
Kymophobia- Fear of waves. (Cymophobia)

L-
Levophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the body.
Limnophobia- Fear of lakes.
Lygophobia- Fear of darkness.


M-
Megalophobia- Fear of large things.
Merinthophobia- Fear of being bound or tied up.
Microphobia- Fear of small things.
Mnemophobia- Fear of memories.
Monophobia- Fear of solitude or being alone.
Myctophobia- Fear of darkness.

N-
Nebulaphobia- Fear of fog. (Homichlophobia)
Nephophobia- Fear of clouds.
Nostophobia- Fear of returning home.
Nyctohylophobia- Fear of dark wooded areas or of forests at night
Nyctophobia- Fear of the dark or of night.

O-
Ochlophobia- Fear of crowds or mobs.
Ochophobia- Fear of vehicles.
Oikophobia- Fear of home surroundings, house.(Domatophobia, Eicophobia)
Optophobia- Fear of opening one's eyes.
Ouranophobia or Uranophobia- Fear of heaven.

P-
Phengophobia- Fear of daylight or sunshine.
Photophobia- Fear of light.
Pluviophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on.
Pteromerhanophobia- Fear of flying.

S-
Sciophobia Sciaphobia- Fear of shadows.
Scolionophobia- Fear of school.
Scopophobia or Scoptophobia- Fear of being seen or stared at.
Scotomaphobia- Fear of blindness in visual field.
Scotophobia- Fear of darkness. (Achluophobia)
Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public.
Selenophobia- Fear of the moon.
Siderodromophobia- Fear of trains, railroads or train travel.
Siderophobia- Fear of stars.
Sinistrophobia- Fear of things to the left or left-handed.
Spacephobia- Fear of outer space.
Stasibasiphobia or Stasiphobia- Fear of standing or walking. (Ambulophobia)
Stenophobia- Fear of narrow things or places.
Stygiophobia or Stigiophobia- Fear of hell.

T-
Taphephobia Taphophobia- Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
Thaasophobia- Fear of sitting.
Thalassophobia- Fear of the sea.
Topophobia- Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.
Tropophobia- Fear of moving or making changes.


U-
Uranophobia or Ouranophobia- Fear of heaven.

X-
Xylophobia- 1) Fear of wooden objects. 2) Forests.

(culled from The Phobia List)

Sunday 17 August 2008


Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Carceri d’Invenzione, Plate XIV, Untitled (The Gothic Arch), ca.1780.

In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear.

William Blake, Songs of Experience, 'London', 1794.