Phobias are, by definition, an irrational fear. Our psyche, since the dawn of human existence, has made humans naturally afraid of specific things as a general defense mechanism for our survival. The emotions of fear and anxiety are, ultimately, defense mechanisms. Whenever we get that twisting feeling in our gut of dread and fear, it’s most often because of something logical to be afraid of: poisonous spiders, aggressive grizzly bears, raging fires – because, logically, all these things are threatening to our well-being.

But when that gut-wrenching sense of horror is triggered by things that are, more often than not, completely harmless, a phobia arises. Often the perception of the danger is much greater than it actually is, and phobias can constitute as an anxiety disorder.

Everyone in Esther’s family has a phobia that will ultimately result in her death, a sort of family “curse” thanks to her grandfather. Her father has agoraphobia and hasn’t left the house (let alone the basement) in almost 6 years. Her twin brother Eugene fears the dark (nyctophobia), and her mother fears bad luck. Esther herself is doing everything she can to avoid finding out what her phobia is, aand so she keeps a carefully detailed list of semi-definitive worst nightmares with her at all times. Each of the phobias presented with Esther and her family can be broken down into one of three categories: specific, social, or agoraphobia. Sometimes, as in the case of Esther and her family, a person will start organizing their life around this fear that they have, and that can often impair their ability to live a ‘normal’ life.

In most cases, people with phobias know that they’re irrational, and very often want to overcome them – they simply just don’t know how to not be afraid of that thing anymore, and it isn’t as simple as facing a fear to overcome it.

Many things can cause phobias, and usually they develop within childhood and can disappear by adolescence. Experiencing something highly traumatic is the most common thing that causes a phobia to occur; for instance, if you experience an awful plane crash and survive, you may live with the fear of flying afterward. The other main cause of phobias is when they are learned, and this is the most common occurrence in childhood development of phobias. This is where someone learns by example, so to speak,

What are my phobias? I have a deathly fear of worms and caterpillars. Scoleciphobia has been my number one phobia since I was a really small child. I don’t know how or why I ever became so afraid of worms, but it’s to the point where I can’t even look at photographs of them without feeling queasy and stressed out. I’ve got vivid memories of visiting a science museum as a small kid, where an exhibit on bugs and insects allowed guests to handle various creatures. My mom decided to hold a millipede, and I was so scared of that little wriggly thing in her hands that I had nightmares about it for days afterward. This wasn’t the first instance of my fear manifesting, but it’s one of the earliest instances of it I remember. Ironically, one of my favorite picture books as a kid was Diary of a Worm; and I think the reason I was able to tolerate it is because it was a drawing, and not a realistic photograph. Even now as a college student, worms, caterpillars, maggots, and anything in that family continue to cause such unease and anxiety whenever I encounter them.

While scoleciphobia is my main fear, I also have an intense fear of needles. Though I can probably pinpoint why trypanophobia is so prevalent to me, I believe I’ve outgrown the fear as a young adult. When I was a kid, I would dread going to the doctor for a checkup because I knew it would probably involve me getting a shot. Even well into middle school, my fear of needles led to multiple occasions when getting blood drawn where I would have an anxiety attack or simply get lightheaded to the point of near fainting. Thankfully as I’ve grown older, I have overcome the worst parts of that fear. I was able to get my septum pierced over a year ago without much cause for stress, and most recently I got my flu shot and barely flinched!

Though phobias constitute as irrational, nothing that makes you uncomfortable or feel uneasy should ever be taken lightly. There are ways to overcome phobias, be it exposure therapy or other carefully regimented treatments.

Now that you know a little more about phobias, get ready to read A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares!