By
Daniel Oluwatosin
Personally, I have deduced that only babies below six months do not have fears or get anxious about anything. You might want to ask why? Well, I believe at that stage in time, their only interests lie in eating and sleeping and their little minds are not bothered by any other thing. However, once they start climbing up the ladder of growth, anxiety seeps in one way or the other, which means even toddlers have fears, one of which is taking that first step to walking. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a phobia is “an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of particular objects, class of objects or situation.” Simply put, phobia is an overrated fear which usually poses no real danger in most cases.
Phobia is derived from the Greek word “Phobos” which means morbid fear or aversion. As humans, we not only have the tendency to be scared of certain situations as fear is an emotional response to perceived danger but also, to know that in some cases, the fear is irrational. Nonetheless, we experience severe panic attacks once exposed to our phobia. In fact, most people shy away from it and avoid situations or things that could trigger a phobic reaction.
One of the causes of phobia is the genetic factor. For instance, as a little girl, I had motion sickness, and I would almost always vomit upon embarking on a journey. Due to this condition, I developed emetophobia (fear of vomiting) as it became constant k. Later on, I found out that my mother was like that before she gave birth to me which means it was hereditary. Another cause of phobia could be due to environmental factors. For example, a lot of people will have ablutophobia (fear of bathing) as we move on to the harmattan season.
Furthermore, phobia can be caused by personal insecurities. For instance, Moses in the bible had glossophobia (fear of speaking in public), when God called him, he had to make Aaron his mouthpiece due to the fact that he was a stammerer and felt he might be mocked by people. Phobia can also arise from not being used to seeing or doing a particular thing. For example, I know of a little girl that does not allow any man that has a beard to carry her just because her father has no beard she has developed pogonophobia (fear of beards). Also, I sometimes experience mageirocophobia (fear of cooking) when I am to cook for more than four people. Every child at some point must have experienced scolionophobia (fear of school) because they would be meeting and interacting with strangers for a long period without the presence of their parents.
Phobia can be treated with different methods such as systematic desensitization, antidepressants, hypnotherapy, etc. On the one hand, systematic desensitization is becoming accustomed to one’s phobia, not shying away from it and ultimately overcoming it. On the other hand, hypnotherapy is more cognitive in nature wherein the individual replays memories of where the phobia was first experienced, faces it head on and wills his/her mind to overcome it. For example, in my case of emetophobia, I devised a system for my body in which I tend to fast until I get to my destination and fill my bag with menthol sweets and drink water less frequently.
In conclusion, phobia is a universal phenomenon because it encompasses your fears and my fears and it is something that can be conquered or controlled as long as the mind is set to do so. Therefore, face those fears!
