I am fascinated by what people are afraid of. It’s probably because of my parents being therapists and hearing about phobias since I’m little. Today I found out about the term Agoraphobia, pretty common fear.
A friend of mine is afraid to be killed in his sleep, he always locks his door and keeps a heavy object next to his bed. He’s also considering buying a rope to get easier out of the window, in case someone breaks into his apartment.
I have this fear of pigeons. It’s mostly disgust combined with fear. Once my friend peed into her pants out of laugher, in the middle of a main square, cause she couldn’t believe my reaction.
Another friend thought he got locked into his theatre apartment, out of punishment by an evil Austrian woman, for banging the doors too loud. He had a slight panic attack until he realized he locked the door himself.
Yesterday I had to calm down a friend who was convinced she couldn’t breath and that her heart was beating too fast.
Right now I’m coping with the fact that I know I will be confronted with my primal fear tomrrow, the fear of loosing someone. Somehow strange to prepare for something that roots deep down to the denial that all things must end…
Agoraphobia and Claustrophobia:
Agoraphobia is defined as an “abnormal fear of being helpless in an embarrassing or inescapable situation that is characterized especially by the avoidance of open or public places”. Claustrophobia is defined as the “abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces”. These are both primarily spatial issues, but often get confused.