Our human mind is such a complex masterpiece of nature that even seasoned and experienced neuroscientists, neuro surgeons and brain experts will tell you that there’s far more that we don’t know about our brains than what we know!
Like all the many intricacies that make each individual a unique personality. The way we record some memories and delete others, how we perceive our surroundings and those in it, our various peeves and passions, our failings and our fears. Every human brain has it’s own unique code for these, and I find it extremely fascinating!
You know, as far back as I can remember I’ve had this inane fear. And until recently I never knew it was an actual thing, a recognised “Fear”.
Turns out I have Megalophobia.Its an irrational fear of oversized or extremely massive things. I’m a “big” girl scared witless of oversized objects! Go figure.
Giant realistic statues or close up 3d images of planets in space, especially that creepy Jupiter (shudder!), thinking of the depth of an Ocean or Sea (why I’ll never go deep sea or underwater swimming!), Giant archways, Tall Towers ( looking up at them but not looking down from them! Strange no?)…All these things get me sweaty palms, heart racing and pulse throbbing in my temples.
I remember as a child looking at giant cloud formations in the sky while playing outside and while others saw enchanting shapes and figures in these clouds, I was creeped out and would try to outrun these immense moving shapes!
For some reason I never spoke out about this till I was a grown up!
It was only while we were on a trip to Thailand a few Sumner’s back that I vocalised about this strange fear to my husband. We were supposed to be on a “fun” glass bottom boat ride at an aquarium there and while I looked down at the lovely fish and sea life I saw a giant Buddha head and a very large hand reaching out and up towards us from the bottom of the water!!!! They were part of a “display” under the water along with a shipwreck etc.
I was so jolted with fright I squealed and grabbed on to my suprised husband and for the rest of the ride couldn’t look down. My blood was pounding in my ears and I felt waves of nausea wash over me. For the first time I spoke up about this irrational fear when I told my husband about what had frightened me so much.
Even recalling this memory is giving me palpitations!
In fact at this moment, I’m trying my best to avoid looking at this picture above of “the bather”. It’s a famous oversized statue in Germany. It’s beautiful no doubt but it’s making my tummy queasy!
A while back I brought up this subject of “fears” with friends and people admitted to having some disturbing ones!
Like my cousin said she’s fearful of clusters of small holes or bumps ( remember that disgusting “lotus pod” photoshopped on people’s bodies that was doing the rounds on the internet a few years ago??). This is called Trypophobia. While I find it gross it doesn’t scare me.
Other friends admitted to some like Claustrophobia ( fear of closed spaces), Acrophobia ( fear of heights), Cynophobia( fear of Dogs), Glossophobia( fear of public speaking), Nictophobia ( fear of the dark) and apparently the number one phobia which is Arachnophobia ( fear of spiders)!
There are as as many number of phobias as there are people perhaps and it’s so intriguing to see how something that doesn’t affect me at all could really frighten someone else and vice versa.
Do you know there’s some who even have a fear of Fear itself! It’s called Phobophobia!!
So tell me what weird fear do you have??
