9781422280614

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What Are Phobias?

Whatever it is that sparks your fear is called a phobic stimulus . People with trypophobia have a fear of certain types of holes; for them, a sponge may be a phobic stimulus.

Third, the issue of proportion is really important. Let’s say you are camping in the woods. In the morning, you put on your boot, only to find that a snake crawled into it during the night. You might freak out a little bit, and nobody would blame you; fear is a reasonable response to the situation. But if you are constantly afraid of snakes—if you freak out about seeing a snake on TV, for example— that’s different. A snake on TV can’t possibly hurt you, which means that your fear would be out of proportion to the threat. Finally, the fear must be so intense that it has a negative impact on life. Let’s say that someone says she has a phobia of enclosed spaces like elevators. Her doctor will want to know what she does whenever she has to get to a high floor in a building. If she takes the elevator even though she