Lesson 14

Phobia

Part One

Watch the video and do the exercises

Part Two

5 Phobias

Spectrophobia

Spectrophobia is a fear of mirrors and one’s own reflection. The phobia tends to come from a traumatic event involving mirrors – perhaps the fear of ghosts being in the mirror

2. Ablutophobia

Ablutophobia is the persistent fear of cleaning, washing or bathing and occurs more in children and women than men.

3. Chorophobia

Chorophobia is the fear of dancing and manifests itself into a fear of any situation, event or person that is associated with dancing.

4. Allodoxaphobia

An extremely rare phobia, allodoxaphobia is used to define the fear of opinions. The phobia is believed to be associated with previous encounters wherein the person affected has not been able to properly express their opinion, or has had their opinion rejected.

5. Pentaphobia is the fear of the number five

Part Three

Phobias by numbers

Part Four

How to try to beat your phobias

1. Try To Desensitize Yourself

If you get really overwhelmed by the thought of tackling your phobia, then the desensitization technique may be right for you. All you do is gradually expose yourself to the dreaded thing or situation (i.e., crowded streets, bugs, heights), and then withdraw when your anxiety becomes excessive, according to John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on PsychCentral.com. The next time, push yourself a bit further. And so on and so forth until the fear (hopefully) goes away completely.

2. Go For The Flooding Technique

Think about a claustrophobic person riding an elevator all day long, or a germaphobe smearing their hands on dirty door knobs. This technique is just as it sounds — you repeatedly and fully expose (or flood) yourself to a situation until it feels less scary.

3. Read Up On The Topic

Let's say you're afraid of flying. Reading all about how planes work, flight statistics, and safety measures will help you feel more in control of the situation. The same thing applies for pretty much any phobia. A little knowledge can go a long way in lessening your fears.

Listening

Listen to the Importance of Being Earnest from BBC Learning

Part Five

Writing

What is your phobia? Why do you think you have this phobia? How do you think you might defeat it?

Submit to: kkgenglishhl@gmail.com

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