彭蒙惠英语：Ten Phobias That Disrupt Our Lives（在线收听）

Ten Phobias That Disrupt Our Lives

By Candace Murphy/

©2004 San Jose mercury News,

Knight Ridder Newspaper.

Distributed by Tribune Media Service

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Garden-variety fears are one thing; phobias are another. Phobias, the most extreme manifestations of fear, come in three varieties: agoraphobia (irrational anxiety about leaving a safe area or being in a place where escape is difficult or embarrassing), social phobia (irrational anxiety about performing or being in social situations), and specific phobias (spiders, germs, clowns—in other words, irrational anxiety provoked by a specific object).

Note the repetition of the word ‘irrational.’ “Phobias are irrational ... and not natural,” said clinical psychologist Hildy Agustin. “Many people have fears, but not necessarily phobias. So the question is, is it a phobia or is it just a personal distaste?”

For a fear to be a phobia, it must interfere with daily routine, occupation or social life. And if it does, that phobia should be identified and treated. According to psychologist Barbara Kirsch, “Phobias aren’t like a common cold. They get worse. You don’t eventually get rid of them on your own.”

Before treatment, though, the phobia needs to be identified. Here are 10 common phobias:

1 Aviophobia: Fear of flying

This phobia increased after September 11, 2001. According to behavioral therapist Paula Zimmerman, “No one is saying you shouldn’t have fears, but maybe the fears are misplaced.” By increasing your knowledge of flying, airlines and safety features, “… you should be able to start to feel differently because you are thinking differently.”

2 Mysophobia: Fear of germs or dirt

“Fear of germs was very, very heightened during the SARS period of time,” says Karen Elpers, a certified hypnotherapist. “With education and understanding, it’s lessened.”

3 Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders

Many sufferers misdiagnose this fear as a phobia simply because they’d rather have someone else kill the offending stimulus. Still, it’s helpful to identify and work with this fear.

4 Claustrophobia: Fear of being unable to escape from a confined space

In treatment, therapists often point to magician Harry Houdini, who made a living out of escaping from nightmarish claustrophobic situations. Houdini himself was a claustrophobe. It seems magic was his cathartic outlet.

Vocabulary Focus

garden-variety (adj) [5^B:dEnvE7raiEti] very ordinary; typical

irrational (adj) [i5rAFEnEl] not based on reason or clear thinking; not reasonable

offending (adj) [E5fendiN] unwanted, often because something is unpleasant and is causing problems or inconvenience

cathartic (adj) [kE5WB:tik] relating to the process of releasing strong emotions through a particular activity or experience

Specialized Terms

behavioral therapist (n phr) 行为治疗师 someone trained to treat and help patients modify undesirable actions through the use of basic learning techniques and other methods

hypnotherapist (n) 催眠师 a person who uses hypnosis, a mental state like sleep in which a person’s thoughts and actions can be easily influenced by someone else, as a form of treatment or sometimes entertainment

stimulus (n) 刺激；刺激物 something that causes a response or reaction