Halloween is one of the spookiest times of the year, but some of us get a little more creeped out than others over the holiday that stems from the Celtic festival of Samhain.

Does the Halloween season leave you paralyzed with fear? Does the sight of evil-looking grinning jack-o’-lanterns  leave you trembling? Do the “trick or treating” children clad as monsters, ghosts and witches leave you nauseous with anxiety and fearing that they might do something frightful to you or your home, or even worse, that the vampires and skeletons outside your window are real?

If you are more inclined to bolt your door – with the curtains drawn and lights dimmed on the night of October 31st – than to join the Jack the Rippers and Freddy Krugers collecting candy and throwing eggs, then you may be one of thousands suffering from Samhainophobia, the irrational and persitent fear of Halloween.

This time of year can also intensify a host of existing phobias, including the fear of  spiders (arachnophobia), cats (ailurophobia), witches (wiccaphobia), the dark (nyctophobia), cemetaries (coimetrophobia), tombstones (placophobia) and crowded spaces (agoraphobia).

Do you know anyone suffering from Samhainophobia?

Or have you been on the receiving end of some trick or treating that has left you fuming and with a strong dislike of Halloween? Take a friend of mine, for example, who developed an intense and persistent hate of the holiday after a group of kids slashed his bike tires when he didn’t hear them ringing the doorbell to have their stash of candy topped up.

Do you have any horror Halloween stories to share?

Christina Ricci is one of many celebrities suffering from a Halloween-related phobia, plasmophobia: the fear of ghosts. Other celebrities who have phobias include Woody Allen, Billy Bob Thornton and Justin Timberlake.

Read our spine-chilling article about zombies: Could the Walking Dead become a reality?

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To have a fear of animals is an age-old thing and has affected many people for countless years. Animal fears can include common fears like that of dogs, snakes or spiders. Taurophobia is the fear of cows and bulls. In this phobic condition, the sufferer feels helpless and tries to run away from that situation when he cannot face it.

Famous American singer and songwriter Lyle Lovett suffers from taurophobia. He is afraid of bulls and cows because of an experience he had.

Taurophobia is usually accompanied by panic attacks and is of a recurring nature. This phobic situation comes with the possibility of returning at any stage of life, so one should learn how to deal with such fears.

Fear of cows can be considered irrational and unnatural because cows are docile animals and they are not of aggressive nature.

After being trampled by a bull in 2002, Lyle Lovett developed a fear of cows and bulls, a fear that has tortured him ever since. He was actually caught by a bull and rammed into the fence in his uncle’s farm and since that day he could not overcome this fear.

With such fear and hatred for cows, you won’t find Lyle Lovett anywhere near them.

A phobia of cows is can be quite intense, however there is no with no actual threat or danger to life. This phobia sounds more illogical because not just seeing but even a mere thought of a cow horrifies them to such an extent that they suffer from immediate panic or anxiety attacks.

Some of the symptoms of Taurophobia include fear of death, excessive sweating, breathlessness, sudden madness, shaking and nausea.

Find out more about taurophobia.

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Most of us can easily relate to the term ‘phobia’ because we may be afraid of something; be it dogs, water or heights. Swinophobia refers to the fear of pigs. While this may be considered a justified fear during times of the swine flu, the fear people who suffer from swinophobia have goes far beyond contracting an illness.

Swinophobes are afraid of pigs in general and dislike consuming pork. They are so disgusted by even the mere sight of a pig.

Celebrities have more bizarre phobias that surpass our imagination. Known for his roles in ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, British hunk Orlando Bloom has been suffering from swinophobia for many years.

According to some reports, Orlando might not work in the remake of Orwell’s classic ‘Animal Farm’ because it requires the actors to deal with various animals – including pigs.

Orlando Bloom is so terrified of pigs and in a case when one pig got loose on the set of ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, Bloom turned and ran like crazy. This clearly depicts his fear of pigs.

People suffering from swinophobia usually experience panic or anxiety attacks, rapid heartbeat, trembling, nausea, profuse sweating and shortness of breath.

Pigs are generally considered quite ugly and that forms the cause of this phobia. Even the mere sight of the pig can aggravate the condition of any swinophobe because of what they believe to be their unhealthy, filthy and dirty breeding ways. Others adore pigs for their cleanliness, and even have them as house pets (see George Clooney).

The main question that occupies our minds is if we can cure phobias and the answer comes in affirmative. The best treatment for swinophobia is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is considered as an ideal therapy to cure any kind of phobia.

Celebrities who are plagued by their phobias include Justin Timberlake, Christina Ricci, Woody Allen and Billy Bob Thornton.

Images: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:XN_Sus_domesticus_Animal_husbandry_912.jpg,
Author: Guido Gerding; and

Eisoptrophobia is the fear of seeing yourself in mirrors.  Former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson is actually scared of her own reflection and also hates seeing herself on television.

Many eisoptrophobia sufferers are of the opinion that a mirror will put you in direct contact with some superstitious power. Sufferers experience undue anxiety and panic attacks despite knowing the fact that it is not going to harm them. Eisoptrophobia can also come in the form of watching videos of oneself.

Psychologysuite.com quotes Pamela Anderson as once having said in an interview: “I have this phobia – I don’t like mirrors, and I don’t watch myself on television.

“If anything comes on, I make them shut it off, or I leave the room.”

The best way to deal with fear of your own reflection is to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy or hypnotherapy. Some of the most common signs of this fear of mirrors include rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling and anxiety.

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Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mirror.jpg, Author: Cgs

Source: English Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mirror.jpeg

Botanophobia describes an individuals’s irrational fear of plants: whether it be trees or pot plants, whether they be indoors or outdoors. According to depression-guide.com, people suffering from Botanophobia feel anxiety and butterflies in their stomach when they come in contact with any type of plants, whether inside the home or outside.

This phobia of plants can affect people of all ages and genders. Interestingly, 80 percent of the botanophobia sufferers can be cured. Celebrities are not immune and there are some who suffer from botanophobia. Sufferers of plant phobia experience higher stress levels, higher blood pressure, profuse sweating, nervousness, restlessness and increased pulse rate. Botanophobes generally feel anxiety whenever they come in contact with indoor or outdoor plants.

Actress Christina Ricci admitted to British Esquire that she is terrified of houseplants. She reportedly hates indoor plants because they are dirty and she just could not take this.

This rare disorder arises from anything ranging from a horror film to any such related scene on the television. Christina Ricci is also scared of small pets like gerbils and swimming pools. On this fear, according to China Daily, she said: “I won’t swim in a pool by myself because I think that somehow a little magic door is going to open up and let the shark out.”

In addition to other causes, superstition emerges as an important cause of botanophobia because here people might consider plants as gloomy and threatening. Ricci confesses her fear of houseplants and says: “They are dirty, if I have to touch one, after already being repulsed by the fact that there is a plant indoors, then it just freaks me out.”

In the case of plant phobia, a person might have experienced something unpleasant during their childhood, which continues to remain in their consciousness. There are a variety of drugs available to cure botanophobia but the drugs are advised to be taken just to suppress the existing symptoms. Self-help techniques are useful to deal with botanophobia and can be extremely effective to conquer this fear of plants.

Read more about Christina Ricci’s phobias. Other celebrities with phobias include Justin Timberlake, Billy Bob Thornton, and Woody Allen.

Christina Ricci also says she wants to quit smoking.

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According to a survey, nearly 86 percent of adults and 91 percent of children and young adults admitted to being afraid of something. When a fear becomes irrational and unbearable, it can turn into a strange, funny or even weird phobia.

Aquaphobia is a fear of water and is a common phobia ranging from fear of open water to avoiding bathtubs. This is an abnormal fear because despite knowing the fact that water is not a threat to them, some people are afraid of it. Most aquaphobes are scared of even standing near the pool or riverside and very obviously avoid swimming.

People tend to confuse hydrophobia and aquaphobia with each other, although they mean completely different things. Hydrophobia, despite containing the word “hydro”, which is of water, interestingly is a symptom of later stage rabies.

If one observes and feels a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating chest pain, loss of control and trembling and is somewhere near the water, then one is suffering from aquaphobia. Renowned celebrities like Carmen Electra, Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer have a fear of water. Winona has suffered from aquaphobia since she was twelve after a childhood incident where she nearly drowned. She also had some trouble while shooting an underwater sequence for her film ‘Alien: Resurrection’.

Carmen Electra, of Baywatch fame, has also been victim to this fear of water. While giving an interview to Sky News, she said “I get terrified near it (water) and have a panic attack”. She is actually scared of water because she does not know how to swim.

Renowned American actress Michelle Pfeiffer worked with a scuba driver instructor to overcome her undying fear of water while filming ‘What Lies Beneath’ and is quoted by Entertainment Weekly as saying: “I felt like I was in such good hands, I felt ready to take the plunge, literally.”

To overcome the fear of water, professionals say is important to develop a rational mindset along with the awareness about Aquaphobia. It is just a state of mind, which can be easily overpowered with courage so that one can enjoy a fearless and satisfying life.

Other celebrities, like Playboy model Jayde Nicole, also suffer from this disorder. At the Playmate of the Year Luncheon, she said: “I am terrified of the ocean, which is so weird because all I want to do is be by the ocean. I know I’m going to be doing a lot of travelling over this year, so I’m hoping to go swim in an ocean at some point.”

People suffering from severe Aquaphobia can get the quickest and the most effective treatment through cognitive therapies.

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