optophobia - fear of opening your eyes
By Renhard
@Renhard (3471)
Jamaica
May 11, 2012 6:27pm CST
I have recently learned about this phobia. Now can someone explain to me how someone can have such a phobia? DO you know anyone with this phobia? What do you actually think about this phobia personally? And lastly if you had this phobia, how would you overcome it?
8 responses
@psychoartist (756)
• United States
8 Jul 12
wow...i really do believe there are phobias for everything and they are not funny to the people who suffer from them...this really reminds me of mr. psychoartist's favorite television character monk, who suffers from many many phobias, including a fear of phobias and a fear of milk...personally i have a fear of fear...
1 person likes this
@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
8 Jul 12
From you mention MONK, I remembered an episode when the doctors gave him a medication to take, and actually he got rid of most of his fears if not all of them. But he wasn't skilled in his detective work again. What I think is that some fears allow you to think and observe things more deeply and carefully.
What do you mean you have a fear of fears though?
@psychoartist (756)
• United States
8 Jul 12
well, as mr. monk said his situation was "a gift and a curse"...you have pointed out some of the gifts...when i said fear of fears i was reminded of a quote from american president franklin delano roosevelt, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".
@celticeagle (168126)
• Boise, Idaho
12 May 12
It all lives within your head. The fears. And if, like me, you have known depression and such things that live in your mind you would fully understand how it could come to be. I feel somewhat like I do have this optophobia. I have allergies and I am so tired of waking up, trying to open my eyes and couldn't. Stuck together with allergy ooze. Lovely huh?
@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
12 May 12
That isn't lovely at all. I can't understand really how someone could go through a fear such as that. Imagine every morning you wake up and you are so scared to open your eyes to come off your bed. I could have understand if you are afraid to close your eyes because you are not seeing anything. But being scared to open your eyes, now that idea is scary.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168126)
• Boise, Idaho
12 May 12
Yes, it is. BUt we do have strength over such fears. We just have learn. Make some hypnosis will help too.
rning
@asliah (11137)
• Philippines
1 Jun 12
hi,
i dont think so if this kind of phobia exist but maybe it could have in one million people only one could have this kind of phobia,its really scared phobia cause its hard to have like this,if that kind of phobia happen to me,well i have a big problem every morning i wake up.
@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
3 Jun 12
I would have to say that it would have to be more than a big problem acctually. Imgaine I wake up in the morning and I wont start getting ready for work or school because I cant find where my clothes are just because I dont want to open my eyes. What I find strange though is that, wouldn't you be more afraid to keep your eyes clothes than open. Atleast when they are open you know what is infront of you. When they are close you have no clue of anything. YOu will just be in a little corner just hoping nothing is there infront of you.
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
7 Jul 12
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@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
8 Jul 12
I like your creativity I must say.
So should I take it you have had a phobia similar to this. Well not all that similar, but the idea you get across to me is that certain decisions in life you are afraid to make yourself, so you depend on others to make it. You prefer smooth sailing and not a rocky road?
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
8 Jul 12
While I do enjoy both smooth sailing and Rocky Road (ice cream) I was speaking more to the idea that I know that people have different phobias, and I need to be sensitive to this even if I may not understand a particular phobia.
1 person likes this
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
8 Jul 12
Oh, hey, sorry about all the gibberish. I must have had my fingers on the wrong keys as I typed this. Mrs. Turner had read me this Discussion because I was afraid to look. I attempted to respond with my eyes closed, but I guess it didn't work.
Honestly, I don't understand such a phobia. No, I take that back. I can understand such a phobia because life can scare the heck out of me and there are times when I would like to just not open my eyes and trust others to make the situation right. But then, I couldn't function like that.
It's a sad phobia to have.
Peace
1 person likes this
@monkmano (585)
• Canada
7 Jul 12
Hi, i had never heard of this phobia, it sounds like an extremely focused agoraphobia. Like instead of fearing to leave the house you fear to leave your own mind and take in anything else. I wonder about blind people who may have this phobia, they can keep their eyes shut for a long time maybe it could grow into a fear of opening them? how can anyone overcome any phobia it seems like so much and so difficult i have my own fear things i cant do and it took me a long time to overcome only a small portion of them. i think if i developed this phobia now id seek help and do the psyc technique of basically forcing yourself into uncomfortable situations and ride them out a bit longer each time. slowly your subconcious mind will see there is nothing to fear..
easier said than done.
@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
8 Jul 12
I like your last line, "its easier said than done". What is agoraphobia may I ask? Was it that you referred to as the fear of leaving your house.
I am thinking abut what you said about blind people, but would that actually go for them. Even when they open their eyes they wont see anything. I just can't seem to imagine blind people with that phobia.
I am so happy I don't have a phobia like that cause I have no idea how I would actually manage. One time I used to be terribly scared of dogs, no matter how big or small. I grew out of that still, and i am only scared of bad dogs. But anybody would be afraid of those dogs, they bite, they are fast and they aren't usually afraid of stones.
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
19 May 12
This is interesting. These phobias can come from a lot of different things and then sometimes nothing causes them...they are just there. There are a ton of therapies out there for phobias. I think that they apply to them all too and not just a particular. I think the ones that have shown to be most effective is conditioning and the other is to face your fears.
It is hard to imagine some phobias but they are very real.
@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
3 Jun 12
Yes I know they are very real. But to overcome them i bet is great difficult. I used to be afraid of dogs, and who wouldn't afterall they can bite can't they? So I really used to be afraid of dogs. And to overcome that fear nearly kill me. Well i am still afraid of a dog's bite but no longer their little bark that can't harm no one. But let me tell you this. If a dog decides to rush me and it is a big dog, I am going to run, I am not going to stand up saying that I am a man. I wont chance it. I am going to definitely run. Run as fast as possible.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
13 May 12
That is really a rather problematic phobia when you really think about it, as fear of opening your eyes can really mean that your life cannot really be lived. I don't know anyone who has ever had this phobia. But obviously if something that can a phobia it exists. Therefore, I really do in fact feel for these people who are absolutely terrified to even open their eyes.
I don't want to even think about what would happen if I had somehow had this rather harsh phobia. It would be something that the overcoming process would be rather slow and rather harsh. I'd imagine that this would be like overcoming any phobia in many ways, but really also not like any phobia in any other ways. It would be a long and hard road to slowly overcoming and defeating such a phobia.
@Renhard (3471)
• Jamaica
13 May 12
Yes that is what I am saying as well. I tried to put myself in the position where if i was the one experiencing it what would I do. And honestly I am thinking about it and I feel that, it would be hard for me to overcome it like seriously hard. Sigh. I am so glad I don't have any such phobias
