11 May 2015

My Cymophobia

Life has been swelling me lately- university, work and homework, lack of sleep and general moodiness. Hope things will get better soon, my mood has been very bad lately (so as to even taking  a collection of short stories by HP Lovecraft from the library to match it).

But for the sake of keeping the blog alive and for lack of a more appropriate theme, I´ve decided to share my nightmare with you.


  • Cymophobia is an abnormal fear of waves, sea swells, tides etc (source).
Strangely, I grew up in Haifa in Israel, which is located on the coast, and my childhood involved frequently going to the beach every summer, and I liked it all the time. I never swum too deep though, as not being able to touch the ground beneath you was very scary, but I think this is a fear all people share.

I have stopped going to the beach since my teenage years (tanning is ungoth, plus Israeli beaches are hell), but it was never because of fear from the sea or anything.

However, I have always had only 1 type of nightmares- it was the picture of me running away on the beach from a huge tsunami wave, running faster and faster but still staying in place. Sometimes it would be the vision of rain tapping on an open window, and I would try to close it but the water would increase, pouring inside the room like from a bucket! Those nightmares always leave me scared, not like waking up with cold sweat scared, but they have made me get anxious and nervous whenever looking at pictures like this:


I am not scared into walking on the beach (although I don´t remember the last time doing it, in my last years in Israel I have avoided it), nor swimming in pools or ponds. I guess it´s the infinity of the sea that scares me, and it´s ever changing moods.

For example, looking at nature documentaries involving camera crew diving below a glacier will make me shit myself. As well as tsunami documentaries (though I find interest in them and if concentrated, can overcome the fright). I guess it really depends on the visuals, for example this video is living nightmare for me:

I swear if I´d been there I would have ran screaming towards the highest building and stayed there for a few days.

I was also terrified of this scene from Artificial Intelligence, where the main characters fly across flooded Manhattan (starts at 1:24):


I also tend to get Trypophobia, though I get a similar to ASMR feeling from it, but I don´t like it to say the least,

Do you have any phobias? Hope my tide will diminish and I could rest from everyday life soon.

N. Finsternis

9 comments:

  1. That's interesting, I see quite a few people lately, who say they are afraid of the Sea and tides. That's very new for me, because I have almost religious feelings for the Sea since I can remember (it came so far I always write this word capitalised) and being rocked by moody waves makes me feel very safe and at peace.
    No one would have guessed I had almost drowned at age 6, when I couldn't swim yet. It was unarguably the most dangerous situation in my life, yet, strangely, it didnt give me PTSD or anything, and I never experienced being afraid of swimming. I always jokingly connect this experience with Lovecraft's 'Shadow over Innsmouth' saying my ancestors wanted me to return to them, and why should I be afraid of meeting my family >D

    As for phobias... well, I avoid this term when referring to me, because phobias in my opinion end up in hysterical reactions, which I do not experience. I feel uneasy at open spaces, though. And in crowds.

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    1. that sounds like a very deep connection with the sea :)

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  2. I'm afraid of the ocean too. For one, I can't swim. Another, all those dangerous stinging creatures. And those strong waves... I was knocked off my feet once, and never stepped back. That video of the restaurant.... Omg. I'm afraid of heights... Like a ferris wheel is a torture device for me.

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    1. I tend to also be afraid of heights, but only when I am unsafe.

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  3. I find meat grinders to be unusually disturbing o__o. It might have something to do with having seen the music video for "Another Brick in the Wall" when I was eleven, but even then, the level of discomfort I experienced was stronger than my reaction to pretty much anything else that I found scary at that age.

    I hope life starts treating you better soon--hang in there ^^.

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    1. they are kind of disturbing! thank you, I hope so too.

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  4. I hope things get better soon for you! I had not heard of the phobia of waves though of coarse there is a phobia for everything, so I was not surprised there was a name for this too. ^^ Interesting post!

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  5. sea... hm... fears are horrible no matter what they are. i think the only 'physical' fear (aside of fears of the future...) i have that i'm aware of would be falling. im afraid in big heights, not because it is deep or i could die or something just because i'm afraid of falling down myself OR an item i have with me...

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