What's this? A fear of shiny-lipped women? A petrifaction of Cosmopolitan Magazine? A phobia of half of Dulux's range of paints? Alas, no - this week's Face Your Fears article, Glossophobia, is the fear of public speaking.
What makes this particular phobia so fascinating is the fact that it ranks higher on the big list of the world's fears than dying. Which means, as Jerry Seinfeld once famously pointed out, that most people at a funeral would rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy.
Another fascinating fact regarding glossophobia is that is one of the few fears that can actually produce what a person thinks it will.
Sound convoluted? Then picture this: You're at an important work meeting and it's your turn to give the speech to the board about your department's performance over the last quarter. If you suffer from glossophobia, you've probably already got sweaty palms. Allow your fear to get the better of you and you'll probably lose all your confidence and become speechless when you take to the stage.
Do you suffer from Glossophobia? For the next couple of weeks, The London Bridge Experience and The London Tombs are offering to help cure this fear for free. Simply come along to SCAREfactor dressed in your most hideous Zombie getup and act like you're half dead for your free curing. Oh, and you might just land a job working for us while you're here.
Monday 27 September 2010
Monday 20 September 2010
Face Your Fears: Claustrophobia
This week's Face Your Fears is dedicated to all you claustrophobics out there.
The word claustrophobia comes from the Latin word claustrum, which means 'a shut place' and the Greek word phóbos, which means 'fear'.
It's most likely to strike when in a confined space, like a lift, aeroplane or basement where there is little or no room to manoeuvre. And as with most common phobias, the cause of claustrophobia can be attributed to an unpleasant experience or learned behaviour.
As a child you may have been locked in a wardrobe. As an adult, there's a fair chance you may have been stuck in a lift. If you're really unlucky, you may have just learned to be afraid of small spaces by the adult in your life — a scenario that is most common with arachnophobia or ophidiophobia.
The primary symptom is a panic attack. You might be able to identify a claustrophobic as someone who always stands near the door at a party, terrified of getting too far away from their escape route.
So how do you get cured of such a phobia?
Hypnotism is one way as it can remove the nervous feeling altogether. But the best way? Face your fears, of course.
Here at the London Bridge Experience and London Tombs, we can help. Make your way down to The Big Squeeze - a confined chamber where the only way out is forward. Guaranteed to make your heart race and your sweat glands work overtime, being in a confined space isn't the only thing to watch out for…
If you've got any claustrophobia stories, we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line on Facebook, or add your 140 characters on Twitter.
The word claustrophobia comes from the Latin word claustrum, which means 'a shut place' and the Greek word phóbos, which means 'fear'.
It's most likely to strike when in a confined space, like a lift, aeroplane or basement where there is little or no room to manoeuvre. And as with most common phobias, the cause of claustrophobia can be attributed to an unpleasant experience or learned behaviour.
As a child you may have been locked in a wardrobe. As an adult, there's a fair chance you may have been stuck in a lift. If you're really unlucky, you may have just learned to be afraid of small spaces by the adult in your life — a scenario that is most common with arachnophobia or ophidiophobia.
The primary symptom is a panic attack. You might be able to identify a claustrophobic as someone who always stands near the door at a party, terrified of getting too far away from their escape route.
So how do you get cured of such a phobia?
Hypnotism is one way as it can remove the nervous feeling altogether. But the best way? Face your fears, of course.
Here at the London Bridge Experience and London Tombs, we can help. Make your way down to The Big Squeeze - a confined chamber where the only way out is forward. Guaranteed to make your heart race and your sweat glands work overtime, being in a confined space isn't the only thing to watch out for…
If you've got any claustrophobia stories, we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line on Facebook, or add your 140 characters on Twitter.
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