Megalophobia is a fear of large objects, usually buildings, but it can also apply to large ships, airports, aeroplanes, or enormous statues. Some feel uncomfortable around fantasy films where there are large robots, or after visiting the dinosaur collection at the Natural History Museum. It’s not known what triggers this phobia. There is speculation that it’s genetic. I think it’s like the fear of heights and possibly stems back to ancient man living out on the plains. If you lived in a large cave, or near a cliff, the chances of being killed in a cliff fall, or cave-in, could prompt this response.
Megalophobia is not one of the most common phobias. Still, I have come across it and would even say that as a child I responded to some locations in the same way someone suffering from Megalophobia might, especially after seeing a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the Natural History Museum in London as a child.
One common sign of megalophobia is shuddering, and being scared when viewing, thinking, or talking about large things. Your heart may beat fast and your mouth may go dry. All classic symptoms of anxiety.
How can you overcome Megalophobia?
There are a variety of ways to manage your phobia. Using solution-focused therapy, we concentrate on the positive benefits of visiting some of these places. Using visualisations, we help your Amygdala to become accustomed to the object causing the problem. We can use mindfulness to keep us feeling present and in control. Hypnosis to calm the amygdala response. Cognitive behavioural therapy can help us understand the thoughts and feelings which arise and exposure to the problem after we have completed the visualisations can help the brain anchor the feeling of safety and well-being.
Case-study
Tracey lived all her life in Essex, and frequently commuted into the city of London. Over the years, her fear of tall buildings increased because of the many tall builds within the square mile. It got to a point where she turned down work if it was located anywhere near a tower block. A friend of hers tried using EFT to calm her down, but it hadn’t worked, so she referred her to me.
Working online over 8 weeks, the explanation of what was happening in her body made total sense to her. The mindfulness tools and breathing exercises helped her when outside. By using Google Street, I could slowly build up the visualisations of walking to a variety of tall buildings. Including the Shard on the south bank, and The Walkie Talkie, which she had a particular problem with.
She then started by going by tube to the Barbican and walking around there and up to the tower. By month 3, she had got to the Shard and even went up to the top. She realised that the act of looking up made her feel giddy. This could have been an inner ear issue or vertigo. So I suggested she kept eye level contact with the buildings. I have a similar problem with balance and the angle of ceilings. Modern architecture can fool the brain into making it feel it’s off balance. The footbridge to Cabot Circus in Bristol is a good example of this.
She now works up the Farringdon Road and regularly practises the tools I taught. A few things are still off-limits like cruise ships, but as she said, it’s not everyday you encounter those.
Also see:Phobias