A teenager describes intense physical distress when studying or thinking about the brain and asks how to understand it.
This is a reader’s personal account, edited for readability. Ages and circumstances refer to the time of submission. It is not a clinical assessment.
A reader’s account
I’m Zee, I’m almost 17 years old, and I’m terrified of the brain.
Talking about the functions of the brain triggers unpleasant symptoms.
My first notice of it was when I was 6- in that instance, just saying the word “brain” and what it does caused me to get extreme dizziness where I had to sit down.
A year after, when an instance of a show featuring a brain appeared in my head, I vomited in front of my class.
It has affected me a lot lately.
As someone interested in my mental health, I’m currently taking a psychology course at school.
It’s been difficult to stay in class; when learning about the anatomy of the brain, I start becoming light-headed and feel myself flying out of my body. My stomach goes in complete pain, my eyes become hard to open, my head throbs, and it’s hard to breathe. I have to play music or place myself out of the situation in another form in order to return to normal.
At one point this year, just thinking about my fear of the brain resulted in me getting extremely dizzy, and, when trying to walk to my bed to remedy this, I was unable to walk. I had to hop to my couch without collapsing, which was one very difficult task. This led me into a short panic attack where I could hardly speak without my mouth dysfunctioning it.
I haven’t found a term that fits, and I’ve been hoping to understand it, but I’m afraid I may be the only person with it.
I’m not sure if it’s with other body parts or organs (such as the heart or intestines), but it has always been hard to look at diagrams of the inside of the human body without feeling a little disgusted. It hasn’t helped to be exposed to images, either, it just makes my physical symptoms much worse.
Editorial note
A phobia name is not needed to seek care. Severe dizziness, difficulty walking or speaking, or significant breathing symptoms require appropriate medical assessment rather than an assumption that they are anxiety. A student can also ask about support and agreed access arrangements for distressing course material.
An online story cannot establish a diagnosis. If fear or distress is affecting your daily life, a qualified healthcare professional can help assess it. Comments and readers’ experiences are not a substitute for individual care.
I have same kind of fear, just not expecially about brains and with not as strong symptoms as you have. Though, I do get dizzy sometimes and feel uncomfortable on biology classes etc. I’ve tried looking around for that kind of fears/phobias but haven’t found anything except your story, which is why I came to this site in the first place: to look for information. I’m interested in phobias in general as well, which is partly why I’ve been trying to look it up.
I have this kind of fear in a way, but it’s not as intense. It’s just either discomfort or disgust. It only stays with the imagery and not with the name for some reason, though. Hell, I even get a bit uncomfortable by watching scenes related to brain matter. I am not too afraid of Brain Coral for some random reason, and whenever I think of how my brain is basically afraid of its own appearance, I just feel on edge. I’m dubbing it “Amygdalaphobia” as a personal thing, not as an official name, just something to remember this condition easier in one word.
I also have a fear of my own brain, but it’s unlike yours. My fear is more of a psychological fear due to the brain being in complete control and being responsible for making you scared. I also fear the unpredictability and the bipolar-ness of the brain. I haven’t found much about it, like a name or anyone who has a similar phobia.
I’m curious to know how you are and if you have found a way to conquer this phobia. I’ve recently been dealing with something similar and would like to get some advice on this troubling phobia. Thanks, and I hope you’re better whether or not you reply. Ms.Taylor