From the Forum: Megalophopia - Fear of Large Objects
Rain Blanken writes: "I was wondering how common the fear of large objects is. I am a pretty fearless person in most regards, but anytime I get near something like a statue, blimp, airplane, etc., I suddenly turn into a shaking weirdo. I don't want to run away from these objects, I can control the fear, but I shake and sometimes even feel sick. I just learned that this weirdness has a name, 'megalophobia'.
It's sort of like these objects are monsters. Buildings are not part of this fear, I believe I see them as inanimate. This is more connected to objects that are capable of moving, or give the appearance of movement or sentient thought. The idea of being next to a whale or the hull of a ship terrifies me. I saw a cruise ship at a dock for the first time last month and nearly freaked out, the feeling was overwhelming. As though it were looking at me..."
Have you ever felt this way around large objects, or do you have experience with another type of phobia that you would like to share with others? Visit the About Psychology Forums to meet others readers, express your opinions, ask questions and share your knowledge.
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Comments
Kendra,
Thanks for posting this up on your blog, I’ve gotten a response so far and I don’t feel like such a weirdo, now.
I really do believe that it is some kind of instinct coming into play when I don’t necessarily want it to! I am taking a trip to Disney World in a couple of months, so I am hoping that there aren’t too many large statues and the like there. Perhaps they’ll be friendly enough not to count?
I get mild vertigo whenever I’m near something really big or looking down from a high place. My spatial mapping is really really bad because of parietal lobe brain damage, so scale fascinates me. One of the things I like to do, for roughly the same reason most folks watch horror movies, is look for identifiable buildings on Google Earth and let this really strange feeling of extreme distance come over me. Does that mean I’m technically a megalo-maniac? ;o)
Thanks for your comments! I’ve experienced these feelings to some extent around very large objects, especially if they’re looming over me. No where near a phobia for me, but not very pleasant either.
My particular phobia is known as Ophidiophobia, or the fear of snakes. Spotting a snake in my yard generally sends me running and screaming in the other direction. There have been a LOT of rattlesnakes near my house this summer, which makes me nervous just to think about.
Interesting. Both of my children have an active dislike of costumed mascots (Mickey Mouse, the Crash Test Dummies, you name it!) and won’t go near them. Is there a phobia that covers this?
Hi Nancy,
I’ve seen several references to a fear of mascots, which is known as Masklophobia. It seems very similar to Coulrophobia, or a fear of clowns.
That is 100% just like me. When I’m around big objects like planes or even when I was near the 9/11 site I start to freak out. But I can stand being near buildings like those in Toronto or New York City.
I have always had a terrible fear of large objects. I never thought that it was an actual phobia. I dread having to go onto the turmac when at an air port, and forget ships. nice to know I’m not the only one…
I thought I was the only one who had to deal with this sort of thing.
Mine is exactly the same as Jessica and Jared’s, except with a twist: I only have anxiety when “face to face” with the object. For example, I enjoy vintage airplanes. I can be on them, in them, under them all day long and not be bothered — however if somehow I am directly in front of the plane or propeller, anxiety hits. Same with a statue — I was in the statue of liberty years ago without a problem. I found it fascinating. However in the museum there is a mockup of the face, and while walking up the stairway you can see the face ‘inside out’ and both of those instances gave me the anxiety feeling.
Interestingly enough, space doesn’t seem to play a consistent factor. About 20 miles north of my home is a wind farm with what seems like 70 turbines. If I were to drive up to one and get out, look up, etc, they do not bother me. However, while driving down the road, if they are pointed in my direction (due to my position and wind) I get that feeling.
However, like everyone else.. buildings, houses, etc, do not bother me.
Found this after a quick Google of ‘fear of large objects’. When I saw a mention of buildings I was about to dimiss it as ‘not what I have’, but then read it properly and immediately agreed about the ‘monster/sentient beings’ theory. Something to do with the fear of being crushed by an extremely large object capable of movement I think. The examples of a huge ship and whale (NYC natural history museum, it wasn’t even real) are the two I’ve experienced too.
It’s not like it ruins my life (limited exposure) but is strangely one of the few things I’m afraid of.
Extra points for posting this on my birthday too !
OMG!! I don’t mean to sound silly, but I thought I was the only one out there that experienced this type of fear. I was embarassed and felt stupid to share my fear of large statues and other large objects thinking that this was something that no one could relate to. I was born and raised in New York, and never have gone near the Statue of Liberty. Atlas holding the earth by Rockefeller Center has me in total freak out mode. The Intrepid, ship that was docked by the marina, I can not go near it. What is the matter with me?? I have ran into oncoming traffic trying to get away from statues because I forget where exactly they are located and I come up on them by accident. I’d rather fight a 7 foot man than face Atlas. HELP!!! I only stand 4′11″, but I don’t think that has anything to do with it. Thanks for listening…..Dee
I have the same fear… another website put it well…Megalophobics are not so much scared of large objects but of objects that are larger than expected. such as suddenly opening your eyes and being next to a giant parade balloon or the anchor on a ship. The first time I felt it I had unexpectedly turned around and the entire two-story wall behind me was covered by an enormous American flag.I don’t restaurants with large objects..like boats hanging from the ceiling.
I never thought that i’d actually find out what my phobia is called. i googled “fear of large objects” too and found this site. My story is similar but a little different. I have fears of different types of objects. like for example I am terrified of standing near a large flag. I think i’m just scared of it falling on me. I also fear being next to a sail of a sailboat or a hot air balloon or stange things like that. When I was a kid I had this and never knew what it was. It started with the lines at the bottom of pools. Like the dividers i guess? they absolutely scare me. We used to play the games where u had to get the stick thing when you threw it in the water… and if it went anywhere near the lines I would refuse to get it. I’m not really sure why these things scare me. The strange part is that other objects dont bother me, like I went on a cruise this summer and being next to the ship didnt scare me, and planes dont scare me either. I’m not sure its weird.
As with everyone else here, I’m glad I’ve found this website. I have googled fear of oversized objects before but never found responses as recent as this. I live in NYC and my girlfriend found it odd that I would have this phobia but she gave me a clue as to how it started. When I was a child my mother took me to the world’s fair exhibit in Queens, NY where the Unisphere is located. It’s basically a giant steel globe. And around the same age she took me to see a little known B-movie called Food Of The Gods. The gist of the movie is liquid flowing from a rock that lightening hit during a storm is fed to farm animals. It causes the chickens and insects to grow really large. But the main monsters in the movie are really big rats. That’s the other phobia I have. I guess i have my mother to blame. I’m glad I’m not alone.
Wow, I’m so glad I stumbled across this. I have an unexplained fear of things such as parachutes, hot air balloons, blimps, giant flags, etc that I have not been able to explain or understand for years. I’m fine with large buildings, which is good because I live in the city..but I suppose a giant cruise ship would freak me out! I can’t figure out why some large objects bother me and others don’t. The fear is not unbearable, but it is certainly distressing to me. I just get shaky and very uncomfortable around these objects and am unable to go close to them or touch them. Lets just say the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade would be my worst nightmare…
WOW! After reading these comments, it’s so relieving to know I’m not alone! I really thought I was a big weirdo because I have never in my life met or talked to anyone who had the same fears of big things like I do. And it’s exactly how someone put it in here…like all of a sudden running into something BIG that is out of place or unexpected. I had this happen to me numerous times but this one sticks out in my mind right now… It was a bad rain storm and I was just driving home from a friends house since the rain had finally quit. well I come around this turn in the road and there lies this huge and I mean HUGE tree in the road blocking it all the way across! I couldn’t go any further. It was like all of a sudden the road became a tree! A HUGE TREE! I had tunnel vision and couldn’t take my wide eyes off it for what felt like minutes but I know I wouldn’t look at it that long. You can imagine my sweat and anxiety that built up in an instant and I slammed on my breaks and started bawling! I was so close to the damn tree I’m lucky I didn’t run into it! SO I covered my eyes with my hands because I did not wanna look at it again and I was freaking out like what do I DO???! I can;t just sit here and cry this tree will come alive and swallow me! crazy! So I hurried and put my car in reverse looking behind me the whole time and took off. It was horrifying! Same with flags like people were talking about. I can’t stand seeing big flags hanging over roadways or highways or next to me. It’s frightening. And statues are the same but not all of them. Statue of liberty is the main one really but buildings don’t bother me too much unless something is happening to it, like 9/11. now that will freak me out. Also big bodies of water, ships, planes, etc…i always fear that if I step foot into an ocean that parts of the titanic will venture up to my feet! Or that the ocean will swallow me up and take me so far I won’t ever make it out. I feel dumb to say it but it’s really horrific to me. Glad to get this all out and have others relate. = )
Am glad to have found this page, it describes my odd phobia precisely. I can climb tall objects/buildings and look down with no problems, I’ve been up the eiffel tower and loved it, but when I’m at the base of a tall building or any large, tall object I get a strong sense of dizziness dread. This feeling is stronger with manmade objects, and with objects that have a relatively small base compared to their height.
For example: wind turbines, cooling towers, hot air balloons. I HATE the idea of being right next to one of these or for example looking up into the inside of a hot air balloon.
I have been known to completely lose my balance upon looking up at the high ceiling of a cathedral from inside!
I don’t know if it’s just the fear of the object falling on top of me or what, and it’s not a crippling fear or anything, but it’s a bit scary!
So glad to see this. My fear is a bit different in that I am afraid of large statues of people. I can barely look at pictures of them. One example would be the statue in Rio de Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer…freaks me out…the thought of going there and standing near that statue and looking up…yikes. I would struggle with the Statue of Liberty too I’m sure. Another example would be the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black hills of South Dakota. I’ve followed this progress on this over the years online but when I am loading a webpage, I have to look away until the pic is loaded. I get a rush of panic in my gut and while I know it’s not going to get me…I can’t help but feel vulnerable and exposed. I’m going to go to Fernbank in Atlanta Georgia in about a month and they have dinosaur exhibits, some of the largest in the world I beleive…I’m anxious about it but it won’t stop me…my friend will probably make fun of me but I’ll get through it…
THanks for sharing your stories. GOod to know I’m not alone.
I am terrified of large statues such as the Statue of Liberty or Mount Rushmore. The thought of flying in a helicopter near their faces makes me crazy. Who knew others had this fear? I’m just glad it is something I can choose not to do.
Oh wow, what a comfort in knowing I’m not the only one…
Like a few others on here, buildings don’t bother me, but like Kendra I feel very anxious around large objects that are moving (such as a blimp) and also with certain animals–especially whales. Just the idea of something so massive floating in the depths of the ocean just gives me the creeps.
The other large object that I fear, which tends to get laughs when I reveal it to people, are icebergs. Not so much the tip, but thinking about how enormous the actual iceberg is underneath the water gives me about the same feeling as thinking about whales.
Thanks for all the posts on here; glad I came across this page!
It’s so cool to find other people with this fear. The Statue of Liberty really freaks me out, especially at the end of _Planet of the Apes_ when she’s out of context, and her face is closer to the ground. I’ve actually had nightmares of coming home and finding her giant head in my apartment. I’m fine with big planes, modern ships, etc, but footage of ship wrecks (like at the beginning of _Titanic_) is terrifying to me. I think that my worst case scenario would be sailing along and suddenly finding some giant statue jutting out of the water. I think I have a greater fear of enormous structures in ruins than enormous structures themselves. Perhaps its the combined authority that size and undeniable history/death wield that frightens me.
Holy smokes. I can’t believe other people are freaked out by the Statue of Liberty. I get get this feeling of dread and fear when I see it and I don’t know why! I just googled ‘fear of the statue of liberty’ after my boyfriend teased me by showing me the statue in a Grand Theft Auto game and I like scrambled to cover my eyes. Seeing it on Google Earth made me lose my mind hahah. Any thoughts on how to overcome such a weird fear?
Thank goodness I´m not the only one with this phobia! So relieved to hear there are others.
I live in Finland and I´ve always felt a bit sick/queezy/terrified when I´m near huge ships, engines/turbines (are the worst), engine rooms, big statues etc. I can´t bear standing next to any of those things. I get cold chills down my spine and I want to run away.
It´s like they´re too big, like they belong to giants or something..
It´s definately worse if the large objects move or look like they´re going to move. That´s why I hate engine rooms (especially in ships) when there´s big pumps and all sorts of generators and whatnots moving about and making lots of noise.
I visited the Natural History Museum in London a few years ago and was pretty scared seeing the dinosaurs/bones, the whale etc. Buildings don´t really scare me except like the inside of a big cathedral or a large airplane hangar. Yuck.
I’m really glad I found this website. i’m only 18 but since a very young age I have been scared to stand in front of anything that is big and that can move. It sounds crazy but I am scared to stand in front of a train or a plane or anything that moves. I can get on a train fine, it doesn’t bother me, but if I see something big moving towards me I freak out. Even if it’s turned off, and there is no way it could move I still get scared. I encountered another bit to my fear aswell about 3 months ago. I visited the airbus site on the internet and i clicked the interactive tour of the planes, and even that scared me as the planes we looking in my direction…. but it’s a computer screen, why have I got this fear. I don’t like it, it doesnt like ruin my life or anything, but its just not nice when i get the feeling. im gettin scared now just thinking about it.
OMG!!! I am so happy I found this page!! I have lived in Jersey my whole life, now 25, and I’m 100 percent beyond petrified of the Statue of Liberty! I can’t look at her even in pictures, and my biggest fear is being under her and looking up ahhhhh. I think my heart would stop! I have no idea how this fear even started, but I’m glad to know I’m not the only one!
Hey all!
Just read all your posts and some of them are fascinating, I can sympathise with alot of them. My fear seems to fall in this category more than any other I have found, it is a distinct fear of looming and large objects, especially ones with faces and large staring eyes. I can’t stand “giant flying octopus kites” and have no idea why I’m scared of them so much, I cant even look at images online. I also dont like the idea of being directly under large flags in case they fall as well as at the bottom of very large trees.
Strangely I am ok with hot air balloons, blimps, planes and tall buildings, I seem to fear pretty specific fears and I wonder where this comes from!
Not alone…I’m terrifed of Large Statues, especially Large Biblical Statues, I can’t go in a Catholic Church, for fear of seeing a large Jesus hanging on the cross, (stupid I know)..but my whole body starts shaking, I start crying and having an extreme panic attack. I’m afraid of whales, and other statues,planes,and ships, but not buildings or trees. They had a huge picture of the statue of liberty with a big flag hanging in the background in my local grocery story today,(it was just a picture)but it was huge and hanging over my head, it really upset me. I was shocked to come in the store and be faced with this.I want to overcome this, I dont even remember why or when it started, when I was a child I don’t think I was afraid. (I’m 28 now)..
I’ve known about megalophobia for awhile, but this is the first time I’ve read any firsthand accounts of it, and I hadn’t quite realized it could be so severe — my sympathies to those of you for whom this is an impediment.
The diversity of the phobia is interesting to see. My personal variant seems to be based on overhangs, oddly enough: The first time I drove by a particular horse racing track with a huge grandstand, I was hit with a very strange, uncomfortable feeling as I saw the massive canopy loom in the distance.
It’s similar with wind farms. The thinness of the blades seems to help a bit, but their length, their suspension far above the ground, their rotation, and the fact that there’s usually a dozen of them gives me a similar kind of discomfort.
Actually, there’s one more thing that doesn’t involve overhangs but seems to be related. Anyone know of the Palm Jumeirah man-made peninsula/archipelago in Dubai? It’s a huge artificial landmass in the shape of a palm branch. I get a similar discomfort looking at it on Google Maps.
All considered, none of these things actually give me panic attacks; I just feel uneasy around them, so I consider myself thus fortunate. I hope those of you with more severe cases can find some help toward relief.
I know everyone has said this, but I REALLY thought I was the only one with this phobia and had no idea it was this common and that it has a name! I just figured odd phobias ran in my family because my sister is deathly afraid of bagpipes…go figure.
Things like: airplanes, large statues, ships, hot air balloons, blimps, whales, manta rays and large, moving shadows in the water give me a very unnerving feeling; this phobia does not cripple me and I can control my external reaction but it feels like my whole insides go white with terror. Glad to know it is more common then I thought! Now how do I get rid of it?!
Oh! what a relief to finally have a name for it. Like a few others, ships freak me out. I went on a Cruise a few years back and if I looked over the side…bad things happened. Also I was glad to see someone here mention turbines. The sinking scene in The Titanic movie terrified me. those huge propellers…eek! I still wonder though if the fear of the openness of the ocean is considered megalophobia or agoraphobia. freaks me out to think of something as huge as the titanic or an aircraft carrier being swallowed whole by the ocean only to rest between underwater mountains.
TREATMENT FOR PHOBIAS: (I found this on a website, would like to know what others think about it)
Advancement in science and technology has come up with various treatments for phobias. The very first and the most essential step in curing phobias is personal motivation to expose oneself to the feared object and to tolerate the anxiety.
Some people have the motivation and dedication to tolerate the anxiety and cope up with the phobia of the feared object and some take help from therapist, psychiatrist and medicines to treat the symptoms.
Following are the most common and successful methods or therapies for managing fears and phobias :
• Cognitive behavioral therapy : This therapy has two elements of treatment. One is the cognitive element that makes the person learn the thinking patterns and change their thoughts. The other element is the behavioral part that focuses on exposing the person to their feared object or situation, and enables them to change specific actions.
• Exposure therapy : This therapy lays emphasis on the behavior of the person when they are exposed to the feared object. The person is gradually exposed to the feared object and is taught to tolerate the anxiety level that naturally falls down after few minutes.
• Counseling : It is also called supportive psychotherapy. This therapy involves discussion and counseling. Some people discuss the ways they had adopted to fight phobias and alter the lifestyle for a better living. This discussion might prove to be useful to some of the people suffering from similar fears and they might adopt the same methods for curing.
• Relaxation training : This includes many breathing exercises and muscular relaxation that tends to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. Once the level of anxiety is reduced, these people are exposed to the feared objects that ultimately help them to tolerate the anxiety and cope up with the fear.
• Medication : Apart from all the therapies and methods, there are some medicines that have proved to be successful in treating the symptoms of phobia. Medicines like benzodiazepines and beta-blockers are often used to ease the symptoms but are not enough to effectively treat phobias.
Wow, I typed into google, fear of large objects as I have never come across another person experiencing the same fear as me.
I can think back to when I was younger going for walks with my grandmother, vividly walking round a corner and spotting a large roller that is used in building sites and I would not walk past it or look at it. Later in life I found I would panic when being next to ships or artic lorries,planes. big tractor wheels are another I cannot be near.
When this has been brought up with friends, they cannot understand why I felt like this and at one point thought I was going mad. Glad to know that Im not alone.
Another thing, after reading through more experiences, I noticed someone put on Grand Theft Auto, I cannot do the challenges where you have to swim in the water as I know if I hit the wrong button, i go underwater and being underwater in the dark I freak out at the possibility of a ship being next to me or anything really being in the water. Even though it is a game, I hate the thought of it.
I also am scared of some large objects, in particular Windmills and huge radio tranmitters, like looking at this gallery gives me nervous butterflies in my stomach: http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/little-shurdington.php
But also the idea of walking around a corner and suddenly a huge windmill is there, really terrifying.
I too wondered if I was alone with this phobia, interesting though. Large buildings don’t bother me per-say, just specific ones.
I am so glad I’m not alone! People always finds me weird but I am so glad that there is a name for it. I am so scared of ships and have actually cried (real sobbing cries) when I had a dream of ships once (my boyfriend related back to me).
I also remember once during the night when I was walking near a pier and suddenly realised there was a ship in front of me. I totally screamed! People around me thought I was crazy.
I cry everytime I see big objects and I get a feeling of dread.
It’s really not funny. For some reason, I am scared of large pools of water at night too. No problem during the day though. Weird.
A big thank you to all who have a fear of large statues. I had personally wondered for years if I was slightly insane. Since, every time, I accidentally come in contact with a large statue, I have a panic attack. This panic attack is severe, although I am able to have a normal conversation with my husband. I usually pretend I’ve forgotten to lock the car, or left my wallet somewhere. Just so we leave IMMEDIATELY then I conveniently make excuses as to why I don”t want to return. Once, we were at the Primm Mall in Las Vegas and I accidentally went into one store, & then came out and went to two more & found myself, by myself standing right in front of exceptionally large male & female statues.My husband was in a Men’s store, I called his cell, & told him I left $500 in our hotel suite probably on the table. Met him at the car, by walking backwards. Got to the hotel amidst a head full of prayers; & snuck the money out of my purse, & onto the table, when he was taking his jacket off.Then proceeded to convince him, it would be a good idea to cut our vacation short, & get back home to the children (who were visiting Grandma in Palm Springs). The whole trip back, I kept looking in the mirror to make sure “they” weren’t following me. I haven’t been back to Vegas since. But will now seek help, thanks to all of you, I know I am not insane, & wish I would have googled “fear of large statues” sooner! Best wishes on getting help, everyone. = – D
I left a comment earlier in the year and came back and found so many other responses. Amazing that after so many years and so many people not believing what I would tell them, and now there’s many of us here.
Two things:
For those people afraid of statues – do mannequins in stores bother you too, or just sculpture?
Second… For those who also fear being in front of vehicles and such that have potential to move: Were you born in the early 1970s? I suddenly remembered a clip from Sesame Street that used to terrify me as a child, and I wonder if this is where it all started.
Here is a link to the clip. It is the one where two workmen hang up a large photo of a tunnel, and suddenly a large train races through it, straight at the camera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XJ8qeyqGoc
You’ll have to skip to about 1:20 to get away from the music, but I wonder how many of us were effected by this silly clip.
This is NOT meant to intentionally scare anyone, although I’m sure there are some (like myself) who may be scared by it.
i know exactly what you mean. sometimes just the thought of large things scares me. like when i think of the launch pad for the space shuttle, it makes me shakey. there are these 2 blimp hangers by my house in newport beach california. i cant even drive past them. i get made fun of for it, but now that i know its real, i dont feel so weird.
Well I don’t think I have ever heard of it but, I don’t think it’s common. Maybe you should see someone like a doctor or a psychologist to help you out and maybe get rid of that fear of yours.
Casey, I watched the clip and it DID bother me. When I knew the train was getting close I squinted and then got the weird anxiety/shiver feeling as it got really close to the camera.
I don’t remember seeing that clip before but remember going to an IMAX-type movie in grade school and at one point they showed quick clips of many different things right in a row and one of them was a train coming at the screen and blowing its horn. FREAKED me out!
Things I am bothered by include: windmills (particularly the blades when they are on the back of trucks going down the highway) – hot air balloons have never bothered me until recently one was flying over our neighborhood and flew JUST over our car. I got out to get my camera out of the back and they pulled the fire to make that loud noise right when I looked up. Also, at the KS History museum on a field trip with my daughter, they have a train engine and I was fine with the engine itself but when I went up on the platform and walked around the front of it, I felt COMPELLED to look at it and then when I did I got the weird shiver-type feeling down my neck and got the heck out of there!
I can get on airplanes because of the tarmac – if I ever had to board a large plane parked on a runway and go up those little stairs, I would just NOT be going on that trip!
The idea of whales in the ocean freaks me out but one of the things on my ‘life list’ is to go whale-watching. ?!?
At Disneyworld we went on the TRex ride and I literally had my eyes closed for 3/4 of the ride because I knew the big dinosaur was going to appear out of nowhere and I couldn’t handle it.
One weird thing I notice is that I often HAVE to look, even if I know it will freak me out.
And what many people mentioned, about seeing something unexpected that is large – THAT freaks me out. Even just reading some of the descriptions of what bothers the other people bother me. The person who said they could see Epcot from the top of a ride at Disney and the person who mentioned flying in a helicopter next to the faces of Mt. Rushmore. YUCK!!!
People do NOT get it and it is SO hard to explain. When I tell people about it, they say, “So you’re afraid of tall buildings? Or elephants?”
im 13, and i have the same phobia
i couldnt go diving or anything as the sea is so vast.. i hate picturing swimming next to a wale or next to the hull of a ship! in airoplanes i hate looking out at the clouds because they’re so big i get such a weird feeling and i feel so vulnerable. is there anything you can do to help this?
When I was younger we used to have a pilon outside our house and I could not look at it, and if walking back to my house, I used to have to crawl alongside the fence just so I couldnt see it. It was taken down some years ago thankfully!!!
I hate to repeat the common phrase, but I thought I was the only one with this phobia also. All I can say is I’m glad I’m not alone. I don’t know when I started feeling this way about certain objects but just thinking about them can cause some unease. I started trying to piece together why certain objects would bother me. Eventually I pin-pointed some of them and looked them up. I watched Casey’s clip of the train – I do remember that and I did feel uneasy when I watched it. Strange isn’t it.
I’d have to say that my major issues are huge boats and whales. A perfect nightmare would be floating in the water by myself next to a huge aircraft carrier with a whale right beside me. Good thing I only considered joining the navy and didn’t go through with it. UGH, I freaking out thinking about it, haha!
It’s weird how certain large objects don’t freak me out. Airplanes out on a runway don’t bother me at all. But I had this dream once. I walked into a hanger in the middle of nowhere and looked up to see a huge bi-plane (bigger than normal, it’s a dream afterall) hanging down at me, the ceiling seemed limitless. I saw someones earlier post about the statue of liberty’s face being blown up on a wall. I can agree with that causing some unease, also the with large American flag on the wall
9 times out of 10 though, it’s large objects under water that reek havoc on my mind. I don’t know why.
I do agree with Amy though, I do feel the need to look. I don’t know if it’s trying to stand up to the phobia or what.
Anyway, best of luck to all of you.
I posted awhile ago just like a gentleman earlier said and it’s comforting to know I don’t suffer alone. My phobia seems not only to be statues like others here, but also large oversized normal objects. The world’s largest objects tend to be the ones I dislike the most. My girlfriend and I recently went to the crayola factory in pennsylvania. It was all very nice but when we went into the crayola shop they had the world’s largest crayon in there. It spooked me out although I did take a picture with it. Also those roadside large objects like an ax, thimble, chair, hockey puck, etc. would be things I would tend to avoid at all costs. There is that large statue in russia called The Motherland Calls which I think is just as bad as the statue of liberty.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this webpage!
I cannot believe how many people share my phobia and I finally I have a name for it.
Again, in particular, it’s the Statue of Liberty which scares me the most – someone mentioned The Planet of the Apes film and I think that’s what has stuck with me – I was terrified of that scene as a small child.
Most statues frighten me but moreso those with a face. Also as has been mentioned, planes, ships (especially out of water), and windfarms.
I am also terrrified of coming across something large unexpectedly, maybe turning a corner and being faced with something.
Also large water towers – we went to view a house recently and right behind it was a huge water tower – I felt sick, dizzy and couldn’t even go near it. The thought of living right next to it terrrified me.
I saw a documentary on phobias and a lady suffered from this fear of large objects – she described it very well as feeling they had “a presence”.
Thank you very much for posting this! I have just realized my fear of these object in recent years, and I especially realized it when I stood at the base of a ship in Duluth, MN on Lake Superior. You described these feelings almost as if you were reading my mind (especially the part about excluding buildings). I’m glad to now know what this phobia is called, this has been extremely helpful!
Hi All! I thought I was mad until I read that there are so many like minded people out there! I’ve had this phobia for as long as I can remember now and have often thought about the possible reasons as to why I’m so scared and uneasy around such large objects. I personally think my dad is partly to blame! When I was a toddler he would take me to the town hall in Bolton (in UK, near Manchester) and would hold me up to the large statues of lions on the steps. He would also often take us to Bolton museium and hold my brother and I up the the animals heads on the walls and I would always scream the house down and couldn’t bare to look, certainly when I was being held face to face with them, terrifying! It became a sort of nervous disposition whenever I was in any sort of museum. I never even liked going to Laser Quest for fear of suddenly finding myself face to face with a mannequin in the dark! I’m scared of many huge objects, mostly those that have already been mentioned on here and again the main fear being stoof alongside them or finding myself suddenly by them by surprise – planes, trains, ships, windmills, statues, engines and similar parts, diggers etc etc. My fiance is very aware of my fear and on one holiday in Greece placed me inside the ’scoop’ part of a digger and I was just screaming and couldn’t look up at it at all! I also remember once panicking and almost weeing in the car seat as I accidentely came off at the wrong exit of a motorway at night when the roads were quite quiet and found a statue that I had always been fearfful of right on the roundabout of the junction. I had to drive round the roundabout with no other cars around with this thing right next to me. I swerved so quickly round it, really panicking, so no doubt dangerous!! Pictures of it here: http://www.2e-images.co.uk/places/birchwood/encounter.htm That’s when I’m most scared really, if driving alone, especially if the roads aree quiet, ande suddenly coming across such things. Another example of when this has happened to me is when driving in Trafford in Manchester and coming across these large anchor like industrial sculptures by the side of the road. Again, I sped up not being able to look. The best description I have heard on reading through all these posts is the part about the lady in the documentary and how she described the objects as though they had “a presence”. The summed the feelings up perfrctly for me.
Ps. I’ve just remembered something else too that has no doubt ‘given’ me this phobia! In the same museum that I mentioned in my initial post, on the walls of all the staircases within the museum were HUGE paintings of people in HUGE frames. Massive they were! You had to get really close to them when using the stairs and again I couldn’t bare to be near them, look at them, be anywhere near them and would feel really uneasy about it. We used to go to the museum most weekends with my dad for years during my early childhood and now I’m scarred for life!!!
Pps!… Each time I send a post I remember something else!!…And again about that museum!!! I think I need some sort of therapy there, lol!!! The museum was right in the centre of town and even when a little older if in town with friends we’d call into the museum. Plus I had a friend whose parents both worked there and we’d often call by. Her stepfather was a taxidermist there and had told us about a large elephant head that he had helped work on and that it was on display in the musueum. My friend and I went to see it and I couldn’t go anywhere near it. I was now about 15 but was absolutelt petrified and so nervous and uneasy. I did go right up to it in the end and it had this sort of uneasy presence that left me feeling really, I don’t know, I guess still just very uneasy for ages afterwards. My fiance and I spent time at an elephant sanctuary in Goa, India a few years ago and the elephants were just massive but yet this didn’t bother me at all so it’s definitely inanimate objects that I’m afraid of.
BTW,on searching for the above, I also came across a photo of the industrial sculptures I had mentioned earlier: http://media.photobucket.com/image/elephant%20inside%20bolton%20museum/Asquith1/Spring%20%202008/Hook01.jpg I don’t even like looking at the photo!!!
And don’t even get me started on the large mill engine wheel in Wigan which we’d go to with school on occasion and I HATED standing next to it!: http://www.wlct.org/Culture/Heritage/trench.htm
Two things…
1… the post from twenserse is spam.
2… Is there a way to set up some sort of conversational area where we can discuss things back and forth in a slightly more private area?
Hi Casey,
You might want to visit the psychology forum for more discussion of megalophobia. There are a couple of existing threads on the topic, but feel free to begin a new thread if you like.
Here are a couple threads you might want to read:
Megalophobia: The Fear of Large Objects
Strange Phobia
–Kendra
I thought my fears were unique until I read this blog.
Large chimneys, boilers, engines, aeroplane engines all freak me out but ships and especially huge propellers make me shake uncontrollably. Even on TV last night the image of men standing in a shipyard under a 20m high propeller made me feel sick.
I have regular nightmares about ships in docks and the horror of being in the water next to the hull…..
I strongly suspect airships would be similar but I’ve never been near one.
Phew. Now my weirdness has a name. Thanks
You know, for as long as i can remember i’ve sporadically experienced this acute fearful fascination of extremely massive objects. Sporadically as in: i experience it when i’m thinking about large things, looking at them, looking at pictures of them, movie clips of them, even looking at statistical data and comparisons of their size. It occurs when the obvious conditions are met, in other words – and it strikes me like lightning.
I mean, especially objects that are so big you can merely attempt to fathom their size. The attempt to picture picturing their size alone is just too much to bear. Size scares me most of all, but force is also taken into the equation – another of my absolute phobias are tsunamis and large waves. I’m scared to pieces over how big they are, and the gravitational pull that the object(s) might wreak. Also, these kind of objects interacting with each other also scare me to death. Like picturing two planets colliding, or an expanding red dwarf swallowing a planet like it was a piece of candy (like our beloved sun will do to us in approx. 7.5 billion years, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_of_the_Earth).
Just thinking about THINKING ABOUT for example a black hole extending its gargantuan jaw and with a great lens effect consuming the planet in its entirety makes me instantly and noticably physically uncomfortable, i semi-gently toss my head and press my eyes shut to force out the image of this macabre display. Seeing earth disassembled; disintergrating into nothingness and darkness, pulled to pieces by a force so great a portion of the universe TRULY revolves around it and it alone (read: What’s in the middle of a galaxy?). It’s like i’m staring into an abyss that also stares into me when i even glance at these objects (despite them being infinately compact – the opossite of an abyss), be it in my imagination or “in real life” (a movie, a picture, something outside my head). It’s like… the feeling of having your soul sucked into a vacuum, really (whatever that means, you know?). My gut is instantly drained of strength and my knees weaken.
However the objects don’t have to be massive even on an astronomical scale (and i don’t mean the moon here or something, i mean Canis Majoris, Black Holes and the eye of Jupiter). As i said, tsunamis and massive waves scare me. Also, looking upwards by the feet of a skyscraper gives me that same feeling, like “reverse fear of hights” or something. When looking down from a skyscraper i also respond negatively and in a similar way; known as the good old fear of heights. I experience that too, to some degree. But not like the MASSIVE OBJECT phobia. It’s like a practical fear of heights though – if i’m standing on a ladder i’m scared, but if i’m looking out an airplane window at 10,000 metres i’m like Cool, whatever. Anywho, it’s all very strange. I don’t know why i just looked into this, but i just thought “i can’t be the only one” and googled it, and ended up here.
Interesting self-test: If you’d like to test something that might help whoever reads this determine if he/she responds similarly (just for the sake of knowing yourself, like everything on here) follow this link to YTMND (Google it if you somehow haven’t heard of it, it’s trustworthy to 100%). Set your browser to fullscreen, make sure the sound is on and at a comfortable volume, make sure you’re not on 56k, dim the lights and hit the link. There’s no screamer or anything like that, you can run the whole thing through once first to make sure if screamers is a phobia of yours.
Here’s the link: http://sizeofworldse.ytmnd.com/
Understand how large these things are. Experience my phobia.
Most of the people have been struggling with anxiety disorders for many years and have usually exhausted themselves looking for a solution in every book, course, or treatment program out there.
You must learn to break the fear Of having another panic attack Or You will never experience complete freedom from anxiety, read more about Anxiety Attack Treatments and Anxiety Disorder Self Help
OH WOW! This is being uttered to the point of cliche on here, but I am SO glad that I am not alone and that people on here are putting such a clear definition on the fear I have not been able to define for so long.
I, like many here, have no fear of objects that “don’t have the possibility of moving” such as buildings and towers. Well, tall skinny towers like the CN Tower in Toronto or the Space Needle make me a little uneasy but not afraid.
I went to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming wondering if it would scare me, but it didn’t…again b/c it is a big pillar of rock but stuck into the ground and not so skinny…I could climb the rockfield right up to the base of the tower and was fine.
HOWEVER, I am terrified of certain things…like even in certain movies like Indiana Jones and he Last Crusade I freak out every time Indy and his dad ascend the steps to board the zeppelin and then there it is….whoa…and the picture of the Hindenburg coming down is a NIGHTMARE…being there when that happened would have killed me just seein g it…but the worst ever was the giant fake life-size blue whale hanging from the ceiling of the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. I could barely enjoy that wing of the place at all b/c I had to stare down and fight myself to ignore it above me and pretend it didnt exist. In the same trip I had to face the fear of seeing Abe Lincoln’s statue in the Lincoln Memorial….he freaked me out to be sure but not nearly as much as some other smaller statues have…which leads me to consider that if the statue is of someone who was benevolent in life it helps my imagination to imagine that if he did come to life I’d be ok. And lo and behold he did in Night at the Museum 2…in IMAX no less! but I did alright with it….if it had been 3D IMAX though maybe not….
SO, I decided to put that little theory to the test in 2008 when my girlfriend and I went to Rio and we went up to the Jesus statue Cristo Redentor. From a distance he is up on such a massive mountain that he looks like a tiny speck…eh, BIG deal I say….but then when you get to the base of the mountain you cant see it for the trees so you dont see it until you get tot he top of the mountain….WOW….TERRIFYING at first….but I just kept my head down…enjoyed the ridiculously amazing view of the city from up there….and glanced up every now and then….this is a statue taller than the Statue of Liberty mind you from foot to head…and on top of a reeeeally tall mountain…..well, I kept telling myself it’s Jesus it’s Jesus…and eventually I was able to look up more and more until I was taking pics of him….right on at his face and stuff…and finally the famous pic of my arms spread wide with MASSIVE Jesus behind me….got the PROOF! So, maybe the niceness of the person the statue is of helps I dunno…but I was darn PROUD of mysef that day I tell you all!
As for the hideously frightening MONSTROSITY that is The Motherland Calls in Volgograd, Russia…wow..hopefully that thing collapses under its own weight before I am tempted to…gulp…go face it down….double gulp…
Thanks for reading and sharing folks!
I am going on a cruise in March 2010, but I am pretty sure I suffer from megalophobia. Just thinking about walking up to the ship and getting on makes me sick to my stomach. Any suggestions? Cuz, I don’t want to dissapoint my boyfriend or waste a great trip.
I am terrified of big buildings as well as big objects, like airplanes and such. But for some reason, once I am up in the plane, as long as I have my laptop, I am relaxed. And I am okay on cruises too. Small towns and buildings under say 10 stories or so are okay with me, but higher than that and I am like “Ahhhhhh!” and have the sudden urge to run around like a crazy person. I do deep breathing techniques when I get too stressed, or I take someone with me to the city who I feel safe with. Its rare that I will go someplace other than my hometown though. I need to get out more, maybe I need a behavioural therapist to help me…or perhaps hypnotherapy will help!
Wow. I knew there were others who dealt with this phobia, but after years of searching I’ve finally found a forum where it is being discussed. Just reading through the comments has me a little uneasy. But, oddly enough I couldn’t stop until I had read them all. Interesting stuff.
My earliest memory of fearing a large object was when I was about 13. My cousin and I were throwing a frizbee back and forth near this collossal hedge/tree that had to be about 60 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Every time the frizbee would go near it we’d tease each other about having to retrieve it.
Nothing traumatic, but i have the fear nevertheless.
The word “presence” mentioned here finally summed it up for me. Not so much that huge objects are alive in a sentient sense but that it is just there. It’s almost like the larger something is, the more of an undeniable presence it has. It’s almost as if it’s challenging you not to look at or acknowledge it.
One thing that helps me cope when I near large object(s) is if I am with someone or there are other people near. That instantly removes 90% the fear for me.
One specific case was on a recent job assignment where I was to capture video of wind turbines. The initial thought somewhat terrified me but I knew I’d be going with a still photographer. So that other presence was a big help.
I think megalophobia is sort of related to agoraphobia(fear of wide open spaces or vastness). A large object, especially in a large confined area sort of defines the space as wide open and vast.
Another thing that helps quell the fear is if I’ve got something covering my peripheral vision like a hat or a hood. On this trip I made sure I had a hoodie–luckily it was a cool day and I had an excuse to put it over my head. Once it was on I could go right up next to the collossal turbines and look straight up at them. I even got brave enough to take off the hoodie–but not the hat!
Ironically, I absolutely love looking at clouds outside the airplane window–perhaps because I got the cover of the plane and that tiny hole as security.
I think the big difference in people who have this fear is a certain presence of mind and probably overactive imagination that makes us more susceptible. I’ll bet if you said to three out of 5 people who don’t have this fear, “hey, that (thing) is huge…it’s kinda creepin’ me out”-3 of them would say…”yeah, now that you mention it, it’s kinda creepin’ me out too.”
This is my favorite time of year because among other things, the trees have lost their leaves–and they don’t look quite as massive without them–although, if it’s large and misshapen enough–it can be pretty creepy without the leaves.
In the summertime I walk to work and sort of force myself to walk right by large looming trees. It’s easier during the day–slightly more terrifying at night–this is the closest I’ve come to having a panic attack. I had to speak out loud to snap myself out of it. Thanks to overdevelopment of the suburbs, one side of the tree/forrested street has been mowed down to put up a city hall building–guess you know what side of the street i’ll be walking on in the summer!
Thank you guys for posting and reading.
I agree with the comment about this phobia possibly being linked to agoraphobia as I feel a lot of the times I come across such large objects it’s almost like a fear of the big wide world. Like others, I’m terrified when I see such things when on my own but when with others, it is only a very small fear.
Just checking back in… I agree with everyone else about the “presence” in these objects. that’s the best way to describe it. also, I checked out the photo of “Motherland Calls” from Russia and it creeps me out! the scale of it is insane, and it looks as though it’s in the middle of nowhere. Quite amazing.
Last time I was on here I couldn’t bring myself to look at a picture of “The Motherland Calls” but I’ve finally done it and I actually feel sick. This is possibly one of the most frightening images I’ve ever seen! There is no way on Earth I could go near that statue in a million years.
But I have a strange compulsion to keep looking the picture!
I feel your nausea Sheila, but exposure is part of overcoming the fear. Just take it in small doses.
I hope no one in this forum lives anywhere near Houston, TX because plans are in the works for the monstrosity of monstrosities!! The “Spirit of Houston”. A 555 foot tall chrome woman. To say this will dwarf “Motherland” is an understatement!
Here’s a the creepy write-up:
At 555 feet, the World’s Tallest Woman, planned for Houston, Texas
by Michels Bollinger, Inc.
STEELING BEAUTY
Imagine the future… your first visit to Houston in the new century, lured here to view a brave new monument, the heroic “Spirit of Houston”, a grand symbol of friendship. You have seen the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and the great St. Louis Arch… famous icons all, now, as you glide into Space City on Loop 610, SHE comes boldly into view! The world’s tallest woman… a chrome Sky Goddess, 555 feet tall, soaring above the HOUTX skyline, her arms raised in a future-friendly embrace.
In a quick series of tourist post cards, we see HER at home in Houston, eye-to-eye with erect downtown skyscrapers, watching over her freeways at rush hour, and dancing above the verdant glades of Memorial Park… She’s ubiquitous, eyes scanning the horizon, head in the clouds, feet poised delicately on her Houston turf. She’s confident, a woman of the future, independent and free… welcoming all to her dynamic city. As they say in art, architecture, and industrial design… “it’s all about the curve”. From cars and freeways to the female form, it was the concept of curvilinear beauty that inspired Doug Michels (an architect), Peter Bollinger (an industrial designer), and Cybele Rowe (a sculptor), to create their visionary silver icon for new century Houston.
Powerful cultural icons demand originality and true beauty to INSPIRE memory and meaning! As a symbol of the future, the Spirit of Houston is both “prescient” and traditional… a proud TEXAS ICON, steeling beauty in the bright moonlight above Houston.
Credits:
SPIRIT OF HOUSTON
monument designed by
Michels Bollinger, Inc.
–Doug Michels (email:michels@uh.edu)
–Peter Bollinger
–Cybele Rowe
Yeah…thanks a lot guys ;-\
To get a sense
This link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/152289/StatueSize_cmprsn.jpg is a mere line-art comparison of the worlds largest stautes in tiny silouette graphics, but WARNING: the statue of liberty is silouetted behind them all-just the head, crown and part of the flame)
If anyone objects to the temptation posting links here poses to megalophobes I will not do so in the future, but again, I think exposure helps.
OMG there are more people like me!
I have never known until now, well never thought much about it as I live in a small quiet place but well, A month ago I went to see the big jesus statue and it was a terrifying experience I hope to never see that statue again in my life I had a huge panic attack
I have a huge fear of big things like electricity masts and big statues and big bridges that are hanging from above and windmills and stuff,
I went to the Paris and I thought I would be terrified of the eiffel tower cause its like a big electricity mast But I was very ok not afraid at all and I went up
So my friend went to Cologne Germany last year and told me about that church they saw there its HUGE you can google cologne and you will see the church I cant even find a link for you I never wanna see a photo of it again, no way Im googling it I was so terrified just to look at the photo, I encourage you to check it out,
Oh I googled Motherland Calls! Its horrible! I will never in my life go near that thing! gives me the creeps,
Well I have never been to New York and I really wanna go there but I have no idea what it would be like for me,
I am afraid it would be a total disaster and I will just have ahuge panic attack and not be able to go anywhere,
I have never been near scyscrapers or tall buildings like that, so what is it like for you guys that have been there?
How can I get rid of this fear!?
I wasn’t going to say that I’m glad to find others like me but I am. And it’s nice to know that it is a recognised phobia.
I’m a 33 year old man who has lived in England all his life. I am from an engineering background and a general car enthusiast, so you could say I like to tinker with machines on a regular basis. And strangley, it’s very large machines that I am ’scared’ of like planes and ships. I even grew up living only a few miles from Heathrow Airport which makes this stranger still.
My wife has the same phobia too as does my brother. I do not have a problem with large buildings, statues or wind turbines however. I remember my parents told me I was always scared of these very large cooling towers that we used to pass when I was a kid. Very odd.
It seems my fear is of objects that can move, or were designed to move and no longer can. A ship that would be permanently harboured would still worry me even though I know it will not. This link below shows a Jumbo Jet that was converted to a restaurant in Korea, and even though it is obviously grounded, just looking at these pics makes my hair stand on end!
Please only look at these if you are comfortable doing so. I can just about manage it and wouldn’t show them to my wife. I just hope someone can understand what I mean.
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/04/abandoned-boeing-747-restaurant.html
Apologies if you find the images uncomfortable.
Regards,
Tej
Bryan, I agree with you when you say exposure can help overcome it. It’s strange because even though I know I will feel nauseous looking at the pictures I still HAVE to.
That proposed statue in Houston looks even more terrifying than the Motherland Calls. And actually, like the Motherland Calls, it looks like it will be designed to have an appearance of movement.
Safia I bet you regret ever googling the picture!
Tej, your link was very interesting because although aeroplanes do not bother me particularly, the picture where you are looking at the plane “head on” frightened me. I think its going back to the feeling of the object actually “looking” at you and therefore appearing menacing.
My husband is not at all megalophobic and cannot understand what it is that terrifies me!
I wondered if anyone else felt the same ssensation of nausea when using google earth for example.
The way the globe spins and then suddenly hurtles you towards your chosen destination makes me feel very shaky.
And I made a huge mistake of google earthing The Motherland Calls – fortunately it appeared to be pretty cloudy over Volgograd and so I couldn’t see it very well!
I know when I do see it on aerial view – and I feel compelled to see it – I will regret it….