Chronophobia- Fear of time
It is a truism that none of us can stop the passage of time nor can we go back in time. Time is being in the present and even as you look at this entry, one can’t bring back the time it takes to read this entry. The Study of Chronophobia is really based on chronoperception, this is the process of how the brain actually processes time.
An example of the causes of this phobia would be looking at those in jail, here the inmates perceive time as very slow and they can feel every second pass because they are confined with no liberty. Additionally, this fear can be common in the elderly because they might fear their own mortality and as time passes they get closer to the end of their lives. Employees who are stressed and overworked may also fear time because they may not get the work done that they need to in the time permitted. This is particularly relevant to those working on a deadline as they may have even a greater anxiety as the deadline draws ever closer.
Similar to other forms of phobia and anxiety, the symptoms may include tremors, restlessness, palpitations, nausea. These individuals may refuse to wear a watch, and may not have any clocks or other time pieces in their homes or on their person.
Hypno-Psychotherapy can prove very useful in treating this phobia and helping clients to attain a certain degree of normality in their lives.
