FEAR THIS FRIDAY THE 13TH

AY THIS WORD FEW TIMES, as fast as you can: Paraskavedekatriaphobia.

Dr. Donald Dossey, a behavioral scientist based in Asheville, N.C., coined the term for those who fear bad luck on Friday the 13th.

He's written a book about superstitions. About 17 million to 21 million Americans are afraid of Friday the 13th, according to drdossey.com. Some are so worried that they don't even leave home to go to work.

What else are people afraid of? In honor of this traditionally unsettling day, four staff members have gone to their dark sides to share their own fears. See their stories on Page D4.

GEPHYROPHOBIA: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

By DICK HAMMERSTROM

In late March 2003, I calmly drove 1.7 miles across the towering bridge on U.S. 301 over the Potomac River and, later, traveled 4.3 carefree miles across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

It was a pleasant early spring day and I was on my way to a journalism convention in Ocean City, Md.

Three days later, I approached the Bay Bridge again, this time in a swirling snowstorm that, to me at least, turned the span into a slippery metal deathtrap.

By the time I reached the other side, I was soaked with sweat, my knuckles were white and my heart was racing.

It was my first step into the world of gephyrophobia.

A medical dictionary defines it this way: "An abnormal and persistent fear of crossing bridges. Sufferers of this phobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize their fear is irrational."

That sums it up for me.

This newfound phobia took me by surprise. In decades of driving, I'd been over numerous bridges, long and short, narrow and wide, without any sense of alarm.

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There's a difference between a fear and a phobia, said Denis Nissim-Sabat, a psychology professor at the University of Mary Washington and clinical psychologist. Phobias significantly affect one's life.

For instance, imagine a person who's afraid of heights, he said. There's a job the person wants, but it's on the seventh floor of a building, so the person doesn't apply.

"We're all afraid of a variety of things. If it doesn't impede our normal functioning, it isn't a phobia." he said.

What's the best way to deal with fears?

Here are Nissim-Sabat's tips:

Learn how to relax. Breathing exercises can help.

Self-talk is also helpful. Prepare yourself for the moment you'll encounter your fear.

After facing the thing you fear, give yourself a pat on the back. "Say: 'Look, I did it. There really isn't that much to be afraid of.'"

If these methods don't help, counseling can help a person deal with the anxiety.

--Kim Baer

Phobias are emotional and physical reactions to feared objects or situations. Healthyminds.org, a Web site of the American Psychiatric Association, lists the following phobia markers:

Feelings of panic, dread, horror, or terror

Recognition that the fear goes beyond normal boundaries and the actual threat of danger

Reactions that are automatic and uncontrollable, practically taking over the person's thoughts

Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling and an overwhelming desire to flee the situation--all the physical reactions associated with extreme fear

Extreme measures taken to avoid the feared object or situation

Date published: 10/13/2006

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