(Please don't post pictures.)
Question: Does anyone else around here have an irrational fear of submerged, manmade objects such as anchored buoys or shipwrecks?
I recently found out that people call this "submechanophobia," which doesn't appear to be an actual clinical phobia but more of a portmanteau of submerged + mechanophobia. From what I've read, many seem to consider it a combination of fears of other things, such as fear of the unknown, fear of the ocean, and whatever else. I'm not really sure what my combination of fears would be if this is the case. I would argue that everyone has a fear of the unknown, subconscious or otherwise. That portion doesn't seem unique to me. I also am not really bothered by the largeness of the ocean or swimming in bodies of murky water. But show me a picture of a shipwreck and I cannot look at it. Flat out can not.
Strangely enough, when I was a kid I had a couple books about shipwrecks after my school library piqued my interest in the topic. I remember being fascinated, but also startled to turn a page and encounter a large, close-up photograph of a submerged wreck, be it the Titanic, Lusitania, Andrea Doria, or something less significant (paintings of wrecks don't seem to bother me as much, mostly just photographs). At that age I didn't really think much of it and didn't pay attention to my reaction. Since then it's gotten much worse. A few years ago I decided to test myself for whatever reason and looked up photos online. After a few minutes I felt really uncomfortable and experienced an elevated heartbeat much in the same way I would when experiencing my other phobias, arachnophobia and acrophobia.
In recent years I've discovered that I'm not alone, but it isn't common for me to meet someone in person who shares this affliction. I just wanted to check in here and see if anyone else has experienced it, and if so, whether or not you're familiar with its origin in your life. I have no idea how mine got started.
