Fear, Trauma and Flying Monkeys

When studying aspects of fear you will find it is classified into two categories the Rational and Irrational.  It can be classified into countless Phobias in the context of clinical psychology, a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation.  Although I could not find a specific phobia for flying monkeys, I think they should add that to the list as I am sure from doing research for this post that I am not alone, as others share this irrational fear along with me.

I don’t have any fears that are to the level they are debilitating or hinder me from doing things.  I have a problem riding in closed up vehicles but it is subsiding as I get older.  I understand exactly where that comes from after spending several years everyday locked in a tank in what some people might call highly stressful situations.

I have a fear of spiders because the little bastards defy the laws of gravity and some stupid show I watched says everybody at least once in their life will experience a spider climbing into their mouth while sleeping.  I refuse to accept this notion, but who would know what happens when you’re sleeping.  If I woke up spitting a spider out of my mouth I know I would end up in therapy for the rest of my life and have to take pills to go to sleep forever after that.  I try and face my fears.  I have petted a tarantula and routinely I am the one called upon to deal with spiders in the house.  Aqua Net hair spray is the best weapon against spiders, one good blast and wait a few seconds and it isn’t going anywhere!  Somehow I don’t think Aqua Net will work on flying monkeys, except to keep their hair from fluffing up while they’re flying.

I don’t remember the first time I saw the movie “The Wizard Of Oz” or if I felt traumatized after seeing it.  I didn’t realize until years later when visiting a play at my daughters school and the Flying Monkeys came running down the aisles that the feelings I was experiencing was fear based.  It dawned on me that I hated the very thought of flying monkeys, somewhere deep inside I was afraid of them.

Upon deeper reflection of the situation I have concluded I would rather have a flight of Cobra helicopters or Apaches coming after me then see the skyline of the horizon filled with flying monkeys heading my way.  This is definitely an irrational fear.

My daughter thinks it absolutely hilarious that I have a phobia of flying simians.  Thankfully the subject doesn’t come up very often and they don’t really exist except for in children’s books and takes on the Wizard of Oz stories.  My daughter and I were at the theaters watching the new “Bourne Legacy” movie, when they showed the preview for the movie “Oz : The Great and Powerful,” which is scheduled to be released in 2013.

I exclaimed, “Oh Shit.”

She asked, “What?”

“Flying Monkeys!”  That’s when my daughter broke into a fit of laughter.

Funny or Irrational, if a person is afraid of something it isn’t polite to make light of the situation to their face.  Laughing about it is just plain rude.

Posted in: Phobias Fear Spiders closed spaces Flying Monkeys Oz Wizard rational irrational