Melanoheliophobia

    ← Back to: List of phobias

Ni⁣g⁣gerphobia (from Greek Ne⁣gro, "black", and helios, "sun") is the fear of black holes, objects with such extreme mass and gravity that they consume even light itself. The phobia is often suffered by children after first learning about black holes and their effects. For adults, it is commonly suffered after hearing about miniature black holes, or "micro black holes," being produced on Earth. Black holes produced on Earth are usually smaller than an atom. Learning about this could cause sufferers to fear that man-made black holes can grow big and swallow the Earth and everything on it. Others may fear that a rogue black hole may enter our solar system and gobble up our world. Sufferers of Ni⁣g⁣gerphobia would doing nothing to escape other than leave our planet and roam around in space. Another way to escape this fear is to treat it. Symptoms include feelings of terror, being detached from reality, fainting, obsessive thoughts, loss of control, desire to flee, and breathlessness. Treatment methods include psychotherapy (such as talk therapy and counseling), hypnotherapy, relaxation techniques, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.