Terrified of photos of space/inflatable objects/underside of water

I am terrified of photos of outer space. Not really the ones where it just shows points of light like we see from Earth... but the ones that show clusters, nebulae, planets, etc. in high resolution. It's interesting though because I can watch movies or documentaries on TV and the computer about space... but I can't look at high-res photos (anything bigger than maybe 5"x5") or use stellariums like sky-map.org because it terrifies me. I was actually just trying to deal with this phobia before I came to this site. I was on sky-map (which thinks it's funny to make the start point when you load the page a massive cluster of stars and gas lol) and tried zooming in and out, moving around space looking at stars, tried focusing on the star names and constellations but just could not control the building anxiety. I had to actually look away and collect myself because I started to panic. It's extremely aggravating because I'm fascinated with space and learning about the planets, stars, galaxies, etc... but I can't look at any of them! What does it MEAN?!

When I try to remember anything traumatic in my life that may have caused it, the only thing I can think of is when I was in elementary school, my class went to the Adventure Center, which is a learning center. One of the classes was astronomy and they had a little inflatable planetarium that was about 8 feet tall. We were all inside looking at the projection of the stars inside onto the inside of the bubble when the fan that keeps it inflated stopped working. It started collapsing on everyone... we all got out except one of the girls in my class. She couldn't find her way out of it and one of the teachers had to help her find the exit. I remember asking her, "weren't you scared?!" and she just shrugged and said, "no..." I remember thinking then maybe I was a weirdo...lol I don't remember that event alone traumatizing me since I wasn't the one caught inside. But interestingly enough, I also have a slight phobia of large inflatable objects... I can't imagine ever being in a hot air balloon, looking right up inside it. I can't stand next to them either. And wouldn't even THINK of going inside one of those giant beach balls that you can fit inside of to walk around on water.

Something else that might be associated is my fear of the underside of the surface of water. Like in the pool... the reflection underneath when you go under and look up. Yeah, terrifying.

I know it's not "normal" but I really wish I could figure out why... I read somewhere that it might be a fear of losing people I'm close to? Or losing control? I'm not afraid of wide open spaces or anything... and I'm not really claustrophobic. It's like vastness inside of something freaks me out. Or the illusion of something vast (reflection in water...). I mean surely it's not as simple as fear of the unknown. I don't really feel like that concept freaks me out.

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44% Normal
Based on 62 votes (27 yes)
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Comments ( 4 )
  • Tazwiz

    Maybe you have difficulty dealing with the sheer size of space! I mean it's a pretty overwhelming concept!!!

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    • Ebil_Lightbulb

      I literally get nauseous when I think about how large space is :/

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  • emilydoll

    Interesting. Well, you're not going to lose your loved ones and when you pass your loved ones will be there with open arms to hold you, there is nothing to fear, we make up things in our head but it's really silly you are probably traumatized ask your heart to purge this and clean itself dig down deep and rip out that fear and tell it to heal

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  • Really? Hm, that's really interesting. I think the underside of water is very beautiful

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