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Sometimes when I am in spooky environment (like on a deserted street at midnight with little light), I would have this fear that I would start having hallucinations (like seeing things that don't exist and getting freaked out).

I'd heard that a number of people experience this cognitive delusion and claimed to have seen things like robots with flying heads and that is how they start to believe in supernatural things.

How should I describe the fear I have in those spooky environment?

p.s: I forget to mention I have this increasing anxiety when I am at those spooky environments and so I would always avoid these environments as much as possible (I think this has to do with a part of my childhood..) So I accepted Mohit's answer because agoraphobia describes best how I feel.

At first I wanted to look for the term for the fear of having hallucination but it most likely doesn't exist. (It would still be great if someone finds it and posts it here)

Thank you guys for giving me all the awesome answers!! Greatly appreciate!!!!

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Wait: you’re asking for a single word to describe the fear of getting freaked out by things that are not there? That seems highly unlikely to be answerable. The fear of having hallucinations is different from being afraid of the hallucinations themselves. You’re afraid of being afraid of things that aren’t real, or you’re afraid of them? – tchrist Mar 15 at 16:13
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Maybe phobophobia: the unreasonable fear of being unreasonably afraid. – tchrist Mar 15 at 16:29
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You seem to be showing symptoms of Agoraphobia. Get yourself checked out! – Mohit Mar 15 at 16:29
@tchrist Good suggestion and good link! But I'm looking for the fear of having hallucinations. – love Mar 15 at 16:30
@Mohit Thank you. I think agoraphobia is the correct word to describe my condition. You should make that as an answer – love Mar 15 at 16:31
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6 Answers

up vote 0 down vote accepted

You seem to be showing symptoms of Agoraphobia. Wikipedia defines it as:

Agoraphobia is defined as "a fear, sometimes terrifying, by those who have experienced one or more panic attacks". In these cases, the sufferer is fearful of a particular place because they have experienced a panic attack at the same location in a previous time. Fearing the onset of another panic attack, the sufferer is fearful or even avoids the location. Some refuse to leave their home even in medical emergencies because the fear of being outside of their comfort area is too great.

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How are impending hallucinations part of escaping the environment or getting help? – Mitch Mar 15 at 17:54
Agoraphobia is a condition in which a person avoids going out to the places which increase his anxiety or have the potential to give him panic attacks or which can make him feel him unsafe and far from help. "Impending hallucinations" could be taken in as reason for the perceived anxiety and escaping the environment is what people try to do when they are anxious due to various stimuli. Agoraphobia is in itself a very broad psychological term which encompasses lot of situations in order to accommodate patients showing similar kinds of behaviours under similar kind of anxieties. – Mohit Mar 15 at 18:10
I'm not sure we have the same conception of 'hallucination'. A hallucination is an illusory sensation, for example, hearing voices (when no one is talking), or visions (like a dead person or animal that is not there). – Mitch Mar 15 at 18:15
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I believe we have the same conception. Idea here is that he is anxious about going to a place because he fears an impending hallucination at that particular place. That hallucination may or may not have happened in reality to him. But he is fearful of it. And he is anxious about the fact that he will start seeing some hallucinations. This idea fits well in the definition of "agoraphobia" which says about fear from impending doom or anxiety or panic attacks. – Mohit Mar 15 at 18:47
Yes. The precise term for "fear of having hallucination" most likely doesn't exist and this describes best how I feel in those environment so I upvoted and accepted it. – love Mar 15 at 20:07
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up vote 3 down vote

These are what I can find:

Fear of darkness: Achluophobia, Scotophobia, Lygophobia, Myctophobia

Fear of ghosts: Phasmophobia, Spectrophobia

Fear of being alone: Autophobia

Fear of brain disease: Meningitophobia

Fear of insanity: Agateophobia

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up vote 3 down vote

Aside from using already-suggested terms like agoraphobia and phobophantasmophobia, consider referring to the phenomenon as a self-fulfilling prophecy:

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.

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up vote 3 down vote

I would consider those feelings a cognizant sense of "an over-active imagination" or ""letting your imagination run wild" - both implying that you know the fear is irrational and that the subjects of your hallucinations don't really exist.

A healthy mind might have a fleeting pang of anxiety for those things but immediately dismiss them. A wise person would, and should, fear the potential real danger in a particular situation and take prudent action to regain a sense of safety. (Get out of that dark alley or isolated location! It's always the last thing you did that got you in trouble!)

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up vote 1 down vote

how about the fear of going insane: dementophobia

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up vote 0 down vote

Maybe panic or anxiety, do you have more details about those sensations?

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