“George Lassos the Moon”. It’s a phrase from the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and it signifies having it all when you have the moon. If you have a fear of the moon you are said to have Selenophobia.
The moon itself is a point of reflection from the sun and contains no visible forms of life. It’s been walked on, blasted with a rocket, used as a golf course and had a flag placed in it’s foreign soil. It’s been the subject of songs, poems and artwork. It influences tides and is the stuff of horror movie legend.
What Causes Selenophobia?
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There is much mystery about the moon. Superstition suggests that when the moon is full creatures do not behave normally, evil is unleashed or at times it appears the moon is laughing at us.
Intellectually we can agree that the moon holds no supernatural or even personal attributes associated with other humans, yet still the moon is feared.
This may be the result of observing others who feared the white orb of night. It may be the result of the mystery of the moon and the sheer distance the moon is from our planet. We may fear it because it is big and we are small in comparison. And finally it is under the cover of moonlight that so many crimes are committed so fear is expressed perhaps for personal safety.
Whatever ultimately causes your own fear of the moon it is still a fear you either live with or deal with. It is a fear that is often misunderstood and can affect multiple aspects of your life.
Symptoms of Selenophobia
When an individual experiences this fear it is likely they will not venture outside at night. They will close their shades and may experience incredible dread as the afternoon fades to dusk.
Other symptoms may include…
- Air hunger
- Trembling
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
- Social anxiety
- Panic attack
- Crying
- Obsessive tendencies related to night time
In some cases the fear is essentially small and may appear only a little more than normal apprehension. In other cases this fear may manifest itself in strange behaviors, social phobias and screaming at the site of the moon.
How to Overcome Selenophobia
We talk a lot about therapy when it comes to overcoming fear. Perhaps the reason this is true is that human beings have the ability to either accept a lie as truth or lie to ourselves and accept our own lie as truth. Having someone who can help us separate fact from fiction can be a vital step in the process of unraveling the fear we may be experiencing.
We’ve mentioned this elsewhere, but the truth is the fear that seems at the forefront of your thoughts may not be the actual fear that is causing problems for you in your daily life. What I mean by that is that the fear of the moon might actually be a fear of the dark, fear of night or fear of the unknown.
A therapist can be a great resource in coming to terms with what causes your fears and appropriate ways to manage your phobic responses.
The fear of the moon is also referred to as:
- Moon fear
- Lunar fear
- Selenophobia
