Merinthophobia

Merinthophobia (from Greek merintho, meaning "string") is the fear of being bound or tied up. Those who suffer from this phobia also fears loss of control. They may experience feeling of passing out, difficulty of breathing or feeling of defenselessness. This fear may stem from a regrettable incident in which he/she was bound either as a joke or intentionally. The trauma of such occurrence often stays with an individual for the duration of their lives.

Observing someone who is bound and engaged in a panic attack can also leave a lasting impression, even if the individual is someone who do not know and more so if the individual he/she observed was someone close to them.

An individual with merinthophobia will be very uncomfortable watching an illusionist escape from being bound. They may feel sick to their stomach and leave quickly. They may feel as if they can’t catch their breath.

A therapist can explain the difference between typical caution and unmanageable phobia. They will also work to trace the fear back to its roots and slowly work to remove the weed of merinthophobia. This will often require the phobic to explore issues that may have lead to the original fear and then deal with those issues as well.