Recently I heard one of my favorite authors, therapist Lori Gottlieb of “Maybe You Should Talk To Someone” fame, refer to the word “cherophobia” in an interview.
She described it as a fear of being happy and commented on how common it is with trauma survivors. When I heard this word and description I literally stopped in my tracks because it hit me like a lead pipe over the head.
Could this be why I so often feel an almost terror arise in me when I make plans for something fun? I pondered it for quite a while until I remembered that very early on in therapy I had mentioned to my therapist that I always thought I’d die young.
Read more on themighty.com