phobophobia means the fear of fear; the fear of developing a phobia. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “phobophobia” is a great word
PHOBOPHOBIA — [Noun] The irrational dread of experiencing fear itself or of developing a phobic condition. From Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, "fear, panic") + -phobia ("fear of"), effectively meaning 'fear of fear'; first recorded in English use 1840–45. Unlike "anxiety," which is a diffuse apprehension about uncertain outcomes, or a "panic attack," which is a discrete, acute event, phobophobia is the persistent, meta-dread of terror's own arrival. It is the cold sweat that anticipates the cold sweat, the preemptive wince before any blow has fallen, and the mind circling its own shadow like a trapped animal—a prison where the warden and the inmate are the same trembling consciousness.
noun
- The fear of fear; the fear of developing a phobia.“When Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he was describing phobophobia -- the fear of being afraid.”