posted about 3 months ago
Why are you afraid of them? Have they bullied you, have they been overly critical or are you afraid of their authority? I don't think you can address the phobia unless you identify the initial cause of it.
Though I am in a similar position with my second supervisor. Honestly it is more awkwardness than a phobia. But I think I have talked with my second supervisor 3-4 times in person during the last 2 years. I am socially awkward with people I don't know well and I hate making small talk with her. She is friendly, if not somewhat direct, but I don't feel comfortable. I occasionally email her and my main supervisor is good friends with her though I avoid having to talk with her in person to the extent, I avoid talking with her at all. My main supervisor knows about this and thinks it is irrational. I know I need to get past this barrier but I keep delaying it. If I were to do it again I would have gotten to know her better when I first started. So PaperOrPerish, if you have any good ideas please share.