Ricky T, A phobia is a physiological response to a psychologically imprinted trauma (usually from childhood.) There's nothing to laugh at and it's a fairly common malady among adults. Many of us have some form of phobia to certain varying degrees. I have a mild fear of electricity (or more precisely, fear of getting shocked) so I often look like a six year-old girl who's just seen a spider whenever I have to deal with my battery or wiring (even sometimes when I know there's no live current.) Some people are cured of their phobias, most of us learn to manage them and a few just have to learn to live with them. People can be fearful of odd things. Clowns are a surprisingly common fear for some people. I even had one friend who was afraid of bunny rabbits.
OK, I snickered at that one a little bit. 
I would go with ricster on this and try some treatment under the supervision of a licensed therapist. But while you're working on that, I would suggest looking at modulars (flip ups.) It still offers full-face protection but you can lift the entire front portion up when you're stopped or moving slowly. I would recommend that before trying the one pictured in Shemp's post because it offers no chin protection in a crash. And a significant percentage of serious crashes involve injury as a result of impact to the jaw and lower facial region.
Something like this one might afford you the protection you need while giving you the "space" you want to feel a little less constricted.
Hope that's helpful. Certainly don't want you to miss out on riding this summer.
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