Got a Phobia? Share it!

Originally posted by jude11
Ok, Just posted a thread on spiders and it reminded me of how I got my fear of the little buggers. It also made me wonder what other Phobias some members might have and if they remember how they developed them.

I am curious as to how Phobias develop. Some are from personal experiences while others are instilled in us from other people. Others as I understand are inherited.

So here goes...

My Phobia...Spiders!

.What's yours?

sand, i cannot stand sand to be on me if its fine, sand its worse, i mean i can touch it with my fingers but if i see it in large quantities and i dont have anywhere around to shower and get the sticky # off me, im not going near it.... cant stand it being stuck to me ack. ewww

and june bugs, make me scream they sound crunchy and they scare the hell out of me

Originally posted by davespanners
Clowns and Puppets and Dolls.
I'm not "terrified" of them i.e. I can be in a room with them and not be worried, but I would rather not if it's all the same, more or less everyone in my family has the same thing

and clowns, ive just always been afraid of them watching me, i had a boyfriend who had a set of vintage signed clown pictures, like 5 of them and they were soooooo creepy, i always felt like i was being watched by serial killers, and i had not ever seen It or any other clown horror movie at the time lol so it was just there. they used to make me cry at the circus when they would talk to me too. i stay away from them.

reply to post by TedHodgson


I'm usually uneasy at bowling allies too. There's just a weird vibe that I pickup on.

I fear clowns, because anyone can be in that costume. Its like the perfect disguise for a psycho to hide in.

Massive fear of death

It can be as simple as someone walking/running with a long object with the possibility of impaling themselves to spiders and snakes to heights to water or choking......i just have a deathly fear of death itself...i was so afraid of dying in a car wreck that i was 19 and forced by my bf at the time to get a drivers license...i always think i have some disease or medical thing wrong with me that will result in death....i hate this....

I love this thread! What a great idea. Good party idea too if everyone wrote them down and names were kept anonymous. I'll start with the ones I had when I was 5 and under. I used to watch Sesame Street and I loved cookie monster. But I always thought he would come up through the toilet when I was sitting on it and bite my behind. I was a very small child, so my rump barely covered a third of the seat opening if that, allowing me to constantly turn and check for him. He never appeared, but I thought that was because I was vigilant. Years later, in my 30's, my mom as a joke got me "potty monster", this guy here : www.designbuzz.com... , mine is in red. I've gotten a few friends good with it and my niece when she was 5 years old. Thank goodness she wasn't traumatized!

My other fear when I was young was being in the tub when the water went down the drain. The sight of the tiny whirlpool terrified yet fascinated me. I would watch from a safe distance and my mom talked me into putting my finger in it. After seeing her do it several times, I reluctantly tried it.

i have a terrible phobia of tornados so if there is a storm and the wind is blowing hard i will have a panic attack. i have no idea how it started. i think after living through a major hurricane in the 80's.

my ex boyfriend is freaked out by cotton balls. the synthetic stuff in particular. he's okay with natural cotton and cotton shirts but anything that feels like synthetic cotton FREAKS him out. he has no idea what caused it but its the way it feels and sounds.

reply to post by pasiphae


And I thought that I had such a unique phobia of being afraid of cotton balls.
After reading your post I did a quick search and came up with a site that lists unusual phobias with a whole collection just on cotton/cotton balls. I can't explain mine and it seems like I'm not the only one

Here's the linky www.unusualphobias.com...

Originally posted by sheeplemama_awakening
reply to post by pasiphae

 

And I thought that I had such a unique phobia of being afraid of cotton balls.
After reading your post I did a quick search and came up with a site that lists unusual phobias with a whole collection just on cotton/cotton balls. I can't explain mine and it seems like I'm not the only one

Here's the linky www.unusualphobias.com...

Actually, just in this thread alone there are 3 or 4 with the same phobia if I recall.

Very interesting one.

Peace

reply to post by jude11


Yep. I posted the first one. And was very surprised and relieved to see the 2nd person posting.
I have been harassed and ridiculed over those darn things. But my misery liked the company

Great thread to bring to light all of the similarities and diversities of our phobias. Thanks

Love spiders, when I see one outside when winter comes, I bring it inside - don't think my house is full of them, though, ha-ha! IMO, they are perfect creatures, very well adapted. I especially like those little black/white jumping ones, I don't know their name but they have a pair of black eyes right in the front and they seem to look at you... cuties!

LATER EDIT: These I'm talking about
Jumping Spider



However, I HATE, HATE, HATE being catch in a crowd of people. I'm always thinking about out-of-control, panicked crowds and me being smashed under their feet... that freaks me out royally! Yikes!!!!

Great thread, btw, OP... S&F for ya, mate!

Mannequins and trains....

Random I know, but those are the only 2 things in the world.

reply to post by jude11



Hyperchromohydrophobia. And phycophobia.

No, the hyper- one technically does not exist. But it should....it's a fear of dark water. Especially if it's deep and has seaweed in it. I absolutely detest seaweed. It can be reasonably clear underwater and I am still extremely uneasy about approaching seaweed...but if it's murky - FORGET IT.

I've had people try to help me do it, but to no avail. And it generally leads to them throwing seaweed at me and laughing.

Originally posted by Starchild23
reply to post by jude11

 

Hyperchromohydrophobia. And phycophobia.

No, the hyper- one technically does not exist. But it should....it's a fear of dark water. Especially if it's deep and has seaweed in it. I absolutely detest seaweed. It can be reasonably clear underwater and I am still extremely uneasy about approaching seaweed...but if it's murky - FORGET IT.

I've had people try to help me do it, but to no avail. And it generally leads to them throwing seaweed at me and laughing.

edit on CMondayam282806f06America/Chicago16 by Starchild23 because: (no reason given)

I have heard of people with a fear of dark water and in fact a friend of mine is ok swimming in a pool or a stream but not a lake or ocean where it can get darker on different days.

You are not alone!

Peace

i have a couple weird ones

Greys - yep like those little grey aliens, probably from watching a marathon about aliens on history channel a long time ago

Making a Call - Not receiving or in the middle of one, but those moments before making the call, i dont know if its a phobia but it definently gives me anxiety

I read this thread back at the beginning but since the cockroach thing was brought up quickly, I didn't post. That is the main one for me, though. It stems from being very poor for a while in New Orleans and having a house full of them. I could hear them flying around the room at night. I have seen one track my infant sister through a room and then dive bomb her. I have had them do the same to me numerous times.

I am afraid of, but not phobic about, wasps and bees and that is only because of incidents that happened as a kid.

I detest the sound cotton balls make when interacting with other things. I will do almost anything to not have to hear that sound. There are those of you out here who know what sound I mean.

Dark water. Can't do it, not even in swimming pools. If I am swimming at night and the lights inside go out, I am out of there. Suddenly that welcoming soothing water houses dark creatures or what have you that will grab my legs and pull me under, leading to my other phobia, drowning.

I cannot snorkel. I have tried and tried and panic every time that I am going to inhale water and drown. I can hold my breath and go under with no problems, but cannot snorkel. If I snorkel, I will drown.

Water that isn't clear to the bottom. I didn't know I had that issue until swimming in a bayou and dropped my legs down into seriously slimy grasses or something that wrapped around my legs. I swam back to the dock in utter terror, using only my arms and making my legs stay at the surface of the water. I am sure this is related to the drowning thing.

I would prefer to text someone or email someone or IM someone all day long, constantly, if it meant that I didn't have to talk to them on the phone. I am not a great small talker and am uncomfortable when necessity demands it. What am I supposed to talk about? What questions should I ask? etc. Because of that, I would much rather not make or receive a phone call at all. If I can do my business online, that's how it will be done.

I love heights, I love flying, have no issues with falling. What I hate beyond measure is being upside down and staying that way. You know the pirate ship rides at amusement parks, fairs, etc? The ones that rock you back and forth and then flip you over? Can't do it. Won't do it. Ever.

I have had a fear of spiders since I was little. They creep me out whenever I see them. It's so bad that I can't stand pictures or songs about spiders. The worst song for me for some reason is the Itsy Bitsy Spider. I know it's silly but ever since i was little that song has given me goosebumps whenever I hear it. i usually have to leave the room or put my fingers in my ears when i hear it. It just makes me feel like a spider is some where and is going to attack.

I am still intrigued by this "Cotton Ball" Phobia!

Not going to count but maybe 4 or more people in this thread stated cotton balls as a phobia. What is it with these little suckers? I don't understand it but phobias are at times irrational in nature right?

If someone has the time to elaborate on this particular one I would be grateful.

Thanks folks!

I have to say that this is my favorite thread of all. Just amazing what stories people are sharing on here.

Peace

I have fears of a lot of things, but true phobias I would have to say claustrophobia, which is really more a fear of being trapped, but trapped in small places is worse than say, a room. As I have gotten older, this one has definitely gotten worse. I used to be able to do a normal MRI, but now have to do the open ones. The fear of the MRI though, is of someone not coming back to get me out, or the machine collapsing on me somehow.

I got stuck on an elevator a couple of times, and handled it ok, but I feared the elevator collapsing to the ground, or the doors opening not level to the floor. I have an odd fear stepping off elevators that it may collapse right at the moment I step off. But, just more fear than phobia. I read a story about a young doctor that was decapitated on an elevator in just that fashion. Freak incident, but it stayed with me, nonetheless.
www.snopes.com...

Used to be terrified of snakes until I met my husband who had a small snake. He introduced me to his pet snake, and we ended up owning some rather large 120 lb. 12 foot long pythons. In that case, knowledge was helpful in overcoming the fear. I handled them and had no fear at all. I have never, however, handled a poisonous snake, and have a healthy respect for them.

Spiders. Yep. Me too. Irrational fear so I call that one a phobia. All insects bother me, but spiders make me scream, cry and run. If one gets on me, I panic. I always hate it when my husband stops talking, stares at me, and says don't move while edging slowly towards me. I *know* why, and the fear that grips me is almost paralyzing. But, I know he's got my back, or shoulder, or arm! I like to watch spiders, but I still shiver when watching unusually large ones on television even, like tarantualas and bird eating spiders. Ergh!

I don't like crowds of people, but not because of fear, but because of dislike of crowds of people. They push you, step on you, bump into you, smell bad, puke on you, and are just generally rude. I avoid large crowds because of that, and because when I am in large crowds and this happens. I lose my temper, and get angry at the way people behave. I would probably start smacking people, which would not end well for me, so just best to stay away.

Liars and manipulators. I do seem to have a somewhat irrational fear of these types of people, because I tend to be trusting. When I find out that I have been terribly lied to or manipulated in a huge way, it really upsets me. Because of this, I find it hard to let people get close to me. It takes a long time to gain my trust.

Though they fascinate me, I am horribly fearful of serial killers. Not so much because they kill people, but because of the coldness and calculating acts. Much I suppose, in the same fashion as liars and manipulators. I mean, lots of people kill people, but serial killers are different, hence why they both fascinate yet repulse me at the same time.

I simply dislike public bathrooms because people are filthy. I was in a grocery store, and went to the bathroom. When I walked in, I felt like I had walked into a scene from Saw or something. There was blood and feces and urine and who knows what else, from floor to ceiling, every wall. I literally felt like someone, or several people had been murdered in that bathroom!

This was in a *grocery store*! And a well known name store, at that! I left, got my family, and walked out as fast as I could and have never gone back. I didn't even stop to tell the manager. There was no way *someone* didn't know the condition of that bathroom, that type of damage didn't happen in just a few hours! Even odder yet to me, it had to have been done by more than one person, based on the sheer volume of... the offending materials. I was mortified.

I am DEATHLY afraid of praying mantis's. I remember I was 15 and I was with my mom at the store and we came out, and I opened the door and there was a praying mantis on my seat. I jumped back and literally we were in the parking lot for about 10 minutes before my mom had to kill the thing, and I rode in the back seat home.!

Sabresmittenophobia- Fear of being stabbed

Ok this is going to be as embarrassing as all hell. I've never actually told anyone this, but I'm afraid of pregnant women. The idea of pregnancy freaks me out in general. If you think about it a fetus is almost like a parasite and I keep thinking that the baby is just gonna pop out alien style. The stretched out stomach freaks me out as well. And then childbirth is the worst part. I can't find the scientific name for the fear of pregnant women, but I've had it for as long as I can remember. No one has mentioned this so I guess it's pretty weird but I don't get how someone can not be freaked out by it.

I also can't stand the ocean. It's fine if the water is clear, but if I can't see the bottom I get freaked out. Even when the water is clear I just feel so powerless when I'm in the ocean. It's insane to think how large it is and how strong the tides are.

I have agoraphobia. I just can't stand public places. I just feel like everyone is watching me, looking down on me, or judging me in some way. I guess it has to do with my social anxiety.

I'm claustrophobic. I don't really have a huge problem with elevators, but if I don't have enough space to move around my arms then I freak out.

I also have a massive fear of being buried alive. I want to get cremated for this exact reason.

Edit: Also cockroaches. I scream like a little girl whenever I see one of those little buggers.