Phobias

[Lace Neil Singer]

Anyone have one? I have a fear of bees. Even hearing a buzzing makes me turn sharply around to see if there's one nearby. I am mildly allergic to them, but I'm scared of them anyway. XD

And no, I don't stand still when one comes at me; I run like hell. O_o

[RayvenQ]

Spiders, big and small, no matter the size.

[TonyF]

I have a very strange phobia.

Being in a church at night all by myself.

I sometimes accompanied my grandmother to her church a while back when I was young. She sang in the choir for the night masses so we got there early before anyone else.

Just stepping foot in this huge church that was only lit by a few scattered candles, walking into its basement with no light (before I had a cell phone backlight ) and hearing this low wind and echo was just, I don't know, extremely creepy.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I have a phobia of nuts.

Not that kind, pervs.

Peanuts/nuts...can't eat 'em...can't stand the smell but at least I can be around them now without having a panic attack.

[RavenStarr]

I am terrified of snakes, spiders, rats, mice. I also have severe needle and dental phobia. I'm also terrified of looking at the mirror in the dark.

[Lady Legira]

I have a phobia of all thing buzzing and stripy too. It comes from being covered by wasps when I was about 7, thankfully I didn't get stung at all.

I'm also scared of Needles (hospitals and bad doctors...) and heights.

[taurinejunkie]

I actually have a question, rather than something to add to the thread. I have some fears that most likely aren't phobias, but are related to events that happen often enough that it gets annoying. I'd like to know if the techniques used to fight phobias work well with less intense fears, or if it is precisely the intensity of a phobia that makes the techniques effective. In any case, PMs with relevant information would be most welcome.

[Sarlon]

I have a almost crippling fear of small confined places, or being overly crowded....cars make me unconfortable, elevators, make me tense, malls at christmas make me go screaming out the door....wait...maybe thats just the holiday.

I used to have a fear of hieghts, but I semi conquored it when I took a temp job stocking a brand new store and had to climb a ladder to put overstock up on high shelves. Was fine so long as I didn't look down.

My fear of small places however, I can't seem to shake....like I was nearly escorted out the of the Washington Monument because I was freaking out so badly on the elevator ride both up and down.

[r2cagle]

I used to have a dental phobia (the sound of the drill would practically put me on the ceiling -- in tears)... but after moving here, the new dentist did not perform work under full sedation (no one did that down here for adult patients).... so I had to find alternatives. Started with headphones, really loud peppy music, deep, deep breathing, claw marks on my hands and on the chair from my own fingernails, and intense back and head pain from tension. But the dentist was great, gave me a supply of tissues and also gave frequent breaks in work as I needed , and now I can at least go to an appointment without the headphones and without sobbing. It took almost 2 years to conquer, and I still walk out with cramped muscles from tension after every visit, but at least I'm tolerating it better now 13 years later.

So, if you have a workable plan, and someone patient enough to work with you, you can do almost anything.

[Jester]

I have a fear of bees.

And no, I don't stand still when one comes at me; I run like hell. O_o

I have commented many times on here (and in other aspects of my life) that I have virtually no fear of anything....other than my strong phobia of bees (and wasps, yellowjackets, etc.) So much so that I, who have stared down guys twice my size without blinking, have been known to run like a schoolgirl from one end of the bar to the other if I see a bee, despite the knowledge that I am a thousand times larger than it. Bees scare the hell out of me.

And no, it is not a healthy fear or respect. I have a healthy respect for large dogs, rattlesnakes, and scorpions. I know what they can do to me, and I keep a respectable distance if I feel threatened. I am not, however, scared shitless of these or other things. Just bees and their brethren.

And no, I am not allergic to them. If I were, it could be argued that my fear is a healthy one, promoting self-preservation. Since I'm not, that argument falls flat. Nor have I been overly traumatized by them. I have been stung a total of one time, when I was 9. I am currently 39.

And when I say I am phobic of them, it transcends logic. My favorite show on tv used to be Fear Factor, when it was on a lot. Watched it all the time, and was ready and willing to sign up for the show, and was convinced I could do anything they threw at me. Maybe not do it the fastest, but do it. Because none of those stunts phased me.

And then one time, while watching this awesome show, they had a stunt where one team member was chained to a post near a hive, and was swarmed by bees, and the other team member had to get in there, reach into or near the hive, and retrieve the key to free their teammate.

My roommate came home while I was watching this stunt and asking me why I was shaking.

Yeah.

So far as I can figure, this is my one single phobia. I can't figure it out.

But then, how does one figure out an irrational fear?

I have a almost crippling fear of...being overly crowded....

I had an ex that had that same issue with crowds.

Oddly, it didn't seem to stop her from overcrowding her bed with other men.

My fear of small places however, I can't seem to shake....like I was nearly escorted out the of the Washington Monument because I was freaking out so badly on the elevator ride both up and down.

I do not say this as a joke or to mock you, but based on the above, I would say that you should never, ever, EVER go up into the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Great view, but the ride up is in rather small, enclosed, confining ferris-wheel type cars. I am not claustrophobic, but my little sister is, and I instantly knew that she could never make that ride. It's safe to say that neither could you.

[HYHYBT]

Spiders. I'm not as bad about them as I used to be, though. Also, sticking my hands into places where I cannot see, though that's closely related to the fear of spiders.

I'm also terrified of looking at the mirror in the dark.

Now that's one I'd never have thought of as a possibility, mainly because, in the dark, you can't really look at a mirror. Any idea how that one formed?

[Evil Queen]

I'm Wonderwoman. I'm not afraid of anything.

Except walk-in freezers.
Back when I was a waitress at Huddle House, I was getting some stuff out of the freezer. Everything was going fine until the door closed. You can't open the door from the inside. I panicked, started to hyperventalate, cried, screamed, I was stuck in there for what felt like an hour when it was more than likely closer to 2-3 minutes. Either way, I HATE walk in freezers.

Oh, and I have a terrible fear of being alone. But I'm just weird that way.

[AdminAssistant]

I have a perfectly rational fear of big ass spiders. I don't have a major problem in this apartment, but a few do end up in the shower - and are promptly introduced to Mr. Toilet. My boyfriend, the Buddhist, is trying to get me out of this habit.

I'm very uncomfortable in crowds, especially noisy crowds. Bars are pretty much non-optional for me, especially if live music is playing. I did okay in the ride up the Gateway Arch (although it's a total disappointment, really).

[raw456]

I have a huge fear/phobia of spiders. The really little ones I can handle, but anything bigger than a thumbnail and I'm spooked. If I'm on my own and have to deal with them, half a can of bugspray and a few well placed phone books will take care of it - and yes, I have almost given myself organo-phosphate poisoning in the past doing this.

If there is someone else around, I have to leave the area and let them deal with it.

The only other thing I really have a phopia of is moths. My rational 36year old self knows that they cannot hurt me, but I run screaming like a frightened child at the sight of them. My poor hubby has had to rescue me on more than one occasion, though in hindsight, I think he really rescued the moths by cathing and releasing them

[Ratha]

I have a fear of bees and wasps, mostly because every time I got stung by one, it triggered a massive asthma attack. Mud daubers are a different story, though. Those don't bother me. But any other wasp species has me wanting to run the other way. XD

I also have a fear of roaches, especially the big wood roaches. Seeing one of them has me jumping on top of whatever's handy and screaming. XD;;