What Are Your Phobias?

[LostInTheMist]

If you have phobias, please share them here.

I have mottephobia, a fear of moths. I can recognize WHY I have this particular phobia, but I can't shake it anyway. See, I learned that moths ate some clothing (well, their larvae, did anyway, but I was very young and made very little differentiation between larvae and adult moths). I, young child that I was, interpreted this to mean ALL clothing, and I didn't understand how gradual the process was, or how easily it was prevented, and figured that if I was WEARING the clothes the moths decided to eat, that they would eat me too. I know now, that none of that is remotely accurate. And yet I still have a fear of moths. I CAN force myself to be near them, briefly, when absolutely necessary, such as when leaving a building with a porch light that has attracted moths, but it's not comfortable. And when I encounter one in an isolated situation, I sweat, my heart rate accelerates, I feel a sense of dread.

I KNOW it is irrational, but I can't help it.

I'm uncomfortable with heights, but it's not a phobia. It's just discomfort. But the moths thing is a legit phobia. (I consider arachnids fascinating... did you know scorpions have eight lungs?... But I imagine a lot of people's phobias involve arachnids.)

Do you have any phobias? If so, rationally thinking about them, can you explain why? As I've demonstrated above, a rational understanding of why you are afraid doesn't remove an irrational fear. I just like the psychology of fear. It's an interest of mine.

[Tolvo]

Well my ones I can post in this section are not too unheard of. Germs/dirt, arachnids, all insects, heights, darkness. Rationally thinking about them doesn't really help me since I have OCD. People can have a sort of cognitive dissonance where they both believe something or hold a thought but also know it is wrong, but hold it anyway.

[LostInTheMist]

Well my ones I can post in this section are not too unheard of. Germs/dirt, arachnids, all insects, heights, darkness. Rationally thinking about them doesn't really help me since I have OCD. People can have a sort of cognitive dissonance where they both believe something or hold a thought but also know it is wrong, but hold it anyway.

I am in the same boat with you. I realize my phobia is irrational, but I hold on to it anyway. I will probably hold it for life, even though I can identify its source, I know it's wrong, I know that there's nothing I actually have to fear from them... and yet I still have it. I don't have OCD, but I can see how that would be a disadvantage for dealing with a phobia. (My brother DOES have OCD, and it has created some serious problems between us. He takes a pill to fix his OCD which makes him angry... . He can either take it out on me or on his wife.... I love my sister-in-law, and I would prefer it be me, so I put myself in his way so he can take his rage out on me, rather than on her.)

Anyway, long story short... I get it. Sorry about the OCD. I hope it's not TOO serious. (It was literally life-threatening to my brother, which was why my family put him on the pills in the first place.)

[Iniquitous]

Spiders.

Germs/dirty body/house/etc isn't a full blown phobia but it is on the list of things I cannot deal with for very long.

[Rinzler]

I'm terrible with heights. I'm pretty sure it's an honest to gosh phobia because I can't tolerate going even a few feet up from the ground. I don't suffer from vertigo or anything like that - I just find that heights shit me up good and proper, even when it comes to just thinking about them. As for those Youtube videos which have usually Russian folks dangling from cranes - Christ...no. I've never been able to watch one through to the end. They honestly make me feel sick.

I've analysed my fear as best I can, and can only conclude is that it feels too uncomfortably close to suffering a nasty death. I mean, think about it - plummeting down to your certain end, with your very last second comprising the agony of your bones getting smashed to pieces on the impact. Of course, some say that you'll black out before then. As far as I'm concerned, that's one article of faith I'm not willing to put to the test.

Another thing I don't like, which is sort of related, is holes in an upper storey floor - like when you're in an attic, and the hatch is open. Sure, I know there's a ladder there, but it just seems so easy to slip, fall and break your neck. I don't like relatively small heights for that very same reason.

[Snake]

Being abandoned is my phobia. No idea what it's called.

[LostInTheMist]

Being abandoned is my phobia. No idea what it's called.

Autophobia.

[Snake]

Thanks

[Twisted Crow]

I am not a fan of heights, though I would argue that falling to one's death is a very rational fear and technically not a phobia in my case. If I have a harness or something to keep me from falling, I am alright. Might be unsettling but I am fine. Being six feet above the ground is not really a big deal. 20 or so feet without any sort of adequate fall protection? That is when I am nervous.

Still, I am not sure if I would call it a phobia for me, as a phobia would be an irrational fear of something (spiders, open spaces, gays, etc.).  :-\

I may or may not be afraid of success, though. If that is a phobia, I have no idea what that could be called.

[Snake]

You can survive a fall from about 20 ft if you tuck and roll the instant you touch down to disperse the inertia on you,  but it you land wrong a fall from even 10 ft can do severe damage. Like shatter your knees, shove your shins into the rest of your body and other nasty bone related things.  Don't experiment, try to find a safe way down first no matter what adrenaline junkies say or do

[Twisted Crow]

Oh, I got one. I am not necessarily a germophobe or afraid of getting dirty, but I am somewhat afraid of having sex. Aside of some past trauma, the weird thing is that it's mostly the fear of getting an STD, even if I would use protection. I think I would still be afraid of getting something. That, I think, goes into phobia territory.

I have another that might be a phobia that is semi-related but... perhaps best suited to talk about in PROC or something. So I will save that one. Besides, I haven't quite understood it yet.

[Mithlomwen]

Flying.  Unless I have Valium, I have full blown panic attacks when I'm on an airplane.  I will start getting panicky just seeing the planes taking off.  :/  Something about being thousands of feet in the air, with nothing between me and the ground but air.  *shivers*  It's awful.  I know a lot of people get nervous when a plane encounters turbulence, but for me, it makes it easier to close my eyes and pretend I'm in a vehicle. 

I also have an extreme dislike for spiders.  I don't know if it's a full blown phobia, but I'd rather kill them first and ask questions later. 

*laugh*   

[Snake]

I'll take a spider over what they eat.

[Twisted Crow]

*grin*

I know it isn't all women, and some guys have this phobia/fear, too... but what is it with ladies and bugs? Is it getting infected from a bite? Just the "creepy-crawly" aspects of them? Germs? So many gals I know have this thing with being terrified of bugs... spiders, specifically that has always interested me.

Fear of rats seems to be another common one I find in gals, for some reason. Though I would guess that pests and vermin might carry a disease or something. That I would totally understand. But these two seem common with women in my experience and I have always wanted to ask about them.

I am alright on planes. Not comfortable, but not really especially afraid unless shit might be getting real for some reason.

[Snake]

It probably may be that all spiders tend to show up in odd places and are all venomous.

[Mithlomwen]

It's really strange.  I'm not bothered by other creepy crawly things.  Bugs, lizards, snakes, don't bother me at all.  I actually love lizards and snakes.  If I see garden snakes and lizards I love to try and catch them. 

I adore rats.  I've had them as pets before and just love them to bits. 

[Tolvo]

Well for certain things there are possibly evolutionary reasons and genes. But they are a bit strange in concept, because throughout human history where most humans lived that would develop such genes to recognize things like crawling and scuttling and scittering as frightening, didn't have those as common threats and dangers. But mutations that are useless can happen and be passed on if they don't cause less breeding selection or survival. Being afraid of 100% of spiders isn't rational but also typically isn't harmful. Most spiders are not dangerous to humans and their venom can rarely effect us. But the ones that can are quite deadly(Though many dry bite).

I'm terrified of all bug type things. But snakes I'm fine with. I like reptiles a lot. And well, wild rats freak me out but as pets they're cute.

[Twisted Crow]

Come to think of it, I don't do snakes. Venomous or otherwise. In stories I am fine with them. And movies and stuff don't trigger me... but you set a live snake in front of me and I turn into Indiana Jones. ::)

[Snake]

-puts harmless snakes on Dallas-

[Lyron]

Most bugs. XD Nowadays, even ones that I do deem as fine, like lightning bugs, can sometimes get my heart racing if they fly within my personal space.

Socializing too. >>; The idea of using a mic for a multiplayer game can get me breaking out in a nervous sweat.

[EnchantedDream218]

The biggest phobia of mine right now is sleeping in the Dark. I think it has to do with Sleep Paralysis.

Anytime I sleep in a dark room, I just can't relax. I've been dealing with sleep paralysis since last year now and hopefully things can get better.

Sleeping in the dark terrifies me though.

[Doublepeace]

Arachnophobia. I know, it's such a cliche, but oh god... the way their legs move...

[Rustic]

I have issue with creepy crawly things, but I try to tough it out when I can.

Heights don't bother me... Well I think I can worry if I don't feel safe. If I know the equipment, ladder, floor ect will keep me safe, I'm usually fine with occasional bouts of vertigo. But nothing to the point of a phobia.

My real phobia is Thalassophobia. I discovered it when I went swimming with seals off the coast of Vancouver. I'm fine in a boat, and I can swim, but not knowing what was underneath me when swimming, I was panicking. I figured anything could just appear. They even warned me to not panic if an orca showed up next to me... Which is what freaked me out. I tried to fight it, but a simple rock formation had me thinking it was a whale or something, and I panicked. I even notice it when I'm in the deep end of a pool especially a deep wave pool. I get more fear out of a deep end then I do when dry and at a similar height. Lakes are also an issue one I get deep enough because I can't see past the murky water.

[RedRose]

Water (deep water not a bath, despite being French). That has to be my worst, though it's not so bad I cannot swim.
After that I strongly dislike some bugs, and dangerous heights. I'm not a germaphobe so if something really disgusts me you can be certain it's HIDEOUS (cue: French toilets on the highway).

[Lissadell]

I have mottephobia, a fear of moths. I can recognize WHY I have this particular phobia, but I can't shake it anyway. See, I learned that moths ate some clothing (well, their larvae, did anyway, but I was very young and made very little differentiation between larvae and adult moths). I, young child that I was, interpreted this to mean ALL clothing, and I didn't understand how gradual the process was, or how easily it was prevented, and figured that if I was WEARING the clothes the moths decided to eat, that they would eat me too. I know now, that none of that is remotely accurate. And yet I still have a fear of moths. I CAN force myself to be near them, briefly, when absolutely necessary, such as when leaving a building with a porch light that has attracted moths, but it's not comfortable. And when I encounter one in an isolated situation, I sweat, my heart rate accelerates, I feel a sense of dread.

I am 100% with you on this. Two years ago I discovered the house I'd just moved into had a clothes moth infestation. It has taken two years to completely eradicate them because, fun fact, the larvae can make themselves dormant for however long they need to and reawaken during the best conditions for them. I absolutely hate them. They're only really harmful to our clothes, but still. I cannot abide by them after weeks of trying to get rid of them.

I also find arachnids fascinating! But moths... no. Just no. And they kept flying at me.  :'(