Do you have any phobias?

[WillParkinson]

Acrophobia (from the Greek: ἄκρον, ákron , meaning "peak, summit, edge" and φόβος, phóbos, "fear") is an extreme or irrational fear of heights.

And

Dental fear refers to the fear of dentistry and of receiving dental care. A pathological form of this fear (specific phobia) is variously called dental phobia, odontophobia, dentophobia, dentist phobia, or dental anxiety. However, it has been suggested that the term "dental phobia" is often a misnomer, as many people with this condition do not feel their fears to be excessive or unreasonable and resemble individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by previous traumatic dental experiences.<1> (Though I do not know if it qualifies as a phobia as listed above.)

[maddezmom]

1. not sure there is a name for it

but unclean and unorganized refridges freak me out. There is much more I could say but it would make me look pretty OCD. :)

[WillParkinson]

2. Oh...in that case...

Let me just go to the fridge for you.

[MiddleFingerMom]

6. CDO.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Fixed that, alphabetically, for you. :-)
.
.
.

[Brickbat]

3. I find that I have more problems with heights as I get older.

When I'm near a high edge, I can feel it dragging me toward it. It's terrible. I'm fine doing some roofing work or flying in a plane or being in a skyscraper, but if I'm on a tall cliff or walking on a railroad bridge, I start to get a little unhinged. I don't know why.

[Iggo]

20. I get that, too.

It's like a proximity thing. The closer I get to the edge, the worse it is. It's almost like an alarm in my chest.

I've described it as "My brian doesn't have a fear of heights, but my body sure does."

[Recovered Repug]

48. Just remember that no fall will kill you.

That sudden stop at the end is a different matter.

[Deep13]

4. Yup.

poverty, illness, oppression by religious zealots.

[nolabear]

5. Going down stairs, and palmetto bugs

The stairs thing isn't too bad but I hated it when I was a kid and still have bad dreams about them. As far as plametto bugs go, I used to do wildlife rehab. I will deal with bears, wolves, mountain lions, snakes, without batting an eye, but let a palmetto bug in the room and I will scream like a little girl. They FLY! THEY. FLYYYYY!!!!!

[Brickbat]

7. And people wonder why I'm fine living in northern Minnesota.

It's because I don't have to shake out my shoes in the morning or deal with FLYING ROACHES. NO THANK YOU.

[nolabear]

10. BIG, REALLY BIG FLYING ROACHES. About the size of a Land Rover.

And they burst unexpectedly into flame and spew toxic venom all over your face.

Did I mention I have a phobia?

[Brickbat]

12. Those are the ones that like to tangle themselves in your hair and lay eggs in your ears, right?

And make clicking noises? And poop while they fly and whir when they fly and OH MY GOD IT'S FLYING.

[nolabear]

14. You live in my head, don't you?

[Iggo]

16. Flying roaches? Roaches that fly?

Flying roaches that fly? Is that what you're trying to tell me?

AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

[nolabear]

22. BIG ones. They hang on the wall and try out their wings and you never know when they'll launch

and they have no sense of direction and they come out in the dark and it's like Joe's Apartment and Pearl Harbor in one and AAAAAAAARRRRHHHH!!! AAAAAIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

You get the jist.

[MorningGlow]

8. I'm slightly claustrophobic

but only in some instances. Not in small spaces like closets or crowded elevators, but definitely if I'm feeling squashed, like if I was jumped on by a bunch of people, like tackled in football. Then panic sets in. Is selective claustrophobia weird?

[Iggo]

9. Heights, and being the center of attention.

[nolabear]

11. LOL - I pay good money to be the center of attention.

'course I make good money being the center of attention, too.

[driver8]

18. I hate to be the center of attention, my wife loves it! n/t

[Brother Buzz]

13. Mud

Beach, creek, or swamp mud. Phobias live in mud. I'm fine with sandy bottoms.

[Aristus]

15. You want to get me to scream like a girl, then break down and cry,

show me a cockroach.

The mere sight of one will petrify me.

Like most phobias, it's a pretty irrational fear. Cockroaches don't bite, and they are more afraid of me than I am of them, if that's possible. But I can't f*****g STAND them!

[nolabear]

23. Join me upthread for a total freakout session. Misery, company, etc.

[Phentex]

45. I think they sense fear, too...

They don't run away, they run TOWARD! Ever notice that?

[nolabear]

47. Of course I have. Nothing like the crunch of one underfoot (shudder).

[xchrom]

17. spiders, heights and shoes and belts that don't match. nt

[Brickbat]

19. Oh, and SILVERFISH. Because they SCUTTLE.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

21. Panic disporder with Agoraphobia --

for 20+ years now. Through therapy I managed to get it down to one major phobia (flying -- I can manage with enough Xanax)) and a few minor ones (variations on not being able to escape, like being stuck in an elevator).

I can handle stuff like spiders, heights, and germs no problem, :D

[nolabear]

24. My favorite phobia of note is Billy Bob Thornton's

He claims to be terrified of antique furniture.

[sinkingfeeling]

25. I'm terrified of snakes. Little snakes, big snakes, any snake that moves. And even

snake skins that have been shed!

[Pool Hall Ace]

26. Snakes

I can't even stand to view photos of snakes! There was one recently in the newspaper of a snake coiled around a hummingbird feeder. :scared:

Even if they are small and/or nonpoisonous, keep them away from meeee!!

[Lucian]

27. None I'm going to share here.

You do know that your worst fear(s) can be used against you, right?

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. Driving. Not wild about spiders and snakes either.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

29. I used to have a lot

of phobias; public speaking, death, doctors, flying, etc. I forced myself to start teaching. Phobia of public speaking GONE. My husband died and now I would welcome death. Phobia of dying GONE. I still won't go see a doctor but who the hell cares if you're not afraid of dying? Flying? Same thing.

[Glorfindel]

30. Edges...I'm not afraid of flying or of being a mile high in Denver

But cliffs, rooftops, high balconies, etc., just horrify me.

[petronius]

31. Flying comes closest for me, but it doesn't rise to phobia level

I've just started getting more and more nervous in planes as I get older. Oddly (I think), looking out the window makes me feel safer for some reason...

[Arugula Latte]

32. Gawddamn creepy freaky spiders

I hates 'em. :scared: x(

[Pithlet]

33. That's mine, too.

I have a severe phobia.

[Pithlet]

34. That's mine, too.

I have a severe phobia.

[applegrove]

35. I realized I was afraid of heights when I had a summer job in a tea house atop a mountain. Didn't

I'd get dizzy and feel like falling before I accepted that job. I was also traumatized a decade and 1/2 ago. During that time I developed an irrational fear of breaking my ankle and not being able to get help. Got over that.

[Bennyboy]

36. Bad haircut o phobia..

Man, I just cannot seem to ever get a good or even passable haircut.

[frogmarch]

37. Claustrophobia, fear of open spaces,

fear of heights, sharks, wasps...ummm, I know there's more, but those are the main ones, I think.

[lazarus]

38. spiders

can't even see a picture of them. Freaks me the hell out to even think about them. Most bugs get to me, but spiders are another order of fear.

I have no problems with snakes and rats, just the spiders and, to a lesser extent, bugs. A healthy apprehension of heights, but nothing too bad.

[Odin2005]

39. Bees and wasps.

I was stung by a wasp when I was 4 and I have been TERRIFIED of bees and wasps ever since.

[sohndrsmith]

40. As you question in your last sentence, I'm not sure if any of my current (and

in some cases extremely intrusive and life-altering) fears qualify as phobias as they never existed (not even slightly) prior to my experiencing some sort of clearly and logically connected event or trauma.

If they don't, my apologies in advance. But these are some that are very real to me now:

- driving/being in a moving vehicle: (that is not airborne - I LOVE to fly..! Any and everything to do with cars and driving, which really makes me mad because I used to love to drive - especially a standard...

- phone calls, answering the door : ('legal' stalking/harassment can do a number on a body. My startle reflex startles other people - I really upset a guy once who was sitting next to me in a courthouse waiting room. He left the room, upset, and told me I scared him to death - it's not fun. The sound of a ringing phone can cause such a severe reaction - even now. It's not every time, so I guess that's progress)...

- ticks: EDIT: I really went on a rant with this one, so it seemed the appropriate thing to do was delete all that - it's not a topic I can deal with easily, or succinctly. I've deleted the gory details... you're welcome. : )

All in all - I am truly terrified of ticks, especially how much we ignore what they can do...

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

41. Going to parties where I don't know most of the people

Maybe I'll hang out in the kitchen. Or the garage, if someone is showing off a greasy engine. Or better yet, at the pool table, if they have one.

Mostly, I'm ready to split after five minutes. Some kind of anxiety.

Even the thought of responding to a "DU meetup" thread can start a cold sweat.

:hi:

[old mark]

42. I'm afraid to answer that ....nt

[Paper Roses]

43. Snakes, slugs slimy creatures..Get me outta there!

I also have a fear of power saws and huge knives. In fact, I got a wonderful, big, lethal Santoku knife as a gift, I was so afraid to use the thing, I gave it to a friend. She loves it.

Strange combination of fears, add to that, fear of flying.

[Phentex]

44. I don't ever want to be near a horse. Ever. Also...

I have a fear of trees falling.

[Orrex]

46. I'm afraid not.

So I guess I do.


Whoa.

[femmocrat]

49. Heights and squished bugs. n/t

[triguy46]

50. Not so much a phobia as a fear: imposter syndrome

from wiki, snip: It is not an officially recognized psychological disorder but has been the subject of numerous books and articles by psychologists and educators. The term was coined by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978.<1>

Regardless of what level of success they may have achieved in their chosen field of work or study or what external proof they may have of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced internally they do not deserve the success they have achieved and are actually frauds. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they were more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.

The impostor syndrome, in which competent people find it impossible to believe in their own competence, can be viewed as complementary to the Dunning–Kruger effect, in which incompetent people find it impossible to believe in their own incompetence.

[Tikki]

51. Getting stuck in traffic while my car is under one...

of those huge concrete overpasses. Especially those low, really wide ones.

And I bet you can guess what State I live in !!!



Tikki

[Skip Intro]

52. Oh yes. Overcoming them all, though. The invisible spiders are my one hang up...

on edit...

well, heights I haven't conquered yet.


I don't understand going up in some metal contraption and then hoping all will be ok.

And you know, supposedly, if you have a fear of flying, then you have a problem. There are classes to relieve you of that unrealistic fear.

I say bullshit to that. The problem does not lie with me. The problem is in asking me to put all worries aside as I ascend into the far reaches of the atmosphere while having a drink. The fear of flying isn't a problem to be cured. Flying is not natural. Feet on the ground is natural.

But I've got a problem? Some psychological problem. Because I don't want to fly. No. No no no. The problem is not with me, thank you very much. The problem is with me getting on some flying bus, and climbing miles into the sky. That's not natural. I don't want it, and that doesn't exemplify my irrational fear, it exemplifies my humanity.