Inspired by an offhand comment about minicabs and taxis on the 10 1/2 question.
What are you most irrationally afraid of? What are your phobias?
Spiders? Heights? The dark? Anything else really strange?
― Kate the Saint, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Also a little bit of agoraphobia, but not quite so bad as it could be. I don't like wide open, exposed spaces, but that's not really much of a problem in the city.
― Nick, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Jonnie, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Richard Tunnicliffe, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Most creepy-crawlies don't bother me but I'm terrified of cockroaches.
Also I'm a bit claustrophobic and hate being in the back of a car if it's only got front doors.
― scott, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Clowns, I forgot clowns. Yes, clowns are evil and scary and they freak me out and I hate them.
Nick, go somewhere normal and well adjusted if you don't want people revelling in our freakdom. This board is *for* the freaks.
― Paul Strange, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Madchen, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
clowns
masks (especially those pierrot ones)
empty rocking chairs
anything to do with teeth
― cabbage, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
also, spent school holiday alone in a house with a wasps nest many years ago, ever since then have spent the summer months getting twitchy if insects fly anywhere near me.
the missus is much afeared of snakes - is anyone else that phobic of something that even its appearance on a television screen will invoke a scream and a scramble for the remote? steve irwin is considered to be the antichrist in our house.
― kevan, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
(This is a very foolish confession to make actually since if plans hold I'm going on a plane next weekend with that master of sensitivity Pete)
― Tom, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
I also used to hate dogs due to suffering a moderate bite on the leg when I was four (had the scar up until around age 19). Being around nice dogs has helped that one go away.
I don't really have a fear of heights; it's more a fear of forgetting that leaping off of a building leads to death and having a go just to see what it's like to free-fall. Despite this, I have neever bungie- jumped and probably never will.
I'm not very fond of the dark, because it hides EVERYTHING and it's really easy to convince yourself that thre's someone with night vision goggles and a serrated knife RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
― Dan Perry, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
i get freaked out not in crowds, but rather in large crowded spaces where people move around with no order( e.g. waterloo station ), but i don't get that freaked out. i usually have to just take a couple deep breaths.
i also have the teeth falling out dream often, but i don't know if that means i have a fear of rotting teeth, or if it's something deeper.
i have an rational fear and hatred of house centipedes, as they are the spawn of satan. the look sort of like a silverfish with 80 striped legs, and they're very fast.
― marianna maclean, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
I like sweets, but I like lots of things that aren't sweets to. I think I have low tooth self esteem. I had a tooth accident when I was 9 years old, and ever since then I have hated my teeth.
Sometimes the teeth falling out dream consists of solid teeth falling out whole, sometimes they turn to dust when bitten down on, and then fall out like shards of glass, one time i dreamt my jaw separated down the middle, and then my molars rotated to the front, and front teeth to the back, then they turned to powder and fell out of my mouth as i ran to the destist.
― marianna, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Nicole, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Danielle, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
OK, I take it all back about not having a phobia. I don't much like the idea of being stabbed either.
I hate this dream, I've not had it for ages but when I do I spend the whole next day with my finger in my mouth checking my teeth are OK, it is very vivid. The daft thing is I have never had a problem with my teeth and have good teeth really (and yet I am English! how can it be!).
― Emma, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Andrew L, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
i'm sure that the thought of being stung can be far worse than actually being stung (bee sting allergies excepted).
Dan mentioned dogs -- a dog-bite incident or two in my use left me fairly jumpy for a long while, though we always had a family dog and I never minded them (likely because said dogs weren't mean ;-)). And while I don't fear the dark itself, the creaks old houses can make aren't good if you're in a paranoid mood. Ack, the murderers!
All these weird teeth dreams and fears, though, no. Creepy.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― anthony, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Ally, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Geoff, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― suzy, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― DG, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Patrick, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Lesley Higgins, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
― Mike Hanle y, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
I also have definite agoraphobic tendencies.
― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
Maybe dogs when I was a kid.
― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)
When we were in New Zealand we took a bus trip that included Manapouri power station, which is UNDERGROUND. The young lad who was giving the spiel on the tour asked if anyone had a problem with being underground and Mister Monkey indicated my unhappy state. The tour guide told me later that it was pretty common, but a shame as he had some great material that he couldn't use on people like me. I also remember how jumpy I was in the Channel Tunnel.
― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)
― lavendra diamondheart (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)
― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 23:09 (nineteen years ago)
― Pete Scholtes (Pete Scholtes), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 23:32 (nineteen years ago)
clowns. They are frightening and evil. plain and simple.
― Wiggy (Wiggy), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 23:47 (nineteen years ago)
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Thursday, 22 June 2006 00:03 (nineteen years ago)
― michael wells (michael w.), Thursday, 22 June 2006 00:08 (nineteen years ago)
When I was pregnant I also had a fear of labor pain, also pretty rational (but that's what epidurals are for).
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Thursday, 22 June 2006 03:16 (nineteen years ago)
― joseph (joseph), Thursday, 22 June 2006 05:08 (nineteen years ago)
Why I don't know, it isn't like Ive been in a bad accident or anything?
I also relate to Jer's being underground/in caves with no exit thing. Ugh caves/mines. No thanks. Claustrophobia city.
I also hate things being in my ears. It makes me literally scream and panic if I get water in my ears or they get blocked up, so I cant wear in-ear headphone buds, or earplugs for noise, and I cant wash my ears out with drops or water. Had operations and infections in ears as a kid, I guess that did it.
― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 22 June 2006 06:18 (nineteen years ago)
― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 22 June 2006 06:20 (nineteen years ago)
― aimee semple mcmansion (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 June 2006 06:25 (nineteen years ago)
― Fluffy Bear (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Thursday, 22 June 2006 16:23 (nineteen years ago)
Trayce, i never thought about things jumping out! my fear, mostly, is that a car or truck will just start sliding across lanes while everyone is doing 80 miles/hr.
ps i was in a 13 car crash once. made the news. it really wasnt that bad but we were all doing maybe 60km max.
― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 22 June 2006 17:54 (nineteen years ago)
I think it's because you're on the wrong side of the road! Hahahahaha, oh man, Australia joke. Sorry.
I was terrified of that when I first started driving until I realized: what would be the motivation of a Mack truck to suddenly plow into the wrong lane and destroy me? They wouldn't do that. Fortunately I had not seen Spielburg's first film at the time.
I was terrified of about 80 quintillion things as a child, most notably demonic posession. The only thing that held on is my fear of dentists, which has grown to compensate for the other fears shrinking. I hate even watching other people brush their teeth. It's a very private thing to me. Whenever they show someone with toothbrush and foam dripping out of their mouth on TV, it revolts me. Irrational, but that's the hallmark of this stuff, right?
― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 22 June 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)
― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 June 2006 18:00 (nineteen years ago)
Fortunately I had not seen Spielburg's first film at the time.
i watched duel just last week!
― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 22 June 2006 18:01 (nineteen years ago)
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Thursday, 22 June 2006 18:03 (nineteen years ago)
- Dan Perry
Dude, this is totally a video game.
― mummy wrapped in bacon (nickalicious), Thursday, 22 June 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)
― mummy wrapped in bacon (nickalicious), Thursday, 22 June 2006 18:19 (nineteen years ago)
oh and the ocean terrifies me. all that water, the astounding depth, waves, sharks/whales, drowning, being in the middle of nowhere... *shudder*gives me the willies
― archipelago (archipelago), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)
― Fluffy Bear (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:16 (nineteen years ago)
― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:18 (nineteen years ago)
― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:22 (nineteen years ago)
― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:28 (nineteen years ago)
Oh yeah, and the spitting out teeth thing too.
― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 23 June 2006 21:43 (nineteen years ago)
― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 23 June 2006 22:33 (nineteen years ago)
Someone else mentioned sharks... I've never felt totally comfortable in the ocean or even in lakes or rivers ever since seeing Piranha at an early age. (Back to being eaten alive, I guess.)
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Saturday, 24 June 2006 02:05 (nineteen years ago)
― sunny successor (katharine), Saturday, 24 June 2006 02:31 (nineteen years ago)
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Saturday, 24 June 2006 02:36 (nineteen years ago)
― sunny successor (katharine), Saturday, 24 June 2006 11:46 (nineteen years ago)
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Saturday, 24 June 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)
― sunny successor (katharine), Saturday, 24 June 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)
With wings!
― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Saturday, 24 June 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)
This is actually pretty sad, but at least Maury doesn't exploit/torture her or anything.
― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Monday, 26 June 2006 03:44 (nineteen years ago)
― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Monday, 26 June 2006 15:10 (nineteen years ago)
― you can email me if you wish to challenge the truth (nickalicious), Monday, 26 June 2006 15:19 (nineteen years ago)
― you can email me if you wish to challenge the truth (nickalicious), Monday, 26 June 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)
butterflies
― crüt, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:13 (twelve years ago)
Oh thanks a lot, I never thought to worry about this before but now I will forever.
― lets just remember to blame the patriarchy for (in orbit), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:17 (twelve years ago)
I am not too wild about elevators. I mean I take them all the time but I'll get real nervous if they jerk or get stuck for a few seconds.
Not too crazy about flying birds either but this is directly related to the one time a pigeon flew into my head.
Now that I'm about to be living on my own for the first time in 9 years I seem to have developed an irrational fear that someone is going to climb through the bedroom window of my ground floor apt and either kill or kidnap me but I guess that's not really a phobia.
So just elevators, birds and flying then.
― go to party leather (ENBB), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:30 (twelve years ago)
birds - not so much in general, like I'm cool with them flying overhead and what not, but like, the turkeys and geese that wander around our parking lot at work, or my inlaw's pet parrot that wants to sit on your shoulder, birds being up in my grill is what I mean
I hate the way they smell and their beady eyes and I'm terrified they're going to fly into a rage and peck my eyes out
gale force winds - I had horrible nightmares about cyclones and hurricanes when I was a kid, so anytime there's crazy strong winds I go into a bit of a weird state of mind. we had the power go out once during a windstorm a year or two ago and I had a full on panic attack, curled in a ball on the couch crying my eyes out because I thought we were going to die. I'm not proud :)
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:45 (twelve years ago)
oh and noisy confined crowded spaces with low ceilings and no visible exit is my worst nightmare
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:46 (twelve years ago)
fear of turkeys is completely rational - the males are aggressive, bullying, vicious fuckers!!
― just1n3, Tuesday, 29 January 2013 19:47 (twelve years ago)
I have two very bad and seemingly related phobias that evoke a very visceral reaction for me, the first one being certain kinds of spinning things (ceiling fans, those spinning swing rides at carnivals) and the second one being tumultuous water motion. The second one is so bad that I sometimes get a mild panic sensation while giving my baby a bath, and the former is bad enough that just thinking about carnival rides gives me the heebie jeebies (oddly, I can RIDE the rides without as much trouble, it's WATCHING them that I can't take).
― i've a cozy little flat in what is known as old man hat (Hurting 2), Monday, 1 April 2013 22:32 (twelve years ago)
irl I can't claim to have uncovered any phobias. in my dreams the most recurrent symbols that inspire fear would be: tornados, rattlesnakes.
― Aimless, Monday, 1 April 2013 23:26 (twelve years ago)
note that both are kind of spiraly
― i've a cozy little flat in what is known as old man hat (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 2 April 2013 00:44 (twelve years ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loGM3VvpsOE
― 龜, Thursday, 23 January 2014 09:47 (eleven years ago)
my phobia: escalators and cockroaches, scary as fuck!!!!
― ledos, Saturday, 26 April 2014 22:26 (eleven years ago)