Alektorophobia, fear of chickens!

At the age of 4 I was pushed into a chicken pen by my cruel nanny. I was scared and wanted to get out. The chickens were scurrying by my feat and I was afraid of what was in the chicken coupe. Ever since then I have been completely unable to touch/get near birds and for a while I couldnt even look at pictures of chickens, especially roosters. Now I'm somewhat better but I would still rather die than go near a chicken.

HI

YOUR PHOBIA SOUNDS VERY SIMILIAR TO MINE IN SOME WAYS..ONLY MINE IS WITH TURTLES(IT GROSSES ME OUT TO JUST WRITE THE WORD) I DONT KNOW HOW MINE STARTED BUY I CAN NEVER REMEMBER NOT HAVING IT..I CANNOT LOOK AT A PICTURE OF A TURTLE WITHOUT A REACTION..SOMETIMES A SCREAM! I FEAR ALL REPTILES ..BUT TURTLES ARE THE WORST,THEN LIZARDS AND THEN SNAKES...I HAVE SEEN DRS FOR THIS PROBLEM EVEN BEEN ON MEDS..I SEE NO END IN SIGHT FOR IT..BUT HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO IMPROVE..

Wow! A fear of chickens and turtles! Those sound pretty awful. But everyone tells me that I have the strangest phobia. I don't know what it's called but I have an extreme fear of changing light bulbs. I can't even be in a room when someone is changing a light bulb and my dear hubby always rolls his eyes when I tell him that there is another light bulb he needs to replace.:love2

Here's my really weird phobia: Ailanthus trees. You know, those ugly, smelly, fast growing trees that grow in empty lots. Those big, mutant-like leaves scare the crap out of me!

In case you don't know, here's the tree I'm talking about http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/eek.gif : http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/ailaalti.html

Those phobias are really strange. I think everything has to do with your childhoods.. I was just wondering though:
Mike, do you eat chicken?
And bjg, I love turtles.. where I live there is these little sea turtles on the beach.. they're so small cause I think they just hatched or whatever, and they're all over the beach. You'd DIE! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif
Well, I'd have to say I'm not afraid of really any animals to that point but I do jump when some insect is on me. OR if a bee wants to come in my car and I'm driving. (isn't that everyone's fear?)

Well I have a real real fear of snakes....i don't know why...i am so sure that something happened when i was a kid..but who knows. I can't even look at a picture of a snake...and good god the other night i was flipping though channels late at night and started watching a movie that looked pretty good..until the snake appeared...good god..it was ANACONDA!! I screamed like i was being killed, my husband ran out of the bedroom thinking i was being attacked..and when he found out i was watching ANACONDA he laughed his butt off, so not nice. When me and my husband were dating we went to the boundry waters canoe area with a bunch of friends..and when we were porting he found one of those garter snakes..thinking he would be cute he showed it to me...me freaking out screaming is what he got..our friend said "hey man don't do that she is scared of things without legs" so i ran in the water...thinking the snake couldnt get me...and what does my boyfriend do?? he throws it in the water...and that icky thing came swimming..slithering on water right toward me....OMG that was terrible...and i ask myself..why did i marry him??? he he he

Lisa

I have an extreme fear of water. I mean, I can take a bath and shower, even swim in a pool, but if I can't see everything in the water then I'm not going near it. Is that weird? I don't even cross walking bidges that go over a creek.

For lack of the clinical term, I have a doll phobia. Ever since I was a child. It is not as bad now, but I still will not be left alone in a room that has dolls in it. I never minded the Cabbage Patch dolls or barbie dolls. Usually the fear is from porcelain dolls and others that resemble those. But, when I was younger, there was a period of around four years that I had doll nightmares EVERY single night. They were always trying to kill me in my house. I don't remember dreaming of anything other than killer dolls during those years. Bedtime was a nightmare in its self. I would lay paralyzed in my bed with fear, just hoping that it would be morning and time to get up. I still hate those dolls, though I have no idea at all where that fear started. So, at least most of you are afraid of living things. I'm suspicious of porcelain and plastic. But I guess fears can be like dreams; some make complete sense and others are like puzzles.

I can understand how that could happen. some of those older dolls have those freaky looking eyes that are somehow disturbing.....I guess you won't be watching "chucky"

I fear hairy spiders. And tarantulas.... eeeeek! They are the most awful things on earth.

let me add a few things...clowns scare me, so do those darn porcelain dolls...especially the ones with glass eyes...i can always swear they are staring at me...i'm also afraid of cabbage patch dolls, but that's only cause when i was little my brother said they would kill me...as for the sleeping thing, my hubby always has to sleep closest to the door and i always have to have THREE comforters over me...i'm afraid someone will break in and kill me...

but my biggest fear, wish i knew the name of it, is being in a car...which sadly i have to do daily, but my fear isn't as bad when i'm not the one driving...everything about being in a car scares me when i'm driving...if its dark, a deer could cause an accident, if it's there's ice or snow, i could slide, if there is traffic, i might get in an accident...and i can't even go into big cities like omaha...it really hurts though, my dad doesn't think i have a problem and always lectures me about my hubby driving me around...and this whole thing just brings me down...i can't pursue a good job cause i would have to drive in a big city, i can't go see my friends cause i have to go through big cities to see any of them and etc...i wish there was some way to conquer this fear... http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

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Rachel Leigh
"To really live, you must nearly die"-author unknown
April-may you always dance with the angels above

I saw your signature that said, "To really live, you must nearly die."

Maybe to overcome the fear, you need to have an accident.

I wish I had those kind of phobias. Mine is about my child.

Hi all,
I also don't like dolls. I hated Barbie as a kid. I wanted a Cricket doll for some odd reason but at night I would only go to sleep if my parents put a bag over her head, since she was sitting in a chair in my room. I also don't like puppets. My grandmother brought home a mexican puppet for me from Acapulco many years ago and I refused to take it, it scared the crap out of me. No dolls, clowns or puppets for me. Very freaky objects.

I definately share my phobia with Lisa. I am deathly afraid of snakes!! I live in an area where it is extremely rare to see one, but Im still afraid. When I work in my garden Im always scoping out the area for one. Cant watch them on TV, cant look at pics of them, and God forbid if I happen upon them in a pet store. This all sounds querky and silly, but on the serious side, this phobia screws with my whole life.

My hubby and I have had plans of moving out of the city and building a house on a couple acres in the country. I am deathly afraid of that because I know there are more snakes out there. We cant move out of state without a thorough check, by me of course, of the snakes in that area. This fear rules my life and I hate it, but I dont know what to do to get over it.

I have heard of people going to special therapists that eventually make you hold one, but oh my GOD!! I would die right there in the office! If anyone has conquered this fear, let me know how you did it.

Thanks for letting me babble.

Saph

i've been in 10 accidents that i can think of so i don't think that would help...my family says i have to start driving when i'm feeling uncomfortable...that way i can face my fears...
shea--what do you fear about your child...

btw--i love the quote i have in my siggy...heard it from a vietnam war vet...

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Rachel Leigh
"To really live, you must nearly die"-author unknown
April-may you always dance with the angels above

another quote i love that actually relates to this topic is "the only thing to fear is fear itself, it will always know where to find you"

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Rachel Leigh
"To really live, you must nearly die"-author unknown
April-may you always dance with the angels above

I'm afraid to shave.. I do it but it freaks me out to the point where I have to stop in between so I can collect myself..

I had a bad dream about a razor once and it's freaked me out ever since.

Emetophobia...a fear of vomiting. Flu season is the worst for me! Everything about it! I can't even write anything more about it! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

Im afraid of moving out and living on my own but im also afraid of living with my parents forever too but im still young so i figure i can stay here for a little longer before i have to move out

i hav the same fear as littleflower18; i like swimming but im scared 2 go out on a lake unless im in a pontoon boat & i dont like walking out 2 the end of a long pier.
i hate deep water so much...especially lakes
heights, deep water w/ them long seaweed ropes, & certain roller coasters r the only things im scared of.

ok, I have one for you, let me know if anyone else has experienced this.

I fear public restrooms...is there termanology for that?

Everytime I go in one (even if it is spotless), I have to contain myself from vomiting (more so if it isn't spotless).
Alot people who I have read post from here have problems washing their hands over and over again. When I HAVE to use a public restroom, sometimes cannot make myself even touch the faucet to wash my hands. I flush the toilet with my foot and touch the doors as little as possible.

Anyone else have this problem?

I know this sounds weird but my bread has to match (top to top..bottom to bottom )or I can not eat it .It will almost make me sick if I see someone eating a sandwich with the bread wrong. When i am eating crackers ,same thing ,they have to match. I also have to sleep facing the door and be on the front side of the bed. I never do anything small scale if I like it ,be it clothes,food,books or anything .If I find a candy bar I like ,I will buy alot of them ,everytime I go to the store .I bought so much school notebook paper and composition books ,that my children didn't run out for 2 years ,if it was on sale ,I bought it.(didn't need it ,just had to buy it )Guess I'm wacky. I'm not scared of these things ,it just makes me feel really weird .Is this compulsive or what ?

keri

Okay...I fear dry lips. I cannot go ANYWHERE without at least one tube of Chapstick with me (or some other lip balm), and I have about 20 lip balms around the house, at least one in each room. I do not know why I am like this, but I have been every since I can remember...haha.

I am afraid of a lot of other things, but that is probably the weirdest phobia I have. Well, maybe that and the fear of the words "snack" and "juice" (I have difficulty even typing the words).

fun with phobias

erm..I don't have any weird phobias. I don't like large spaces or skeletons. Normal stuff.

But I used to have a boyfriend who was afraid of rubber bands. he used to have nightmares about them...stretching...stretching

I'm afraid of animals running around in the dark. I am terrified that I am going to get attacked by an animal no matter how small, in the dark as I am walking from my car to my door. I would even be scared of a little squirrel running after me. My heart just starts thumping so hard, I think I'm going to have a heart attack one of these times. The strange thing is, I happen to be one of the world's biggest animal-lovers. But not outside at night!

Okay, this one is strange, I know, but I have a fear of corn. Yes, corn. Any corn. Corn on the cob, canned corn, all of it. It came from childhood. I've been told I used to love corn when I was little and eat it all the time, but my brother told me that it was old dirty yellow pirate's teeth and that they were going to get me!!! Well, as silly as it may sound, I cannot bring myself to eat corn. I won't even feed my kids corn or be around it. I have my loving brother to thank for that!!

I have a fear of mayonnaise. I am not kidding.

The worst part is, I have no clue where this phobia came from.

It's so strange.

So, I can understand all of you ladies and gentlemen. IMO, there is no such thing as a wierd phobia, because all phobias are wierd.

I have compassion. I will never never never judge anyone if they have phobias. I know how it is to suffer.

Of course, I also have OCD as well.

Hi there,

What an interesting list of phobias! I once had an unreasonable fear of bees but sorted that out a couple of years ago.

For those interested, I dug up some of the 'labels' used to describe the fears listed in this thread. A disclaimer - please be sure NOT to take these on as your particular label. I am not providing any advice or diagnosis here.

Ferpetophobia - a fear of replites.
Pediophobia - a fear of dolls.
Dendrophobia - a fear of trees. (However I don't know what we would call a fear of Ailanthus trees!)
Ophidiophobia - Abnormal fear of snakes
Potamophobia - Fear of rivers or running water (for the water phobic, I don't know if this is quite what you were describing).
Pedophobia - fear of children.

Just to offer a glimmer of hope. From my perspective it IS possible to overcome a fear or phobic response. I can say this speficially because I have worked successfully with one or two phobics per month for the last six months (Note to Moderator and readers, this is NOT an advertisement). The most unusual phobias that I have personally come across this year included a person with a fear of stickers - especially if they were starting to peel, followed by someone with a fear of fish (ichthyophobia).

Exc.

Hi all

I used to have a fear of moths and butterflies, I wouldn't go in a room with them. Someone at school said to me once about the african butterflies have a poisonous sting enough to kill a person supposed to be called the yellow adder but I finially got over it because they don't exist in the UK.

Vincent

I have a fear of things blowing up. I think about something blowing up everyday. Mostly it's when I start my car. Or when someone talks about a nuke. Or if my husband moves my gas stove, I have to go outside. What a sissy huh? I don't know where this comes from but it is a genuine fear.

Hey peoples ,

My fear is hospitals and medical centres as well as house/garden Flies, I get very panicky when i see them!

Millions of people have phobias...I believe the most common being fear of public speaking. But to overcome any of these, you have to expose yourself to it. I would rec. doing this with a professional using some sort of condition/response therapy. That is, if it's even worth it...meaning, if you have a fear of some type of tree which maybe you rarely encounter, then yeah, you can go through life and function ok still having that fear. Whereas if you have a fear of small spaces, or planes, or cars, then it can really be beneficial to learn how to get past it. Of course you have to want to. You can lead a horse to water...

those big cockroaches!! when i was a child in guam we use to have these huge huge roaches and once when i put my shoe on something kept moving around on my foot and when i took off my shoe to see what it was this roach fell out eewww gives me the heebie jeevies just remembering about that that was 25 yrs ago i wouldn't stay in a room if there was a roach in it,wouldn't walk by one yuk yuk yuk thank god we moved but when i see an exhibit at the zoo it freaks me out! now spiders and anything else don't bother me i can shower with a spider above my head on the ceiling and it doesn't faze me, my sister on the other hand would probly faint seeing a spider above her head,

sorry it posted twice

[This message has been edited by yoga1st (edited 07-01-2003).]

I had a fear of public speaking and of snakes.

I conquered my fear of public speaking and now teach at a university. I FORCED myself to take classes where I had to speak. First from my seat, then for a short report, then in seminars from my seat, then standing in front of small groups, and now I speak with a microphone in a large auditorium. All this from someone who almost didn't graduate from high school because I was so terrified of taking the required speech class. The success came from doing it a little at a time and slightly increasing my safety zone to a more challenging level. I was in college forever, yes, because this took years and years, but it worked. I still can't believe what I'm doing now because I love it--my biggest fear--gone. It took me many years, but slowly and surely facing the demon head-on made me the victor!

The second greatest fear--snakes. I still dream of snakes nearly every night, but I also took this fear and faced it. I started slowly. Just looking at a picture of a snake for one second. Waiting a week, looking for two seconds, etc. Now I cut my grass, see snakes, and just keep on walking, letting them be. I can't say I am entirely without fear of them, but I've made great strides. I can even hold a snake skin for about a minute without fainting, and before, even to glance at one made me terrified for days with just the thought of having seen it. I make myself stand in pet stores and stare at the snakes--not too close, but close enough to watch them. I'm not going to let this get the best of me.

The secret to ending phobias is gradual exposure. To beat them you have to face them--little by little. I can even read about snakes now and look at the pictures. This is a huge stride--something I wasn't able to do in over 40 years! Desensitize yourself. It's well worth the effort. I feel so much better being the one in control. Now, if I could just stop dreaming about snakes so often, but even then, it's not every night anymore, just far too often, lol!

I'm not sure if this is a phobia or just an intense dislike, but has anyone heard of a man having a phobia about cosmetics ( make-up )? In this day and age, it is almost impossible to find a woman who does not use any make-up at all. Does anyone out there know of another man who has a either a phobia or an extremely intense dislike of cosmetics?

[This message has been edited by mith (edited 07-11-2003).]

"In this day and age, it is almost impossible to find a woman who does not use any make-up at all."

hahha, not me. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
I don't have a phobia or fear of them & I can't answer your question, but I just saw this & wanted to reply.
I'm a girl but I've never worn makeup at all, have never wanted to & don't ever plan on wearing any.
I just don't like wearing it, I feel like a clown.
I bet that is so weird to hear..
Anyway, I hope someone answers your question

I have a fear of people wearing masks. I cannot stand to go to a Halloween party when costumes are required. I will absolutely freak out!

Same old, same old, I am afraid of spiders. EWW I hate that word. Spider. EEK! Spider. EEK! Spider. EEK! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/eek.gif
If fear of water is hydrophobia and fear of depth is bathophobia, then I guess i have hydrobathophobia, fear of deep water. Even in swimming pools.
Shea- what do you mean, it has to do with your child?
I did a project on phobias. There are some pretty obscure ones. Let me go get it quickly and read some of them off....
OK, got it. I dug it up. Here are the fun ones...:
EACH OF THESE IS THE FEAR OF....
Aulophobia- flutes
caligynephobia- beautiful women
politicophobia- politicians
elutherophobia- freedom (Give me liberty, then give me a panic attack!)
cyberphobia- computers (none of us have THAT one)
arithmophobia/numberophobia- numbers (Mr. Justmann, I can't do my homework. The numbers freak me out. I swear.)
vestiphobia- clothing (so you run around naked?!?)
urophobia- urinating (god, they must always really have to go)
sitophobia- food (they must be hungry!)
phagophobia- eating (again...)
dikephobia- justice (I didn't murder him! Please put me in jail!)
And more! The colors purple, yellow, red, white, technology, clocks, bald people, having your period, bathing, flowers, booze, B.O., etc!
Kristina

I don't know if it has a name, but I'm scared of (or just really hate, I don't know) static electricity. I don't like going out places if there's a lot of it around (thank goodness I'm in such a humid city!). If I'm walking up to a door with someone, I slow down as we approach so they have to open the door for me. I was doing a computer upgrade and thought I'd get shocked from the computer's innards, so I was trying to get someone else come do my upgrade.

Music23....wow, never realised most of those phobias existed!!!!!!!

Well i'm from Australia and grew up on a farm so i guess there are no prizes for guessing that i can't handle the thought of snakes. I can watch documentaries on tv or look at pictures in books, but i still think that the only good snake is a dead snake!! Each time i see one which has been run over on the road i feel a little better http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

I once watched a VERY interesting program on past lives and how some people's phobias are to do with something from their past life. The people who had hypno therapy and faced these fears during the hypnosis ended up getting over their phobias (eg: one girl couldn't enter her house if nobody was at home. It turned out that in a past life she had been kidnapped and held for ransom as her father had been wealthy. Another person had a fear of deep water and it was worked out that this person had died on the titanic as a child in a past life). So who knows, maybe there is some truth in it or maybe it's all linked to things which occured during our earliest childhood.

hey villagegal,
i'm right there w/ you on the fear of cars. i'm working through it now. still not great, but i used to cry sitting in a car, i'd avoid going anywher unless i had to go (like school and work) and i'd only stop to get gas if it was on the way. i always take back roads when i can, b/c there's less traffic and i can drive slow. i'd love to have someone to talk about this w/. if you have AIM let me know and i'll tell ya my name so we can chat.
my boyfriend says it's called amaxophobia. dunno for sure.

my other #1 fear is fear of waterbugs/ cockroaches/ palmetto bugs, whatever you call them i hate them. at an old apartment of mine (new building) there was one in my bathroom. i ran out of there screaming, shoved a towel under the door and refused to go in there for a week, then when i finally did go in there, i was cleaning in there steylizing the place, and the thing came crawling out of the overflow drain on the sink, then it climbed up on the wall and took flight, i nearly had a heart attack but the dumb thing landed in the trash bag that was in there. i immediately tied it up and took it to the dumpster then went to the store and got the biggest and strongest, longest lasting bottle of roach killer that i could find (at 3 am in the morning) and sprayed every corner, crack crevice, etc. my apartment smelled like bugspray for a month, but i never saw anymore after that....

i DID almost have a heart attack b/c of those freakin Orkin commercials... the one's that they start out like a fabric softener commercial, then a roach runs across the screen... the first time i saw this, was very close to the prior incident i just told, and was at night w/ all the lights off.. i thought it was a real one and i woke my sister up screaming bloody murder!!

i wanted to sue Orkin for the trauma of those commercials. and i'm suprised no one did. i heard a lot of people broke their tv's throwing things at the screen when those commercials came on.

-L

hmmmm i have some of the fears ive read plus some...lets see clowns, dark water where i cant see the bottom, dolls, foam, news papers or anything printed like a newspaper,lost children...i dont know i think thats connected with the clowns, vans, loud people, i have a really bad fear or being raped...i mean im sure no body wants to be raped but i always think about it even now im worried that someone is going to come in and rape me i just never feel safe, im afraid if i treat my stuffed animals badly then something bad will happen to me...im sure there are a lot more that i just cant think of right now

I have a fear of spiders, (they almost sent me to a hospital a couple of times because i freaked out so bad and hurt myself, I also gave a strip show to the neighbors when i first moved here, because one landed on my foot and i ran to the house stripping and jumped in the shower. Another fear I have is FALLING DOWN AND KNOCKING MY TEETH OUT, I see so many people my age with teeth missing and that really scares me, especially in the winter when it is icy, i look like a little old lady walking down stairs, triing not to fall.

I have a fear of being poisoned from eating/drinking food that has been tampered with. I've had it since I was 17 - it started when I read that someone had put poison in a bottle of Tylenol.

Since then, I have a difficult time eating unopened foods, and I prefer to make sure that someone is eating the same thing (like using mustard) before I will.

I'd rather be afraid of snakes!

i have had many phobias, but the worst is my fear of wasps. i am absolutely terrified of wasps. my friends think it is very funny to watch during wasp season. i will jump up and run away as soon as a wasp comes near me. it's pretty silly, really, because i know that a wasp wouldn't be able to hurt me that much. i'm not afraid of bees, or flies, or spiders, or any other insects. just wasps. god, i hate them.

once i was writing in my journal before bed. a wasp landed on my pillow, right next to my head. it took me an hour to capture it in a glass, bring it downstairs, and put it outside. i was shaking violently and sick to my stomach the entire time. in the morning, my father found a dead wasp in an upside-down glass just outside the car-port door! i couldn't even let it go! lol. my husband loves to torment me w/ wasps whenever he can. that *******. he cornered me in the bathroom once with one in a jar. i passed out from the terror. eeew.

tai

Hello! I can relate to Villagegal and Oblio; I too have a fear of driving. I know how to drive, I've taken behind-the-wheel three times, but even though I'm almost 30 I just cannot get myself to drive unless I absolutely have to. It's so frustrating! Luckily I have a good network of friends and family who help me out but there are SO many other things I would like to do if I could, but I hate always having to ask for rides, so basically I just stay at home or at work...I've never heard of anyone else having this fear...I'm not sure what I can do to get over this, but I sure hope I do : )

Emetophobia also...fear of throwing up
Hate it. If someone in my family or someone I work with is sick with a stomach flu, I stay away from them and wash my hands constantly.

I am very afraid of storms: wind, rain, thunder, lightning, hail, and especially tornados. Wind could blow a tree down and kill someone, rain can cause floods and destroy homes, thunder is just sometimes too loud, lightning can kill people or damage houses and trees, hail damages things, and if big enough can kill, and tornados, well....... I have been in three horribly bad storms, two containing tornados, and one having softball size hail. They were all during my childhood and teen years, and now, I freak out.
Another phobia is being in a car with the windows down. I just cannot do it, and it makes me sick, literally sick.
I am also very afraid of people I love dying. I have been to 15 funerals of people in my family and friends. Last year I lost three best friends, and five years ago, lost my very best friend.
I am also afraid of having a dirty house. I constantly clean and tidy up, so I won't. If I walk into a dirty house I have to leave, because it makes me soo uncomfortable.

I lived with different fears most of my life until I found out that FEAR MEANS: False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is from the devil. FEAR NOT appears in the Bible 365 times. One for each day of the year. For God did not give us a Spirit of Fear but a sound mind! Prayer and the scriptures are the best defense against fears.

Let's see...I'm afraid of cutting my hair...dolls...razors...toilets...closet s...deep water (sharks!!!)...salt...balloons...and hats

not that i have a phobia to it, but sometimes makeup does make me cringe.

Also, I am afraid of other people or foreign objects touching my eyes.

i have a friend who has a phobia of the color orange. i wore a rust colored shirt (just barely orangey) to a class we had together and she threw a fit and demanded i take it off right there in class. i eventually had to so we could get on with class. there i sat in the middle of american women's history in my bratop. lol absolutely true, girl scout's honor.

I have a few fears -- I'm afraid of hills -- not going down hills, going up, then I have a fear of cats but only in packs of four or more as i LOVE cats (my cat is my baby!!! Can't imagine my life with out him!), I also have an EXTREME fear of mirrors at night... when the lights are off I cannot look at a mirror....I think it has to do with the "bloody mary" urban legend I heard when i was 6 at a slumber party -- since then I've had to take down mirrors, and adjust them in my room because I cannot sleep or look into a mirror when the lights are off -- I'm much better now (I don't have to take them down in the night anymore), but I do have to close my eyes or look away when I pass one when the lights are off...

Oh and clowns -- terrified of clowns....

This is my first time posting so hi everyone. I'm glad I found this site because I could probably add to almost every topic being discussed...depression, obsession, phobias. I can be a real case sometimes! Well, I have a few phobias that are common. I absolutely, positively will NOT fly. I am scared to death of flying. I have flown a couple of times in my life and I was always scared but it really turned into a phobia. I will never get on a plane again and just thinking about it freaks me out. I am also claustrophobic. But one wierd phobia I have is of sprinklers. I hate sprinklers...especially at night. I live in a complex where they go on at 4am and if I'm coming home late, I have to either get home before they come on or after they go off. Sometimes I call my friend and make him stay on the phone with me until I get in the house if the sprinklers are on. Sometimes I run to the door. They freak me out. I don't like the ocean, either, b/c I don't swim well, but I don't think it has to do with the water. It's more the hissing sound they make and they look so creepy shooting out of the ground and moving in the dark. So, that's that. I have no clue where it came from!!

boy, this was an eye-opening page! Maybe it's best not to compare all your weirdest phobias because you're probably giving some troubled folk some new fears to consider! I do believe facing your fears is the best way to conquer them. When my daughter was very young she was fascinated with bugs, but one day when she was five we were in the Bahamas and she was playing hide and go seek with her brother. She climbed under the bed and the ground was covered with dead cockroaches! She went beserk! After that she'd scream like crazy over every little bug. I talked to a doc who suggested that I go to a library and take out every book that described how insects help us (like bees give us honey, pollinate flowers, help the farmers, etc) We rear tons and then her attitude changed back into liking bugs again!

I have a phobia of rejection, of getting hurt and being alone. Does that have a name? Or is it just called being human?

Hi all

i thought I would share my strangest fear/

It is called barnumanadbaileyaphobia, well, I am not sure what the clinical term is, or if one even exists, but here it goes, the fear of clowns.

I cant stand clowns, they totaly freak me out, worse than any other fear I own.

Does anybody share in this fear?

Fear of FLOUR. Can't touch it. Makes me feel like I will throw up. Needless to say, I am not a baker.

Also, I had no idea other people had a fear of vomiting. It even has a name. WOW. I haven't thrown up in 35 years. It is just too gross. Also, cockroaches are disgusting.

Preachers say that hell is fire and brimstone but I say it is having to swim around in a sea of vomit with cockroaches floating on top.

Originally posted by krissi31:
Emetophobia...a fear of vomiting. Flu season is the worst for me! Everything about it! I can't even write anything more about it! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

OMG I have the same phobia! I got to the ER everytime I get nauseous! You cant write about it either! Finally, I am not alone!

Originally posted by Zipity:
Emetophobia also...fear of throwing up
Hate it. If someone in my family or someone I work with is sick with a stomach flu, I stay away from them and wash my hands constantly.


Same here. I just posted to someone else who has the same phobia. I have never found anyone else in my life with this phobia. Its nice to know that I am not utterly alone on this one.

Originally posted by Zipity:
Emetophobia also...fear of throwing up
Hate it. If someone in my family or someone I work with is sick with a stomach flu, I stay away from them and wash my hands constantly.


Same here. I just posted to someone else who has the same phobia. I have never found anyone else in my life with this phobia. Its nice to know that I am not utterly alone on this one.

Originally posted by rxqueen:

Same here. I just posted to someone else who has the same phobia. I have never found anyone else in my life with this phobia. Its nice to know that I am not utterly alone on this one.

I am also surprised so many people have this. I thought I was alone. Doing a search on the internet shows websites just for emetophobia. I'm so surprised.

Hi,
I have a weird phobia, I am absolutely terrified of stickers! I will not go into a shop that uses stickers as price labels on goods, and I won't buy fruit that have stickers on it as well. If I accidently touch a sticker, I have to wash my hands lots! I think it started when I was about 7 and I was eating Frosties, and my sister had stuck a sticker on the bottom of my bowl, and as I was eating it, the pieces of sticker started floating up, eugh! Does any one else share this phobia?

Wow - this is so interesting!!

nelldance - i won't be inviting you to my house - lol - it's never all clean at once.

weasels - i share your phobias and more.

i've had emetephobia or whatever it is - the vomiting one - don't have it any more but did really badly when i was 10. Dixie chick your version of hell was really gross - uggghhh!!! Thanks for that.

I have a fear of things looking at me in the dark - like when I put the cats out at night I'm scared I'll see them looking in at me through the window. Can totally relate to fears of dolls and clowns - freaky.

Most of your fears are understandable - snakes and spiders can be poisonous. Insects are just gross. Vomiting is a horrible experience - it's the only time you feel your body's really out of control - except during childbirth, but after childbirth you get a nice baby whereas after vomiting you just get a mess to clean up.

I also have a fear of the sea. I love it and I hate it. All my worst nightmares involve being in the sea and really huge waves.

I am sooooooo afraid of caterpillars....Around that time of year I fear I will find one on me...I hate going outside....I went out a couple of times with a hat on...If I see one on the ground it really disturbs me..It's winter now and they're not around but late spring and early summer you start seeing them.
I even find myself looking for their cacoons in the trees.....

I have severe agoraphobia: stores, streets, cars, are difficult for me. I have to fight to function, and am always afraid in general.
I also have a fear of taking showers or baths. I get very anxious and have to work up to bathing. Also, any of those talking dolls, animated figures, and those cardboard people they put outside stores on the street. The more life-like they are, the more they scare me.

ummm fear of dropping a penny and losing my luck.. LOL.. I know its stupid, but it is what it is.

Sorry if this doesn't actually classify as a phobia...
I CANNOT touch potatos, especially not the skins. Just the thought of the gritty yet smooth peel and the liquid seeping from it when you slice it and the way it feels is enough to put me over the edge. The same thing with pomagrantes, that white stuff inside feels even worse than potato peels. And wet clothing, when you take it from the washer, that sends me into the same panic, though I *force* myself to put the clothes in the dryer, I cannot stop thinking about the horrid feeling for a long time afterwards and just the thought sends me into a panic. Just writing this has life me shaking. I know, I am a total freak. I will clarify that I don't think they're going to hurt me, I just cannot stand the way they feel and my mind has turned it into a completely unrealistic thing.

I don't think you're a freak at all. I have the same reaction to wet laundry, just hating to deal with it (maybe partly because I hate doing housework of any kind), and the sound of plastic bags when I handle them drives me nuts. I also hate to be wet (showers), so I dry off like a maniac.
The other thing that does this to me is dough. But I ran a home bakery for two years, and all I handled and smelled all day long was dough, more dough. I still can't even turn on my oven to bake anything. The feeling of that sticky stuff is too much.

Thank you so much seaturtle, you're a doll. You have no idea how scared I was of what people would say after I posted that. The wet laundry issue developed after two years of working at a laundromat, doing laundry for other people (which I still work at). It's really strange how things obsessions just pop up suddenly. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one with something like this going on.

Most welcome! I just wonder if your laundry and my dough are more along the lines of someone who works in an ice cream store and can't stand the sight of ice cream after a while.
Lord, if I'd worked in a laundromat handling other people's dirty and wet clothes, I would never want to see any laundry again, either!
I also think that some people (not necessarily OCDers) are specially sensitive to touch. I work with my hands a lot, and they are like my ears and eyes and nose sometimes in terms of knowing the world.

i have an irrational fear of falling.
it's not the hieghts that im afraid of, its the falling.
i donno its weird.

Most welcome! I just wonder if your laundry and my dough are more along the lines of someone who works in an ice cream store and can't stand the sight of ice cream after a while.
Lord, if I'd worked in a laundromat handling other people's dirty and wet clothes, I would never want to see any laundry again, either!
I also think that some people (not necessarily OCDers) are specially sensitive to touch. I work with my hands a lot, and they are like my ears and eyes and nose sometimes in terms of knowing the world.
Well my obsession with these touches started last year after I had eczema on my hands, I'm guessing that I touched something and it felt awful because the sensitivity in my hands was heightened, and since then it's worked it's way into my OCD. It only affects me when my OCD is acting up -- which thank god is not all the time! Right now I have no problem handling the laundry at work, it's so confusing.

my phobia is house flies :(

my bf has a fear of blood being taken from him. He doesnt mind seeing blood on tv, or seeing himself bleed, but he freaks out when he goes to the doctors because he is scared they will ask to do a blood test. He has not been to see a doc for 5 yrs until i took him in with me a few weeks ago, and he ended up passing out at the reception desk (and wacking his head on the desk on the way down), just at the thought of having a blood test! i have been reading about blood phobics, apparently they are the only type of phobics to pass out from their fear...its some sort of body defence where the heart rate slows down to avoid the chance bleeding to death, but for blood phobics the reaction to seeing blood causes a more dramatic change in heart rate and they can pass out..

he is also scared of standing in dog poo :P

My biggest phobias are centipedes, and spiders, and definitely heights.

Hmm, let me think of some strange ones of mine since those are pretty common. Escalaters-people get mad at me because I refuse to get on them. I'll go out of my way to find an elevator or regular stairs to avoid them.
Vomiting in public

Those are the main ones I can think of. I have a lot of fears, but I don't know if they are all severe enough to be called phobias, like I don't like silverwear (I try to use plastic), food allergies (although I don't have any that I know of), and many more.

needles... it happens when i go to the doctor and they need to take blood. it is terrifying, i get really lightheaded. i hate the way it looks- it just doesnt seem right to be probed with a thin metal object! grosss! lol

I have a fear or very uncomfortable feeling sometimes when i am in a wide open area outside. it comes from me thinking about falling but upwards- like as if gravity ceased to exist and i'm falling into nothing. yikes. it is the same feeling i get from heights but worse.:dizzy:

I have a fear or very uncomfortable feeling sometimes when i am in a wide open area outside. it comes from me thinking about falling but upwards- like as if gravity ceased to exist and i'm falling into nothing. yikes. it is the same feeling i get from heights but worse.:dizzy:

wah thats trippy thinking about falling upwards!:dizzy:

Has anyone said seeds yet? (Like ingesting them: strawberries, berries, sesame seeds, etc.)

There is no. such. thing. as a seedless grape. What a scam!! ;] So I will sit with a little pearing knife over my bowl of grapes and pit each one as I eat them.

Charming! Time to go eat a grape.. and it's seeds!

Well, I read the posts here and no one else seems to have this one - going to the hair salon. I have to work myself up to keep my appointments, I don't sleep well the night before, I have anxiety when I am there and have verbal diarrhea to the poor hairdresser because I am so nervous. This last time was even worse, no verbal diarrhea - I was fighting to keep myself from having a panic attack and I couldn't even speak, I had to keep my head buried in a trashy magazine to distract myself. Oooohhh, just typing this is making me feel woozy. :)

Wow, this thread makes me feel a lot better. I thought I was the only one who was afraid of some of these things. I have an extreme phobia of death. I know a lot of people are afraid of death but my phobia rules my life. I can't look into mirrors after dark (as somebody said) because people always say that people see ghosts through mirrors or through the corner of their eyes. So I avoid ALL mirrors. I also have a fear of the dark and the night because I feel like death is watching me. I'm deathly afraid of snakes because they are poisonous and I think they will kill me. I can't hear the word or even see a picture/drawing. I also have a phobia of older people (like 80's and 90's) because they are about to die and it freaks me out. Probably my phobia of death comes from my uncontrollable thoughts that I am going to die everyday. I feel like death watches me and waits for me. I probably sound crazy....

You don't sound crazy to me.

Hi,
I have a weird phobia, I am absolutely terrified of stickers! I will not go into a shop that uses stickers as price labels on goods, and I won't buy fruit that have stickers on it as well. If I accidently touch a sticker, I have to wash my hands lots! I think it started when I was about 7 and I was eating Frosties, and my sister had stuck a sticker on the bottom of my bowl, and as I was eating it, the pieces of sticker started floating up, eugh! Does any one else share this phobia?

I have this phobia too! I honestly thought I was the only one. My therapist had never encountered it in 20 years of phobia work. Stickers on fruit is the most disgusting thing I can imagine, if i touch fruit and discover a sticker on it i'm compelled to scratch my hands, I understand this to be a kind of self harm to override the feelings of anxiety I get. I think mine comes from when I was little and went to the dentist... I hated the dentist so much and they would always put a 'well done' sticker on me after treatment. Its an association with the fear and anxiety and the sticker... At least I think this is where it stems from for me. I used to panic walking down the street that I would get one stuck to my foot and continually check the soles of my shoes... anyway better not talk about that because I seem to have overcome that one. The therapy made a difference, but still can't stand them on fruit, eugh...

Anyway, it's nice to know i'm not alone!

I am extremely afraid of beesnests- but more liek the material of a beesnest. IT FREAKS ME OUT.

I also hate the dark. Not extremely pitch dark- i liek that, but being in a house with no lights on where you can still see the furniture but its not enough light to do something. I HATEEEEEEE THAT.

ok, I have one for you, let me know if anyone else has experienced this.

I fear public restrooms...is there termanology for that?

Everytime I go in one (even if it is spotless), I have to contain myself from vomiting (more so if it isn't spotless).
Alot people who I have read post from here have problems washing their hands over and over again. When I HAVE to use a public restroom, sometimes cannot make myself even touch the faucet to wash my hands. I flush the toilet with my foot and touch the doors as little as possible.

Anyone else have this problem?

OMGSH THAT IS SOOOOOOOOOO ME!!!!!! About the public restrooms. I ALWAYS use my foot. Its so gross not to. And I have to use a paper towel to open the door and omg that is soo me!!!

You don't sound crazy to me.


I have 2.

My phobia isent that uncommen. i'm extremtly afraid of death and my parents and loved ones dieing.
+
I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE stiraphome. i hate the sound the feeling i cant see or touch it. it just yuk!

Here is a few phobias that are listed. I have fear of mother-in-laws, and atomic explosions. I also have a fear of having no money, food, or AC.

Arachibutyrophobia Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Maniaphobia Fear of insanity.
Medomalacuphobia Fear of losing an erection.
Medorthophobia Fear of an erect penis.
Mnemophobia Fear of memories.
Apeirophobia Fear of infinity.
Atomosophobia Fear of atomic explosions
Automatonophobia Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues

Mine is kind of like the stickers because it definitely includes the stickers on the fruit which they definitely need to find another way to do things since we eat the skin of the fruit. But nine includes other paper or wrapping that comes on stuff that might cling to you are you are trying to throw it away. Mine comes from when my mom used to have me throw the wrapper away from the outside of her cigarettes and it was the clear cellophane or whatever and you would go to throw it away and it would stick to your hand and you would try to shake it off and it would cling to you. I hated that. Or especially if paper got wet that is even worse. I could never clean tables and throw away people's papers from straws at restaurants...that kind of thing...disgusting!!!! I shudder. I literally feel ill.

This is for Robin2007, I have the same phobia that you have, since last year I've developed this intense fear of dying which didn't bother me at all before and when I see really old people, I get bothered because I would think - are they scared to die? I wasn't like this before. I used to deal with old people very well and didn't think about death when I see them. Do you still have these phobias? If yes, how do you deal with it and if you've overcome them, how were you able to overcome them? I really need your help! Thanks!

Vicky, I don't know if you saw my earlier post on a different thread where I answered your question about the fear of dying, but I have to say that I completely understand you! I think I figured out where my original fear of death and the meaning of life came from-it stems from my fear of getting older. And I have to say that recently I am completely obsessed with the thought. Probably because getting older means getting closer to death. I also look at older people (like my grandparents who are 85), and I wonder how they function knowing that they are that old. I just think I would be so depressed everyday thinking about dying.

Just out of curiousity, when did the fear of death start for you and was there anything stressful about that time period? Mine has resurfaced over the years, but I think lately it's because I just changed my future plans (I decided not to continue with law school, but to go and get my PhD), and when I started thinking about how long it will take me to finish with it and that I will probably be 40 by then, I start flipping out and obsessing about age and life and death.

Are you currently in therapy? I was, but I'm not anymore, and I'm about ready to switch from Luvox to another med. Maybe we can help each other through this. I'm sorry that I don't have an answer about how to get rid of this, but at least we're not alone!

Hi this is for ChanceFL, I actually still remember when my intense fear of dying started. It was last February 1, 2006 when my aunt told me that my cousin who was just 30 at that time was already stage 4 with her breast cancer. I suddenly felt so fearful of dying and that became my obsession and because of that I became depressed. I even got more anxious when my cousin passed away last May 2006. It's been very hard for me because I was so happy before this whole thing. I just got married on Jan. 15, 2006 and was looking forward to living a new life with my husband. Due to this intense fear of dying, now when I see old people, the thought that would come in to my mind is "is he/she afraid of dying?" I wasn't like this before and never thought these thoughts before when I would see old people. I was just indifferent to them and didn't think about anything. The third thing that has become my obsession is I'm so scared of growing old and being idle and lonely. I don't know why I even thought about that thought. It completely came out of nowhere! I'm now going to a therapist for cbt and taking celexa 20mg and klonapin. My doctor is switching me to celexa, I was taking effexor xr 375mg but I don't think it's working for me anymore. It used to work before when I had my other bouts of ocd and depression but not now :( I'm really suffering inside and everyday is such a struggle. I think my ocd and depression became worse because when I found out I was pregnant on Feb. 16, 2006, my doctor then told me not to take any medication. I hope I get a reply from you. I need your support. It's good that you're able to study even though you have ocd. Isn't it hard to concentrate and study?

Hi Vicky, I'm so sorry about your cousin. That is so sad! I can completely understand your fear after an experience like that. It's hard to deal with a family member's death-especially when the person is so young.

Is the CBT helping at all? My former therapist wasn't very helpful, so I stopped seeing her. Now it's just me and the medication and about 20 self-help books. I also understand about your fear of being old and lonely-especially the idle part. That's weird, but I obsess over it so much-to the point that I am so horrified of getting older. My husband's grandmother is in her 80's and she lives alone in the Keys, and even though she has lots of friends, she is always in her house watching TV, and I think to myself "How can she be happy doing nothing all day?" But I guess she is happy, she seems content. Maybe as you get older you adapt to your surroundings. I sure hope so. I'm trying to tell myself that so I will stop obsessing over it.

My therapist told me that I worry too much about the future and the past and that I need to start living for today. I realize now that I rarely live in the moment-I don't think I know how. I wish I could because I will have a lot of regrets when I am older if I don't start enjoying what's here and now.

In answer to your question, going to school has actually helped my OCD a lot. I am so busy with school that I don't have any time to obsess. I am going crazy right now because I am not going back to school until August and I am obsessing for lack of anything better to do. I wonder if that's why I keep prolonging my education-because when I'm in school my OCD is almost non-existent? Who knows.

Anyway, keep posting. I'll try to help any way I can. The people on this board are so amazing-I don't know how I would have gotten through the past two months without them. Talk to you soon.:)

Hi ChanceFl,

What's the best self help book that you've read so far? I haven't seen my therapist that long yet so I'm still hoping that the cbt will work for me. How come it didn't work for your ocd? Do you also have depression? So your obsessive thoughts with your fear of dying comes and goes? Like whenever you're not busy, it comes back? Did you ever feel it go and felt relieved? With me, I've been suffering for 17 months already, it's pure O, I don't have any compulsions. Do you have compulsions? What meds are you taking and are they helping? I'm actually thinking now if I should take my MBA or this Pastry and Baking Arts Diploma course but I wasn't thinking that with my ocd and depression, I might not be able to fully concentrate on it. What do you think? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks!

Vicky88

well im really scared of roosters too lol. we had these huge roosters when we were growing up and they were so mean and would chase you. so i dont get anywhere near roosters either. not hens.

I know this is going to sound funny but it is the truth. I have a fear of checking my mail box, and if it wasn't for my son I don't know what I would do. I guess its the bills that scare me.

some of the weird phobias i have are 1. the fear of nail files, i know your probably thinging i'm crazy 2. the fear of odd numbers 3. the fear of open spaces 4.the fear of looking up 5. the fear of open doors, and 6. the fear of sharks, yes i too can not look at a picture of a shark without shivering. phobias are nothing to be ashamed of, we all have them, some are just more out there than others :]

I'm afraid of facial deformities. And I have emetophobia.

i must admit that this is the first time i've ever spoken about my phobia.
which probably beats the chicken one...
i've had this all my life and today i can put a name behind what it is.
i have vestiphobia, which means that i have an irrational fear of being seen in an imparticular item of clothing. in my case it is wearing a long sleeved tshirt under a short sleeved.
it reacts to my sexual nature which gives me the need to free myself from my clothes.......................fun, good thing this is anomynous

I want to reply to the person who said they were afraid of looking in mirrors after dark - I forgot to include that in my earlier post. I'm like that too - if I have to go to the bathroom at night I won't look in the mirror unless the light's on. Maybe it's come about because a girl I used to know who used to live in an old boarding house saw a ghost in the mirror one night when she was washing her hands. That scared the living daylights (and other things) out of me. I am terrified of seeing a ghost. I stayed with my sister once when she lived in an old house that apparently had a ghost and after I turned the light off I'd get into bed and close my eyes and not open them again until morning. Sorry to ramble ;)