Phobias

[scary_dream]

Ok, so we all know that there is a difference between a fear and a phobia; a fear is something relatively rational that doesn't necessarily disrupt everyday life, and a phobia is a somewhat irrational, sometimes inexplainable fear that causes the person to act AROUND their fear of this certain thing. My question here is: Has anyone had any peculiar phobias (or ANY phobias for that matter), or have they met anyone with any sort of severe phobia? Some of them are quite interesting (Aulophobia - a fear of flutes!), and you can see a list of many at http://www.phobialist.com.

Mine is emetophobia, a fear of vomit. It's not because I think it's gross (honestly, the gross-out factor doesn't get to me), I'm just terrified of it. I can't explain it, but whenever I hear or see anyone get sick, I hyperventalate and start to shake pretty badly. Other than that, however, I've not met anyone with any sort of peculiar phobia, just the more common ones like acrophobia (fear of heights) or arachnophobia (fear of spiders).

[kaytea]

Aeroacrophobia- Fear of open high places.
Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets. Fear of leaving a safe place.
Anemophobia- Fear of air drafts or wind.(Ancraophobia)
Bathmophobia- Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Chiraptophobia- Fear of being touched.
Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia- Fear of being locked in an enclosed place.
Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone.
Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors or of seeing oneself in a mirror.
Glossophobia- Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
Hylophobia- Fear of forests.
Kenophobia- Fear of voids or empty spaces.
Mnemophobia- Fear of memories.
Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at.
Sociophobia- Fear of society or people in general.

[HappyFoppy]

Optophobia- Fear of opening one's eyes.
Duchess? :D
Also Dutchphobia is coool. ;)

[pitbulllady]

I fortunately don't have any phobias, though I am pretty scared of lightning and high winds. Roughing out a Category 4 hurricane, alone, can do that to you.

I do know a LOT of people, especially among our supposedly-educated teaching staff here at school, who are severely phobic of cats, though, moreso than of snakes, spiders, large dogs, or just about any other animal I can think of. There is also one teacher who is a general Zoophobe-she's phobic of ALL non-human animals.

The oddest phobia I've heard of was told to me a couple of years ago by one of my fifth graders, who told me that her then-16-year-old cousin, who lives in NYC, has a phobia of cheerleader pom-poms. The cousin and her family came down to South Carolina to visit over the Christmas holidays a couple of years ago, and it just so happened that my student, a girl, had gotten a cheerleader outfit for Christmas. The cousin walked in and saw the pom-poms sitting in a chair, and became hysterical, to the point that a neighbor called the police, fearing that someone in the house was being brutalized after hearing all the screams!

The bad thing about phobias is that most of the people who suffer from them do not realize that this is a very real mental illness, and a potentially harmful one at that, and that phobias can be treated and even cured. The people who have them, though, make excuses for them, and do not seem to want to get rid of the phobias, for some reason. THAT is the aspect that I cannot understand.

pitbulllady

[Scribble]

I've started becoming really scared of mosquitoes recently, though I'm not sure if it's a phobia or not. I wasn't too bad last night with two in the house but usually I just cannot be in the same room as a mosquito and I can't put my mind at rest until it's either dead or I know it's gone from the house. I often get quite paranoid about it at night to the point where I can't sleep for fear that there is mosquito in my room. I also keep thinking that I hear the sound they make when there's nothing there.

There was one time a while ago where I seriously thought a mosquito was trying to land on my ear (ie. really loud buzzing) even though I don't think there was anything there. I practically jumped off the bed and ran out of the room and actually found it really hard to breath. I've had a panic attack before and it really felt like I was on the brink of one then!

[scary_dream]

The oddest phobia I've heard of was told to me a couple of years ago by one of my fifth graders, who told me that her then-16-year-old cousin, who lives in NYC, has a phobia of cheerleader pom-poms.

That IS a peculiar one.

The bad thing about phobias is that most of the people who suffer from them do not realize that this is a very real mental illness, and a potentially harmful one at that, and that phobias can be treated and even cured. The people who have them, though, make excuses for them, and do not seem to want to get rid of the phobias, for some reason. THAT is the aspect that I cannot understand.

I wouldn't say that mine is potentially harmful because it HAS gotten better (whenever I was little it was so bad I'd worry about it so much that I'd give myself stomachaches, thus making my worrying worse!) But regardless I WOULD like to know how to get rid of it completely. I don't know why anyone want one, either!

I often get quite paranoid about it at night to the point where I can't sleep for fear that there is mosquito in my room.

:-[ Whenever I was little and my phobia was worse, I'd not be scared of the boogeyman, but the thought that whenever I'd go to sleep I'd somehow get sick.

Now that I think about it, I HAVE met someone with a relatively severe phobia. My friend in high school had coulrophobia (fear of clowns) pretty bad. While I know a lot of people are creeped out by clowns, he actually had a strong fear of them. I remember once while he was at a friend's house, he saw a glass clown on one of the shelves, and he ran out and wouldn't even go back in the room until his friend hid it under the sink. After that, he'd go in the room, but he still wouldn't go near the sink.

[koosie]

I've started becoming really scared of mosquitoes recently, though I'm not sure if it's a phobia or not. I wasn't too bad last night with two in the house but usually I just cannot be in the same room as a mosquito and I can't put my mind at rest until it's either dead or I know it's gone from the house. I often get quite paranoid about it at night to the point where I can't sleep for fear that there is mosquito in my room. I also keep thinking that I hear the sound they make when there's nothing there.

There was one time a while ago where I seriously thought a mosquito was trying to land on my ear (ie. really loud buzzing) even though I don't think there was anything there. I practically jumped off the bed and ran out of the room and actually found it really hard to breath. I've had a panic attack before and it really felt like I was on the brink of one then!

I totally sympathise. There's a lot of insects around this year especially the Craneflies (daddy long-legs) that are totally harmless but do make angry little noises when then get stuck behind things.

Does like you're getting a bit phobic there and you'd best find a way of dealing with it before you get more panic attacks, which are deeply unpleasant to experience. It's not a rational thing so it won't help to tell you that dangerous Mosquitos are very rare in Britain. You may get bitten by gnats or horseflies but your body's immune system can easily deal with their little toxins.

There are ways to overcome any phobia with help but specifically with your mosquito thing you could find out a lot about these tiny pests to convince your brain that you're actually way more powerful than them or get some allies to reassure you like a carnivourous plant that eats bugs (like a venus fly-trap or a sundew) or even cultivate the friendship of spiders.

When I was a kid I was scared of spiders, that old thing of imagining them crawling over your face when you sleep. One night it actually happened and it was a bit of anticlimax after all that worry, it just crawled off without causing me any harm or discomfort whatsoever. Since then i've always welcomed them in my home and helped them out the bath so they can continue the good fight against those annoying buzzing flying jerks.

[Tonya]

The oddest phobia I've heard is the phobia of furnature, olives, and bathrooms. I'm serious, I really did read these somewhere. About the phobia of pom poms? Hmmm.....odd.

[BlooCheese]

Um...is there a phobia of doing what everyone else does, because if there is, I probably have it.

[OpenYourMind]

Hey that's some interesting stuff! I definitely have
chronophobia -- fear of time
Dysmorphophobia- Fear of deformity (lately I've been having that too :()
Epistemophobia- fear of knowledge (the more I learn that more i realise i don't know and that it's a cruel world out there)

Now that's funny!! Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- Fear of the number 666 8D

[Kzinistzerg]

I don't think I have any phobias... not more than the usual, at least. And I don't like doign what everyone else does... but who does? (don't answer that)

[vinny]

i dont have many, but i have some odd ones. first, and i dont know why, but i change my socks about 3 or 4 times a day, fear of having sweaty feet i gess. and the big one, i really hate getting wet [with my cloths on] if you sprayed water on me i'd freak out. i usally just woulden go to school when it rains. i gess it's cus when i was a little kid, my dad tryed to "intend great harm" to me by holding my head under water. [my mom has 10 brothers that took care of him.]

[BlooCheese]

I don't think I have any phobias... not more than the usual, at least. And I don't like doign what everyone else does... but who does? (don't answer that)

Forgive me for answering that question, but I couldn't resist.
EVERYBODY SEEMS TO DO WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES. It annoys me to no end.

[Kzinistzerg]

I know... Conformist people bother me!

[BlooCheese]

Honestly!
Everybody wears converse or the laceless vans.
All the fourteen-year-old girls start wearing makeup.
All the highschool girls are afraid to get their hair wet when it's time for the swimming unit in P.E.
All the girls find it necessary to dye their hair different colors.
All the girls find it necessary to shop at two and only two stores: Hollister and American Eagle.
All the girls find it necessary to have fifty shirts and fifty pants so that they might not have to re-wear their clothes throughout the course of the school year.
Everybody watches anime because everybody else does it.
I could go on and on...

[kageri]

My hair is tooty-fruity-super-special-just-for-you-just-today brown.

But I kinda wish it was blue.

[vinny]

Honestly!
Everybody wears converse or the laceless vans.
All the fourteen-year-old girls start wearing makeup.
All the highschool girls are afraid to get their hair wet when it's time for the swimming unit in P.E.
All the girls find it necessary to dye their hair different colors.
All the girls find it necessary to shop at two and only two stores: Hollister and American Eagle.
All the girls find it necessary to have fifty shirts and fifty pants so that they might not have to re-wear their clothes throughout the course of the school year.
Everybody watches anime because everybody else does it.
I could go on and on...
besides the make-up part, it kinda sounds like me. but i rock vans and DC's with the biggest laces money can buy.

[Mr. Marshmallow]

I don't really have any like famous "clinical" phobias like from spiders or snakes or anything like that. I do generally steer away from snakes and stuff like that, but it's more out of general dislike then "phobia" based fears.

However there is one thing that does scare me to wits end: tornados. I can't stand them, the way they make the sky look and just imagining them tearing up everything around me just creeps me out. I've been through about 4 of em.

My house has never suffered any real damage but it still scares me to this day, and it's something I really can't get over.

[koosie]

That's a totally sensible fear then rather than a phobia isn't it if you've actually experienced 4 of them! Wow!

[Kzinistzerg]

Honestly!
Everybody wears converse or the laceless vans.
All the fourteen-year-old girls start wearing makeup.
All the highschool girls are afraid to get their hair wet when it's time for the swimming unit in P.E.
All the girls find it necessary to dye their hair different colors.
All the girls find it necessary to shop at two and only two stores: Hollister and American Eagle.
All the girls find it necessary to have fifty shirts and fifty pants so that they might not have to re-wear their clothes throughout the course of the school year.
Everybody watches anime because everybody else does it.
I could go on and on...

... lesee.... no, no, kinda (it take FOREVER and a half to dry), no, no, NO, no...

Yep, there's me for ya. Though I've always wanted to dye my hair bright blue and use gel to make it into one of those crazy anime haircuts, just for fun. But honestly, I like my hair as is.

Back to phobias, I have this thing about being in tight spaces with people, and human contact. I think it's prolly more than most people have.

[Mr. Marshmallow]

That's a totally sensible fear then rather than a phobia isn't it if you've actually experienced 4 of them! Wow!

I live in IL and it's fairly common that we get them, like i said we have had damages but never like our whole house destroyed or anything like that. Which I thank god for and have been scared enough to pray during some tornados.

The worst damage we had wasn't really a tornado per say. Our fence got blown apart by a microburst, it shattered the thing in two and blew some of the debris down by our across the street neighbors.

[SkittleMonkey]

Oh, tornadoes scare me too! I've never actually seen one, but they still freak me out, but not as much as they used to, now that I know they can't do as much damage as a severe hurricane. It's just so funny, but I love hurricanes! You can't do anything!!! XD

[Cassini90125]

I would love to see both, but I live in Connecticut, where the weather is as boring as everything else. :P

Back to phobias... I can't say I have any, although I avoid the number 19 as much as possible. And I hate bees.

[Bloo2daMacs]

And I hate bees.

same here, as a matter of a fact that's probably my only phobia, probably because of an event from my childhood... *shuddders*

[BlooCheese]

besides the make-up part, it kinda sounds like me. but i rock vans and DC's with the biggest laces money can buy.

Well, you're a guy. And guys do their own thing.
... lesee.... no, no, kinda (it take FOREVER and a half to dry), no, no, NO, no...

Yep, there's me for ya. Though I've always wanted to dye my hair bright blue and use gel to make it into one of those crazy anime haircuts, just for fun. But honestly, I like my hair as is.

Bright blue is a different thing. I mean people who feel that they NEED to dye their hair blonde to be attractive and stuff like that. But blue is cool.

[Kzinistzerg]

Well, you're a guy. And guys do their own thing.

Bright blue is a different thing. I mean people who feel that they NEED to dye their hair blonde to be attractive and stuff like that. But blue is cool.

I know what you mean. everyone's like, "you should straighten your hair!" and do all this other crazy stuff to it... but I don't wanna...

[One Radical Dude]

And I hate bees.

I hate being around bees, also, although they are very important. :P

[FostersFriend]

Achluophobia- Fear of darkness.

I hate the darkness it scares me to bits. My fear when it comes to darkness is being alone in my house and the power goes out. I have a vivid imagination so I start imagining things. And I sleep with three lights on in my room. :'( I hate darkness...

Climacophobia- Fear of stairs, climbing, or of falling downstairs.

I have a fear for moveing stairs. Especially in malls. Cuz the hight compared to the moveing of the stairs. I start feeling dizzy and sick. I nearly fell down on once beacuse of my fear. But i'm trying to overcome it.

[taranchula]

Bee's I really don't mind, wasps and hornets on the other hand, I get very antsy when they are aound.

[SkittleMonkey]

I can understand fear of wasps and hornets. Bees die after they sting something, but wasps seem to go on for-EVER!

[BlooCheese]

I know what you mean. everyone's like, "you should straighten your hair!" and do all this other crazy stuff to it... but I don't wanna...

We have so much to discuss. That is another good topic to PM about.

[vinny]

i know what you mean. i used to have a girlfriend that was into the goth thing and she always wanted me to have a mohawk and die my hair colors. i'd never do that. i think it looks stupid.

[BlooCheese]

Hey! I'm not goth!
Wait. I think goth is extremely non-conformist. Conformists are people who do what everybody else does. So they're the other extreme. So I guess I'm somewhere in between. AND I'M COOL LIKE THAT. (Yeah, I stole your little phrase, Italianglowstix.)

[vinny]

you wanted my hair in a mohawk BC? lol i know italianglowstix, she's cool. i dont know if she on this new forum, i dont thing i'v seen her yet.

[scary_dream]

I can understand fear of wasps and hornets. Bees die after they sting something, but wasps seem to go on for-EVER!

I know! I swatted a wasp with my shoe once and it was really scary because I got its upper body but not its lower body, and its lower body swung around and stung my shoe six times!

I wouldn't really say I have a phobia of them, though... just vomit. I can't even watch vomit-related movie scenes without making a jerk of myself in the theater. I almost started crying in the movie Hostel because some of those scenes are pretty intense for an emetophobe!

[BlooCheese]

you wanted my hair in a mohawk BC? lol i know italianglowstix, she's cool. i dont know if she on this new forum, i dont thing i'v seen her yet.

Hey! I never said that! Don't assume things that aren't true!

As I've clearly stated before, to me, dying your hair funky colors is...wierd. I do not care about wearing things that are "in fashion" and I do not care about being popular and trying to fit in. However, I do not support gangster-ism, gothic-ism, mohawks, and those types of things. I do not want to do what everbody else does, but I want to be decent and normal.

This is how I think it works. I could be wrong, but as far as I know, this is how it goes.
Goth = people who dress in black and who have no hope for the world.
Conformists = people who do what society tells them to do, whether or not there's rhyme or reason, or people who do what everybody else does just to "fit in"
People with Mohawks = I don't know. They're neither here nor there.

[Kzinistzerg]

Well, i htink this should be moved to a PM discussion or a separate thread...

Phobias? well...

Really fast-moving bugs, and hoppping bugs! becuase you can't smack'em!

[scary_dream]

I found another person with a weird phobia... this girl that I work with has a phobia of soggy bread! She seriously freaks out when she sees/touches/thinks about it.

[Medikor]

I don't have any phobea's persay. Heights make me uncomfortable and I am afraid of bees because of some events from my youth. About the worst thing I have is a form of anxiety that I have to take medication for.

[kaytea]

Um...is there a phobia of doing what everyone else does, because if there is, I probably have it.
does that mean your afaird of breathing everyone does it XDD

sorry I couldn't help it please don't kill me

[kaytea]

Hey! I never said that! Don't assume things that aren't true!

As I've clearly stated before, to me, dying your hair funky colors is...wierd. I do not care about wearing things that are "in fashion" and I do not care about being popular and trying to fit in. However, I do not support gangster-ism, gothic-ism, mohawks, and those types of things. I do not want to do what everbody else does, but I want to be decent and normal.

This is how I think it works. I could be wrong, but as far as I know, this is how it goes.
Goth = people who dress in black and who have no hope for the world.
Conformists = people who do what society tells them to do, whether or not there's rhyme or reason, or people who do what everybody else does just to "fit in"
People with Mohawks = I don't know. They're neither here nor there.

YESTERDAY

The Goths were an East Germanic tribe who according to their own traditions left Scandinavia, settled close to the Vistula mouth (in present day Poland), and from the 2nd century settled Scythia, Dacia and Pannonia. In the 3rd and 4th centuries, they harried the Byzantine Empire and later adopted Arianism. In the 5th and 6th centuries, dividing into the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, they established powerful follower-states of the Roman Empire in Iberia and Italy.

TODAY

The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture prevalent in many countries. It began in the United Kingdom during the late 1970s to early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era. Its imagery and cultural proclivities indicate influences from nineteenth century Gothic literature, mainly through horror movies.

The goth subculture has associated gothic tastes in music and fashion. Gothic music encompasses a number of different styles. Common to all is a tendency towards a “dark” sound and outlook. Styles of dress within the subculture range from death rock, punk, androgynous, some Renaissance style clothes, or combinations of the above, most often with black attire, makeup and hair.

[GrimTheLost]

Kaytea, you made my day. BlooCheese, dying hair rocks, no offense. And the mohawk is more of a punk thing.

[kaytea]

no offense goths are Conformists they might say they're not but they are
why do I think this becaus Goths do what other goths do they act the same and dress the same and if they don't they're called a poser
and it pissses me off when they think their so orignal

but IMO all people who use labels or Conformists

thats why I stay clear of labels

[BlooCheese]

I truly respect the fact that we're all different, we believe different things, and we value things differently. I don't expect everybody to agree with everything I say, and I definitely wouldn't want it that way either.

And you're right, kaytea, because gothic people conform to the way of the goths.

I don't hate people who do conform or who are goth or who are emo. I just don't want to be like them.

I'm not goth, I'm not emo, I'm not conformist, I'm none of that stuff. I'm just BlooCheese. And I like being BlooCheese.

[Cassini90125]

Let's stay on topic, shall we? ;)

[Kippixel]

Spiders creep the crud outta me.

[One Radical Dude]

I really get nervous, when I'm outdoors during a thunderstorm, so I fear lightning. I don't like to be around bees, wasps, hornest, yellowjackets, ants, spiders (especially if they carry venom), and I guess you can say the fear of being rejected. :P

[scary_dream]

I was at a friend's house today, and a girl who was ill accidentally vomited outside near the door on the grass and I wouldn't even come in... I walked all the way around to the back door. There was no way I was coming near it :S It freaked me out.

[jekylljuice]

I have what has to be one of the most peculiar phobias in the world - a morbid fear of that ugly little aspect of the human anatomy known as the belly button, or navel. Just the sight of them makes my skin crawl. Wearing t-shirts which leave my own such transgressor exposed to the world makes me feel terribly uncomfortable, and unless it's unbearably itchy I can't even bring myself to touch it. As for letting anybody else near it - forget it.

A couple of years ago I did a google search and was relieved to discover that I'm not alone in my curious aversion. Apparently it even has a scientific name - Omphalophobia. Isn't that something? :D

[FailedShapeshifter]

Hmmmmm....I've got a wierd one too. Ever since I was little, I've had an irrational fear of the pink elephants from Dumbo. Even if I hear the song I have to leave, I don't know why but I just can't handle it. But, I found out recently I'm not alone! My friend has the same phobia!8D
In fact, a bunch of people I know have weird phobias.

1. A friend of mine has a fear of Chalk. Just Chalk, touching, looking at it....he starts freaking out and gets increadibly moody for the rest of the day.

2. Two of my friends are deathly afraid of balloons. I was nearly stabbed for accidently popping one! (I'm kidding)

3. A boy in my class is terrified of penguins.....so we don't get to watch Happy Feet:sadbendy:

Sorry I was too lazy to look up the proper names for these phobias:D

[Partymember]

I was at a friend's house today, and a girl who was ill accidentally vomited outside near the door on the grass and I wouldn't even come in... I walked all the way around to the back door. There was no way I was coming near it :S It freaked me out.

oh come on, you drink antifreeze, a little vomit should be nuthin'.

[Contemporary]

I share qualities of these:

Autophobia- Fear of being alone or of oneself.
Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places.
Pediophobia- Fear of dolls.
Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
Chirophobia- Fear of hands.
Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks.
Claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces.

Yes I know, they ARE weird...

Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.

Hard to explain. I sortof faint or feel dizzy.

Pediophobia- Fear of dolls.

Dolls, puppets, or marinets.

Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks.

I seriously think they will stop moving. I stop breathing.

[koosie]

Hmmmmm....I've got a wierd one too. Ever since I was little, I've had an irrational fear of the pink elephants from Dumbo. Even if I hear the song I have to leave, I don't know why but I just can't handle it. But, I found out recently I'm not alone! My friend has the same phobia!8D
In fact, a bunch of people I know have weird phobias.

1. A friend of mine has a fear of Chalk. Just Chalk, touching, looking at it....he starts freaking out and gets increadibly moody for the rest of the day.

2. Two of my friends are deathly afraid of balloons. I was nearly stabbed for accidently popping one! (I'm kidding)

3. A boy in my class is terrified of peguins.....so we don't get to watch Happy Feet:sadbendy:

Sorry I was too lazy to look up the proper names for these phobias:D

I take it you mean Penguins? Hence Happy Feet...Yes?
That's an impressive set of phobias there. Fortunately all 3 things can be avoided to some degree unless by a tragic coincidence No.3's parents were Antarctic explorers or something.
Is there any treatment available for these phobias? I'd hate to go through my life without ballooons and penguins. I'm pretty ambivalent about chalk to be honest.

[Contemporary]

I take it you mean Penguins? Hence Happy Feet...Yes?
That's an impressive set of phobias there. Fortunately all 3 things can be avoided to some degree unless by a tragic coincidence No.3's parents were Antarctic explorers or something.
Is there any treatment available for these phobias? I'd hate to go through my life without ballooons and penguins. I'm pretty ambivalent about chalk to be honest.

I think chalk has a really bad smell and texture,. I can't stand it either!

[FailedShapeshifter]

O_o I did not mean to spell that wrong! I was in a rush...dinner time and pizza was coming!!:D Thank you for pointing that out, I going to have to correct it now *feels like an idiot* ^_^

[Contemporary]

I know! I swatted a wasp with my shoe once and it was really scary because I got its upper body but not its lower body, and its lower body swung around and stung my shoe six times!

I wouldn't really say I have a phobia of them, though... just vomit. I can't even watch vomit-related movie scenes without making a jerk of myself in the theater. I almost started crying in the movie Hostel because some of those scenes are pretty intense for an emetophobe!

Emetophobia- Fear of vomit.

[Contemporary]

Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.

That is the weirdest one yet because:

Your fear is the fear of fears, but you are in fear of the fear of these fears.

Anyone got a headache?

[jekylljuice]

Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.

That is the weirdest one yet because:

Your fear is the fear of fears, but you are in fear of the fear of these fears.

Anyone got a headache?

Well, as Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

Octophobia is certainly an interesting one, much more so than the vexingly rampant Triskaidekaphobia, which I've never understood myself. I think that 13 is quite a charming little number. For the record, I used locker number 13 when I did the Sydney Bridge climb three years ago, and I didn't go hurtling to my death (that poor locker just looked so lonely and left out, with all its surrounding companions taken :'( ).

I've always been bemused by those buildings which try not to acknowledge the existence of the number 13 by going straight from floor 12 to floor 14. Call it what you want, but you can't change the fact that it is actually the thirteenth floor you're walking on.

[Contemporary]

Well, as Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

Octophobia is certainly an interesting one, much more so than the vexingly rampant Triskaidekaphobia, which I've never understood myself. I think that 13 is quite a charming little number. For the record, I used locker number 13 when I did the Sydney Bridge climb three years ago, and I didn't go hurtling to my death (that poor locker just looked so lonely and left out, with all its surrounding companions taken :'( ).

I've always been bemused by those buildings which try not to acknowledge the existence of the number 13 but going straight from floor 12 to floor 14. Call it what you want, but you can't change the fact that it is actually the thirteenth floor you're walking on.

I agree that 13 is looked as unlucky, but I hate the number 8!

4 in japanese is a homonym of death

7 in japanese is a homonym is sickly

(just a little trivia)

So, there see! 13 isn't so unlucky!

Chi (pronounced shee) is 4 in japanese

Hachi (pronounce hautchee) is 7 in japanese

[Cassini90125]

For me it's the number 19. I don't know if it's really a phobia or not, but I will go out of my way to avoid it.

[Voxxyn]

I don't have a fear of the number 5... but everytime I think of it, I'm reminded of the "Foster's 5", which upsets me greatly because it excludes Frankie... so I generally prefer to avoid the number "5". :frankiemad:

[Nathander]

...I really, really hate to admit this, but for years I was scared of the dark. I mean, beyond the stage of childhood; I think it extended until I was about 13-14. After that, I pretty much beat it.

Until recently. For some reason, I keep getting a sense of unease at night, so I keep the light on in my adjacent bathroom again when I sleep. :(

[scary_dream]

No worries, Nathander, we are all afraid of SOMETHING. I'm almost 20 and I'm STILL afraid of vomit. I fear it will be something that will stick with me for life. :(

I mean, just the other day I went into a public bathroom to find that someone had gotten sick on the floor and I started to panic and ran out literally shaking. Still dunno why it scares me so bad!

[BluebottleFlyer]

I used to have a really weird phobia of signs, like big shop signs, big 3D signs, and especially little "Happy Birthday" signs on birthday cakes,I was afraid they were gonna fall on me or something. Well over that now, though.:)

[Vampyre]

I have Aichmophobia, fear of needles, knives and any other pointy objects. I panic at the very thought of having an injection, and because I have a vivid imagination I just can NOT watch any thing to do with being poked with something sharp (Like when someone is stabbed in a horror movie) with nearly passing out, because I imagine a knife slicing through ME.

[Howard]

I have Aichmophobia, fear of needles, knives and any other pointy objects. I panic at the very thought of having an injection, and because I have a vivid imagination I just can NOT watch any thing to do with being poked with something sharp (Like when someone is stabbed in a horror movie) with nearly passing out, because I imagine a knife slicing through ME.

I am with you on that! Additionally, I cannot stand the sight of blood (it belongs under the skin!).:wiltshock:

[Lynnie]

If I have any, I might have a slight case of pyrophobia. My father was in a fire accident 19 years ago, suffered 3rd degree burns from his navel to his ears. It's still fresh in my memory, and whenever I see flames, I can't help but think of it a little. It took me a while to even be cool around a well contained fireplace or campfire after that. I'm ok with those now, but any fires that startle me or are not in control of humans can give me a panic attack.

I also have a fear of needles. It's not the prick that bothers me, otherwise I'd be afraid of sewing, and I'm definitely not afraid of that. It's feeling the needle deep inside my flesh that just creeps me out. It doesn't hurt so much as just..eewwww.. I just can't stand it. :P

[creamz06]

Acrophobia- Fear of heights.
Apiphobia- Fear of bees.
Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places.
Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone.

I have the fear of falling.
I might have the fear of childbirth.

Haha, I find these two interesting:
Coprophobia- Fear of feces.
Urophobia- Fear of urine or urinating.

[Howard]

Needles...

-Audi:frankiesmile:

[xxxClaire]

I'm totally, completely afraid of spiders. :bloosad:

[PeterFoster111]

Aeroacrophobia- Fear of open high places.
Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets. Fear of leaving a safe place.
Anemophobia- Fear of air drafts or wind.(Ancraophobia)
Bathmophobia- Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Chiraptophobia- Fear of being touched.
Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia- Fear of being locked in an enclosed place.
Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone.
Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors or of seeing oneself in a mirror.
Glossophobia- Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
Hylophobia- Fear of forests.
Kenophobia- Fear of voids or empty spaces.
Mnemophobia- Fear of memories.
Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at.
Sociophobia- Fear of society or people in general.


Arachniphobia - Fear of Arachnids (spiders, scorpions).
Serpantphoiba - Fear of Snakes.
Rodentaphobia - Fear of Rats, mice and other rodents.
Insectophobia - Fear of Insects.

[jekylljuice]

Arachniphobia - Fear of Arachnids (spiders, scorpions).
Serpantphoiba - Fear of Snakes.
Rodentaphobia - Fear of Rats, mice and other rodents.
Insectophobia - Fear of Insects.

Actually:

Ophidiophobia - Fear of Snakes
Musophobia - Fear of Mice
Entomophobia - Fear of Insects

[AerostarMonk]

You're probably going to laugh at me but lepidophobia, fear of butterflies and moths. I'm just terrified of the little buggers.

[Lynnie]

I certainly won't laugh. There are some moths that kind of creep me out, too.

I swear one of my friends from high school had Pocresophobia - Fear of gaining weight. She was always skinny, but during our Junior year she became anorexic because she wanted to be absolutely sure she wasn't gaining weight. She shrunk to the size of a rail. It lasted only that one year though so I don't know how "serious" it was. :P

And as for a new one I just heard of, Namatophobia - Fear of names.