What Are You Afraid Of?

[Gail Simone]

I don't mean the rational, universal stuff...but what are your phobias, and do you think there was a root cause or event that made them come to being?

[Lester C.]

Heights as I don't think that is a universal fear despite what I tell myself. Comes from a crazy uncle, who spent most of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s locked up in a mental facility, hanging a five year old Lester from a fifth story building threating to drop him.

There is an unexpected upside besides the fact that I never have to confront my fear in the real world. When I saw Green Lantern I was riveted to my seat, my fear of heights enhancing the movie experience in ways that most people can’t relate too as many of the scenes had me keyed up as they took place in from great altitude.

[Chris Jones]

For some reason at certain points I'll be absolutely terrified to look in the mirror. Not usually, but once in a while, maybe once a week, I will just avoid looking at the mirror in my house at all costs because I'm afraid that I'll see something that isn't my face reflected. I have absolutely no explanation for this; it's similar to being afraid of monsters in the closet, except it's monsters in the mirror. I haven't the faintest idea where it comes from. I was scared for the longest time that it might be some warning sign of schizophrenia-I wouldn't rule it out with my family's history of mental disorders-but while the idea of being a future schizophrenic still scares me, I have no reason to believe that the mirror thing has anything to do with it.

[c. page]

Not heights so much as falling. I can sit in the window seat of a plane, and look down with no problem. Or anywhere that I'm encapsulated. But, you put me in a situation where I have to/
can fall a great distance, and I freeze up and have panic attacks.

Also clowns. Clowns give me a wiggins like no other thing. And I have no idea why or how. Oddly enough, the major exception is Ragdoll. Again, very odd.

[Ben Morgan]

Heights as I don't think that is a universal fear despite what I tell myself. Comes from a crazy uncle, who spent most of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s locked up in a mental facility, hanging a five year old Lester from a fifth story building threating to drop him.
You were five years old in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s? :mistrust:

[Benel Germosen]

Open doors and losing my individuality.

[Lester C.]

You were five years old in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s? :mistrust:

If you have a fear of me putting my foot up your @$$ it isn’t irrational.:mad:

[Shurato2099]

Lessee ... falling, working on a dandy fear of driving in interstate traffic ... that feeling of not having any control, I think.

[Lester C.]

Lessee ... falling, working on a dandy fear of driving in interstate traffic ... that feeling of not having any control, I think.

Flooding is a psychology tecnique that works by exposing a person to his or her fears until the fear no longer has a hold on him or her. I too was scared of driving on the interstate but after doing it over and over again that fear is gone.

[Shurato2099]

I'm better with it when I'm the one behind the wheel, but I can be real mess when I'm a passenger ... especially when it gets into close quarters driving at normal interstate speeds (3 lanes, people to either side, 70+ MPH, etc). I'm scared that we'll be in an accident or, worse, cause an accident.

[sunbird]

Funny story. For my masters thesis project I was given the opportunity to do a project on the genetics of the bats of Namibia. This meant I got to go down there, work with locals, collect samples, then work the data up when I got home. I was massively excited, going to Africa to do research! And it was amazing, until the moment we went into the caves to get the bats (or samples of their blood I should say).

I was expecting... I don't know. You know the caves in the Far Side? Holes in the sides of cliffs? Maybe that. What I got was a hole I had to be lowered into, then a smaller hole at the bottom I had to squeeze through into a long thin deep chamber of crumbling sandstone (with massive sections of the roof half fallen in), unbearable heat, ammonia smell from the guano and the absolute conviction I'd die if I stayed.

Yep. Hell of a time to find I was claustrophobic.

I lasted half an hour, although it felt like a lifetime. To the everlasting credit of the two local scientists (including one awesome grizzled Afrikaner entomologist) I wasn't mocked for my freakout, even if I felt like the dumbest ass in the history of dumb-asses. And my supervisor back home quickly arranged an alternative project. At any rate it was a valuable lesson in the non-rational nature of phobias.

[Kingsmythe]

Ok, this is an odd one- submarines. Let me be really clear here- I swim great, have no issues with water, being on it, in it, or under it. But something about submarines just gets me, badly. Touring them at miliary places, I'm tense the whole time, often sweating, and ready to bolt. When a bunch of my friends and I went to see The Abyss in the theater when it came out, I was about clawing through the back of my seat to get out. I managed to not flee in abject terror, mostly because one of my friends was also not doing too well and a very tight hold of my hand.

As for root cause- no idea. It makes no sense at all, I freely grant. But then, phobias tend to be inherently irrational. *shrug*

[dasNdanger]

Spiders (LEGS!!!!! :Panic: )
Lightning (It's bright and scary and makes a loud noise!!!!)
Heights (I have bad balance so ladders and stepping stools are right out, and optical vertigo that makes my knees lock and my head dizzy if I stand on anything over a foot off the ground)
Flying (mostly a control/confined spaces thing)
Spoiled/tainted food (I question the quality of everything. I won't keep a thing past its expiration date, though it is supposedly still safe, and cooked food and lunch meats don't stay in my fridge more than 4 days, and I practically wear a hazmat suit when handling raw meat)
Germy people (GO HOME AND STOP SPREADING YOUR DISEASES!)
Snotty kids (Snotty kids are even worse than germy people - I can't be in the same space as a snotty kid)
Things with wheels or blades under my feet (see Heights)
Sharks (I shouldn't have seen Jaws - and probably shouldn't live at the shore. Though I am afraid of sharks, I actually like the animal very much when reading about it in the safety of my home)
Loose Dogs (I figure it's because I was bitten by a neighbor's dog when I was a kid. I love dogs, have had dogs, but I never fully trust them, especially if they're running free)
Santa (Creepy-ass dude who wants kids to sit on his lap...and who holds you there when you don't wanna be there! There IS a reason I'm crying and squirming to get away, you scary old man with bad breath! Lemme go! Great...now all the other kids in the line are laughing at me...just WONDERFUL... :roll:)
Natural and Propane gas (That shit explodes. EXPLODES!)
Igniting a gas grill (See above)
Being within 50 feet of someone else igniting a gas grill (See above)
Backyard fireworks (See above)
Putting air in my car tires (See above)


Yeah, I better stop there. My life is one giant phobia... :p


das

[Ryan Elliott]

Yes, all very interesting...very interesting indeed...

[sunbird]

Sharks (I shouldn't have seen Jaws - and probably shouldn't live at the shore. Though I am afraid of sharks, I actually like the animal very much when reading about it in the safety of my home)
[
Oh, oh, funny story! I was working in Sharklab (a university of Flordia Lab) in the Bahamas and on days off we would sometimes go to this one spot on the reef and line up all the volunteers on a line and then the biologists would throw bits of fish in front of the line so the biologists could watch the reef sharks having a feeding frenzy right in front of them. It was awesome. Once the last fish had been thrown in the volenteers could then swim amongst the big throng of sharks. At one of these gathering I took a deep breath and dove to the sea floor to take a shot of a shark silhouette. It took longer than I expected and once I got the shot I sht up like an missile, not noting another shark coming. As I hit the surface the shark crashed into my lap. I screamed in panic into my snorkel, it thrashed about like an eel. After a few seconds it managed to swim between my legs and go away, much to both our relief. It is a good thing the reputation sharks have is somewhat overblown, cause a bite in my lap would have been very, very bad. It is only really the big four you have to worry about, Tiger, Bull, Great White an Oceanic White-tip. Of course, I have a funny Bull Shark story too....

[Hugin]

SnippedYou may want to get help. Some of those are minor(spiders), some of them are reasonable(heights isn't a phobia, it's a reasonable reaction in your case), but being afraid of putting air in your tires could cause serious problems next time one of your tires blows. Being afraid of dogs is about the worst possible reaction if you're around a dangerous dog. And there's no way to avoid, say, lightning. Or snotty kids. I don't know how intense your fear is, but that list sounds like something should be done.

[Alan Lynch]

Funny story...
That isn't funny, just reading it freaked me out! I've never been close enough to one of those caves to find out how I'd react, but based on how I feel watching footage...

I hate cats, and I'm as sure as I can be that it goes back to when I was jumped by one in my Gran's garden as a boy. It's a pain in the arse because I know plenty of people who own cats and pretty much all of the bastards zero in on me the second I enter a room.

They know.

[sapphoshands]

I'm not afraid of a hell of a lot, really. Heights - not, as with others in the thread, as in flying, but in terms of 'real' heights, even on a ladder or something. This was not convenient when I worked set design...

I'm not a big fan of spiders, but having lived a year in a house FULL OF SPIDERS (found: on the radiators, in the tub, in my BED, falling from the ceiling onto my desk as I was sitting there...), I am now pretty inured to them.

Most of my fears are the psychological type - you know, I'll never get a job and will end up penniless and alone for the rest of my days - but given the state of the economy, I think that's less an irrational fear and more a reasonable worry...

[Benel Germosen]

Yes, all very interesting...very interesting indeed...

So how's that fear engine coming along?

[Kevin T Brown]

Being buried alive or underground like in a cave.

When I watch movies like, say, "The Great Escape", I always say that there is no way I could ever go through the tunnel. I can totally relate to what Bronsan's character is going through in the movie.

[Little Scandal]

Caterpillars…just thinking about them is making me breakout in a cold sweat…oh jeezz…I think I’m gonna puke…

Don't know when or where it started but one day I was taking a walk with my mom and I ran out into the road (almost got hit by a car) cuz there was a pile of them on the side walk. I just flipped out - thought I was gonna have a nervous break down or something. It was bad.

[Erica J Heflin]

Demons. Forces of evil. There was a time when I was a guardian ad litem and was working a cult abuse case. The people involved were horrid... I can't say how much of what went on then was their incredible abillity to screw with me psychologically or... whatever. I'm usually really rational but these people got to me. I handled it by quitting my job and avoiding the area. But to this day I can see something - something small - someone random watching me for whatever reason - and be dealing with this paralyzing fear. It's been years since I've had to deal with it, but I'm sure its still there.

[dasNdanger]

Oh, oh, funny story! I was working in Sharklab (a university of Flordia Lab) in the Bahamas and on days off we would sometimes go to this one spot on the reef and line up all the volunteers on a line and then the biologists would throw bits of fish in front of the line so the biologists could watch the reef sharks having a feeding frenzy right in front of them. It was awesome. Once the last fish had been thrown in the volenteers could then swim amongst the big throng of sharks. At one of these gathering I took a deep breath and dove to the sea floor to take a shot of a shark silhouette. It took longer than I expected and once I got the shot I sht up like an missile, not noting another shark coming. As I hit the surface the shark crashed into my lap. I screamed in panic into my snorkel, it thrashed about like an eel. After a few seconds it managed to swim between my legs and go away, much to both our relief. It is a good thing the reputation sharks have is somewhat overblown, cause a bite in my lap would have been very, very bad. It is only really the big four you have to worry about, Tiger, Bull, Great White an Oceanic White-tip. Of course, I have a funny Bull Shark story too....

From my readings of shark attacks, often it is the...erm... uh...'wedding tackle'...that goes missing, especially in regions of the world where men tend to swim nekkid. I'd consider myself very fortunate if I were you that that shark didn't suddenly get the munchies. :)


You may want to get help. Some of those are minor(spiders), some of them are reasonable(heights isn't a phobia, it's a reasonable reaction in your case), but being afraid of putting air in your tires could cause serious problems next time one of your tires blows. Being afraid of dogs is about the worst possible reaction if you're around a dangerous dog. And there's no way to avoid, say, lightning. Or snotty kids. I don't know how intense your fear is, but that list sounds like something should be done.

Spiders are my worst phobia - I work to desensitize myself to them by looking at pictures and such, but it only has a limited effect. If there is a spider web between me and my front door, I will sit in the car for hours until someone comes and removes it. Not a minor phobia, at all. Lightning is probably my next bad one, then heights. I will totally humiliate myself in a group of people if it starts lightning. Heights I just pretty much avoid, but it would be a big problem if I ever had to be rescued by helicopter - not sure my heart would survive it! I panic whenever I see people rescued like that, or rescued by ladder from a rollercoaster ride or burning building. Not really sure how I'd react, but I'm most certain I'll either make a fool of myself, or die. :p

Some of my phobias are mild. I'm just really cautious around dogs, and I will go in the water (even if I think everything that brushes against my leg is a shark), and things like snotty kids mostly just makes me run away and find some disinfectant to slather on...but others, like the gas thing, do effect my life. I have an all-electric house, for instance, and Mr. Das or a station attendant has to check my tire pressure and fill them - I will not. I'm old, I've lived with this stuff all my life, and have adapted accordingly. Most of my phobias (and there are more!) are known only to me, and not obvious to those around me because I don't broadcast or (usually) over-react like Monk. But the big ones - spiders, lightning, and heights - those everyone knows about because sometimes I can't control the freakout. :p


das

[Alan Lynch]

Spiders are my worst phobia - I work to desensitize myself to them by looking at pictures and such, but it only has a limited effect. If there is a spider web between me and my front door, I will sit in the car for hours until someone comes and removes it. Not a minor phobia, at all.
My old flatmate was like that with birds, of all things. A wee thing - sparrow or something - got stuck in our block of flats once and she couldn't leave the flat. She was a couple of hours late for work waiting on someone coming round to chase the bird out.

[FemGeek]

Funfair ride type things. Hate em. Kinda irrational in my hatred. It's not so much screaming as a lot of fuck-youing. Behold;
'do you want to ride the ferris wheel?' 'fuck you'.
'do you want to go to funderland' 'Fuck you'
'Why don't you like funfairs.' 'Because fuck you'

So I just don't go to those places. Or near them. And no, Diseyland is not great or amazing or superfun. Fuck you.

[Gaelforce]

I would say I have two phobias:

1. Crowds. This never used to bother me, but about 25 years ago I had front row, center stage tickets to a Van Halen concert (my cowboy hat can apparently be seen in the Jump video ;) ) The crowd kept pushing forward and I got caught against the boards. I couldn't breathe and I ended up with two hairline rib fractures. Eddie Van Halen called a halt to the concert, David Lee Roth asked everyone to back off and Eddie came over and asked me if I was okay and gave me his towel. Very sweet! Since then, though, I just get freaked out when I'm in the middle of a lot of people, such as Christmas shopping mall crowds or anyplace where I can't freely move and people are jostling me. I hyperventilate and passed out once.

2. Storms. I've been certifiably brontophobic since I was a kid. I used to hide under the couch or the bed, but I've gotten past that stage at least. When I was around 12, I decided to face my fear and went out to sit in a storm and get over it. Something completely unrelated and bad happened, so now when there's a thunderstorm, I'm bothered by the event more than the storm itself. I don't think I'll ever get used to storms, but I'm getting better.

[Matthew Brown]

Kedd's new avatar.

[Keith P.]

Tornados.

I have an actual pants shitting fear of them. Have since I was a little kid. I have had so many tornado based nightmares that at this point, I have gotten to where I realize "Ok, there is a tornado, so I must be dreaming."

I couldn't watch Twister, and just the sound of tornado sirens makes me break out into a panicky sweat.




Edit: Also, the space probe in The Six Million Dollar man absolutely terrified me as a kid. I used to get off the bus after school, and run all the way home up our drive way, which was about a mile long, because I was afraid of the probe.

[ever_seeking]

Open heights, like climbing a ladder too high...not good.

[Endy52]

Being trapped inside a ship as it's sinking in the middle of the ocean. The final scene of the Andrea Gail falling into liquid darkness (The Perfect Storm) still gives me the sweaty telltale signs of an anxiety attack.

[Chrysame]

Water. Specifically, being in water where I can't easily touch the bottom. When I was very little I took swimming lessons. One lesson involved jumping into the deep end and the instructor would be there to get us out. When my turn came, the instructor got distracted. My mother was on the other side of the fence and started screaming. She says I went down three times, each time struggling to get to the surface. Finally, the instructor realized what was happening. I never went back.

I also didn't remember what had happened until I was older and I wondered out loud why I hated the water so much. My mother told me the story and it all came back to me. That was almost forty years ago and I still can't be in the water. I've tried and I freeze. I don't panic, I freeze, fear overcomes me and I can't function. I made sure when my daughter was old enough she learned how to swim with a reputable instructor. I encourage her love of swimming and envy it.

[Kingsmythe]

Water. Specifically, being in water where I can't easily touch the bottom. When I was very little I took swimming lessons. One lesson involved jumping into the deep end and the instructor would be there to get us out. When my turn came, the instructor got distracted. My mother was on the other side of the fence and started screaming. She says I went down three times, each time struggling to get to the surface. Finally, the instructor realized what was happening. I never went back.
.

That's horrible. You have my sympathy. You got a phobia from someone else being an idiot. I'm a water rat myself, so I'm really sympathetic. Hope the "lifeguard" was fired for that.

[Personamanx]

For tangible things? Spiders.

[Teal_Lantern]

Sea monsters, that shit scares the fuck out of me.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Boiling water. Back when I worked in a kitchen, it was all I could do not to flinch or wince when I passed by the stoves while the cooks were making pasta; and I try to be uber-careful when I make it myself.

[Jim Ritchey]

I'm a Claustrophobe, an Acrophobe and a mild Aichmophobe (Fear of pointy objects--for me specifically the action of impalement).

Not wild about ever being wrong.

[Keith P.]

Boiling water. Back when I worked in a kitchen, it was all I could do not to flinch or wince when I passed by the stoves while the cooks were making pasta; and I try to be uber-careful when I make it myself.

Here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiezfhaxVQw

[Kal El]

Heights - Specifically, falling from a great height. I get nervous when up really high. I even got nervous when watching this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmxMi0BtHnU.

Ghosts - I am terrified of ghosts. What makes it worse is that the paranormal fascinates me so I actively seek out ghost stories and hauntings online from time to time and end up freaking myself out.

[EmarAndZeb]

Put me in with the "heights" crowd. I don't mind flying in a plane and looking out the window. But the idea of clambering up an open structure and looking down - or worse, up into empty space - makes me queasy.

Death and damnation are way too much of a preoccupation of mine. I don't come from a remotely "hellfire and brimstone" background, but seeing that old Simpsons Halloween episode where Homer sells his soul for a donut? Freaked me right the fuck out as a kid, Flanders devil or no. One of the few real "fear" buttons I have that fiction can still push, if it's good. Like THIS. FUCKING. STORY. (http://pseudopod.org/2009/02/20/pseudopod-130-the-greatest-adventure-of-all/) (mp3; warning: not safe for sanity)

I also do not care for spiders, centipedes, and house centipedes.

[Red Berens]

Sk. And sometimes Lester.

[michealdark]

The hydrogen bomb
Regressivism
Stinging insects
Drowning (though strangely not asphyxia, which I find kinda....yeah...)
Falling
Failure
Public speaking
My temper

[Flamebird]

Sk. And sometimes Lester.

But both of those are rational fears.

[Ryan Elliott]

Here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiezfhaxVQw

:rofl:

That video is too funny.

[ZimMan2]

Dragonflies. Those things freak me out like crazy.

[Hugin]

Brain Damage/Mental Retardation. The possibility of that chills me to the core.

[cmonnowsrsly]

Death, mostly. Everything else is manageable.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Here you go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiezfhaxVQw

I keel you!!!

[michealdark]

Death, mostly. Everything else is manageable.

I'm not that afraid of death, since I think existence is cyclical. I believe in reincarnation. So to me death is just a prolonged rest. We come back from it eventually, after we process the lessons we learned in this life and get prepped for the ones we need to learn in the next one. I also believe that when we've learned all we need to learn, we become one with the divine again.

[GeekVariety]

I'm afraid of not doing enough.
I'm afraid of being the person someone needs and not being there for them.
I'm afraid of that one moment coming along where you get a chance to do something great to help someone else make their life better and missing out on that moment.

Also I hate spiders.

[Cam63]

Sea monsters, that shit scares the fuck out of me.

But... the nice giant squid just wanted a huuuug.

[Cam63]

Sk. And sometimes Lester.

Nice to see you back, Bluey.

[Cam63]

Heights as I don't think that is a universal fear despite what I tell myself. Comes from a crazy uncle, who spent most of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s locked up in a mental facility, hanging a five year old Lester from a fifth story building threating to drop him.

What a dick.

...At least Michael Jackson had money you could've sued him for.

[KirbyKrackle]

Spiders(If they are big enough)
nukes
getting alzheimers.

[stevapalooza]

To this day I still don't like letting my hands or feet dangle off the bed at night. You're just begging for a clawed hand to grab them in the dark.

[michealdark]

Locusts and cicadas scare the crap out of me. Cicadas especially. Those things are not earth-made creatures. They're aliens. And they're planning to take over the world

As for locusts, apparently my mom knows what it's like to be bitten by them since we used to get them when we lived in Texas

[Keith P.]

Locusts and cicadas scare the crap out of me. Cicadas especially. Those things are not earth-made creatures. They're aliens. And they're planning to take over the world

As for locusts, apparently my mom knows what it's like to be bitten by them since we used to get them when we lived in Texas

Have you ever experienced a 17 year brood cycle of cicadas when they become active?

I worked with a girl who was not from Indiana originally during the last brood, who was extremely bugphobic. I thought she was going to have a breakdown.

[michealdark]

Yeah, the last cycle was what, like 3 years ago?

Oh, also there's the unknown bug we get up here in NWI that scares the crap out of me. I think it's a moth, but it's got striping like a bee, and it's like 3 inches long and like an inch across. Terrifies me.

[Keith P.]

Cicada broods are unreal. Ive lived through two 17 year ones.

It looks like a biblical plague and sounds like an alien invasion.

My first one was when I was thirteen and if you were outside and stood still for a few minutes you would be covered.

Pissed my dad off, he loved to fish, and its a waste of time to even try during s brood.

I kissed a girl for the first time while sitting on an aquaduct in Metamora Indiana while millions of them flew around. Well...she kissed me. I kinda wonder where she is now.

[michealdark]

I've seen thousands of them on the trees. And the shells all over the sidewalks. And they are the ugliest damn thing I have ever seen!

[cmonnowsrsly]

I'm not that afraid of death, since I think existence is cyclical. I believe in reincarnation. So to me death is just a prolonged rest. We come back from it eventually, after we process the lessons we learned in this life and get prepped for the ones we need to learn in the next one. I also believe that when we've learned all we need to learn, we become one with the divine again.

I've been an Agnostic since I was a pre-teen. I believe that if we blow it too badly and don't possess at least the basic instincts of self-preservation, we're pretty much screwed. :D

[The Funketeer]

I have horrible stage fright which is a little odd because I'm a teacher but I feel comfortable standing in front of a classroom.

Oddly, my fright has manifested itself the most at weddings. I've been a groomsman/best man 4 times, and 3 of those times I had to sit down in the middle of the service so that I wouldn't pass out.

[MischiefMakerr]

"Snakes. Why does it always have to be snakes?" "Asps. Very Dangerous. You go first!" Like Indiana Jones, my greatest phobia is snakes. But my greatest fear. Is losing my children.

[dasNdanger]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/Cicada_molting.gif



das

[Teal_Lantern]

:scared:

[Keith P.]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/Cicada_molting.gif



das

That's awesome.

[dasNdanger]

That's awesome.

I wish I could flip it horizontal 'cause it would make a great sig.


das

[spankminister]

I'm afraid I will never have a genuine connection with another human being.


NAH, I'm just kidding, it's spiders! Spiders and bees.

And Giada De Laurentiiis from the Food Network.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qkGirk4gm8k/S2mwzjdKyDI/AAAAAAAAABg/mbob8tHP75Q/s320/giada-tomatoes.jpg

[GlitterPill]

Calling people on the phone. It's one of my big social anxiety issues that I'm slowly working towards fixing. But if I can text/email/talk to someone face to face instead of phoning them, I ALWAYS take that option. I even order my pizza online.

Driving. Specifically, falling asleep while driving. I have extreme daytime sleepiness/fatigue issues, and a girl I grew up next door to died after falling asleep at the wheel and crasing in to a tree. I was nervous about it BEFORE that, and it's even worse now. Oddly, I get more anxious thinking about crashing and hurting or killing someone else (even a dog or cat) than crashing and hurting/killing myself.

Crowds can still get me sometimes, but medication for social anxiety seems to have helped.

Oddly, I'm an excellent public speaker, and actually enjoy it. However, talking in a big group of people can give me a panic attack, especially if I get interrupted a lot. I guess it makes me feel like no one thinks I'm worth listening to.

[Lester C.]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/Cicada_molting.gif



das

Makes me hungry for some reason.

[JBK405]

Snakes.

I know it's a common phobia, that a lot of people dislike snakes, but I really can't stand them. Something about them just freaks me completely the hell out. I know that most snakes are non-venomous, that very few are constrictors, and that it's only a small minority that even have fangs at all, but I just can't get past that intense dislike.

In my first year at camp (Or was it my second?) some campers saw a black moccasin out in the lake during a rowboat race in the Olympics. I never went swimming in that lake again. I boated, I sat on the dock, but swimming in the lake? Just not happening.

I see a snake, I don't stop running until I'm in the next town.

[MyNameIsNotLarry]

I'm not quite sure you would call it fear, but I have an extreme aversion to ringing telephones/calling people I don't know.

For years if a phone was ringing I would have to leave the room. When that was impossible to do, I'd cover my ears. No idea why it bothered me so much but it was like that since I was a kid. Now I deal with it but feel a bit of a stomach flutter if the phone rings more than 3 times. As GlitterPill mentioned above I also always take any option if it means I can avoid the phone. Food orders are online, never on the phone. My friends are all asked to text me and if they need to talk on the phone to try and text me first and have me call them.

[Tobias M]

Is oculaphobia a thing? Fear of damage to my eyes? Yeah. Big one for me.

....not too fond of Dario Argento films as a result.

[McIntyre]

Spiders.

Why? They have eight legs and move way too fast. That's more than enough to scare the crap out of me. Plus I know that the Black Widow and Hobo Spider live in my area. I know they're not deadly, but I still would not like to be bitten by them. It does not sound very pleasant.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I've got some height problems. I'm not really afraid of heights, but my brain sure as hell is. I can stand going up tall buildings, but as soon as I look out a window, my legs start to feel like rubber and I feel like I'm going to be sucked out. Yet I don't actually feel afraid. It's really strange.

[DungeonMasterJim]

There's something that strikes me in the core when I get a phone call 9pm or later. Almost every phone I get after 9pm has been bad news. Sometimes the worst kind of news. So when that phone rings after hours, I might jump or the very least my heart rate increases.

[Lester C.]

Police cars. Not police officers but police cars when I'm driving.

That said let me stress that all my dealing with the police have been civil and I respect the hell out of them for working in a job where you have to wait for the other guys to shoot first before you can make your move. Not their fault I tense up whenever I see one of their vehicles behind me.

[Shisho]

I'm afraid of being locked in a room with Lester after he's had a big bowl of cabbage stew. :Panic:

[michealdark]

1) I'm afraid of being a deadbeat dad like my own father.

2) I'm afraid that I'll be an abusive parent. I don't think I would, but I do have a temper, and I do believe in corporal punishment, and I'm worried about that mix.