Phobias (1 Viewer)

[Peter-PP]

I suffer from three horrible phobias and I do not know what they're called. One is a fear of heights, second is fear of lizards and the thrid one is fear of dead animals and sight of blood. I have never seen a dead human body, so I don't know how I'll react to the sight of a cadavar, I'll probably faint or die of a heart ache. So, anybody know what those three phobias are called?

I know exactly how I got the phobias. I can still remember like it was yesterday when I was about 8 or 9, when I climbed up a tree in my parent's backyard and got stuck in it. I was so terrified, that I couldn't speak or call out for help and stayed motionless, cried and clung to the tree for dear life for hours. While stuck in the tree scared to death, I noticed a bunch of lizards on the branches and they all seemed like they were approching me to hurt me. My father later found me stuck in the tree. My younger brother once found a dead bloody squirrel in the yard and chased after me with it and ever since I'm scared to death of dead animals and sight of blood.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Chris Moe]

Acrophobia is a fear of heights

Herpetophobia is the fear of lizards

Necrophobia is the fear of dead things

Hemophobia is the fear of blood

Found the answer to all of the above (except heights, knew that one) on google in about two minutes.

 

[Peter-PP]

Thanks, I really appreciate it!

 

[Steve Schaffer]

I'm 54 and have had horrendous Acrophobia all my life. I could get it just looking out a 3rd story window. I have my DirecTV dish self mounted only about 6 feet off the ground bolted to a patio cover upright because I could not climb any higher on the ladder without getting vertigo.

Last August I got serious about trying to get HDTV over the air, and in one Saturday morning managed to climb up on to the roof from a ladder that only reached to a point 4 feet below my eaves, and install a new antenna and downlead. The desire to get my HD working properly overcame over 50 years of acrophobia--I guess one just needs the right motivation.

 

[Mark Shannon]

Corny as it is, I have Arachniphobia. It's not so bad whereas I can't look at a spider, but the thought of touching one, or anything to do with it freaks me out beyond beleif.

I've never really had a fear of heights. Try going to the CN Tower and standing on the glass floor. That'll cure your fear in 0.2 seconds flat.

 

[Chazz_S]

"I've never really had a fear of heights. Try going to the CN Tower and standing on the glass floor. That'll cure your fear in 0.2 seconds flat."

How's that going to cure your phobia, eh? ( ) Unless if by cure, you mean passing out or having a heart-attack. I doubt that a true acrophobic could even make the elevator ride without having some sort of a serious spazz.

Edit: Oh, I thought of an interesting idea. Take someone who is fiercely afraid of heights, and when they are passed out (say, under the guise of dental surgery or something) take them all the way up to the top of CN Tower and put them on the glass floor, faced down. Put a camera on them and film as they wake up. "u got PuNk'D! B*tch!" Horrible, I know.




Anyway I think I am arachniphobic. But really, isn't *everyone*? Yes, I know there are exceptions, people who have spiders/tarantulas as pets and so on, but those people are the freaks who should have a special name not us.

 

[george kaplan]

I have panandscaniphobia.

 

[Philip_G]

heheh good story steve

I've never had a fear of heights, while I don't like walking around on the roof, I don't mind it that much. Lack of coordination there, not a fear of heights.
Those of you that don't like heights, I assume a fear of flying goes along with that? or no?

 

[Peter-PP]

6 feet off the ground I panic and freeze but thousands of feet up in the air in a plane I have no problem and no problem looking out the window of planes. However, I do worry about the plane crashing with me in it. I hate high rise buildings and refuse to get near a window or a balcony. And about the CN tower, no amount of money can get me in that tower.

My fear of lizards are not all kinds of lizards just a particular kind, the kind with feet with large suction cups. Those were the same kinds that were up in the tree all around me when I was stuck in it. I don't mind snakes, spiders or any insects.

I don't like the sight of blood, not even my own. One time I tried to peek but I got dizzy and almost fainted.

 

[Mark Shannon]

heh, Chazz. Guess you have a point. I must've just been thinking that the cure would be to "face your fear". What is scary, though, is when you're standing on the edge of that glass floor (not actually on it), and someone comes up from behind you and pushes you. I nearly crapped my pants.

 

[Bryan X]

I have Geniophobia.

 

[Antonio_B]

Yeah Peter,i think we have something in common.

For example when i go to my friend's house i never step out on the balcony because he lives on the 7th floor.

It's like if there was something that is holding me back from looking down.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

As a child I had very severe acrophobia, worse than now, but flying was never a problem--loved every minute of it.
At the age of 9 my brother and I flew coast to coast from New York to SF in a United Airlines DC-7C, the last and greatest piston engine airliner except for the gorgeous Lockheed Super Constellation. The flight took 12 hours and was mostly at night when you could see blue flames spitting out of the exhaust stacks of the huge multi-row "corncob" piston engines.

Another phobia I had as a child was a tremendous fear of the large ornate movie theaters still common in large cities in the 50s. Our local movie house in Fairfield was just a plain box inside, but once in a while my dad would take us to the Orpheum in San Francisco to see a Cinerama movie and I was terrified that the huge ornate chandelier would fall on me.

I still can't look up at the ceiling when I'm in even a medium sized sports arena--too much paraphrenalia hanging from the ceiling just waiting to fall on my head.

 

[BrianShort]

I guess I'm somewhat acrophobic. I have no problems being in high places if I feel secure, have something to hold on to, etc. so you could take me to the top of the CN tower, put me on that glass floor, and I'd probably feel fine. But if I'm standing near the top of the ladder, and am not holding on to it, I feel like I'm going to fall. Maybe it's more that I just don't trust my sense of balance when losing it could mean some sort of injury.

Other than that, I don't have any phobias that I'm aware of. Actually, maybe I'm afraid of asking girls I like out for a date... is there a name for that?

Brian

 

[Jason_Els]

I have two:

Urophobia: The inability to urinate in public. I have a terrible time using public restrooms. If someone is already in there then I have to sit down in a stall and wait until there's some noise or water running before I can go. If the restroom is empty I can go and keep going without a problem. It's a serious disability and makes it difficult to go out places. Apparently it's not rare as about 1 in 15 men have it.

Bathophobia: The fear of deep water. I'm ok on a fairly large boat, but I'm terrified of swimming in water that I can't see the bottom of, including swimming pools at night. I always imagine there's some enormous horrible giant shark or sea monster just waiting to chomp on me. I won't see it coming until the very last second as the shapeless form below me grows larger and larger until I see the cold lifeless eyes and the jaws/tentacles come for me.....

 

[Chris]

Yeah, I guess I have "bathophobia" as well. I might also have Anglophobia, the fear of all things British. Wait, I do like monty python, black adder & the BBC, so maybe I will take that one back.

I sometimes think some "phobias" are "phobias" because people are hypocondriacs and have to find something to make themselves sick.

I mean, how many people can reasonably have Bolshephobia, the fear of Bolsheviks? I mean, if you're not in Russia, or even if you are in modern Russia...

I'll have a look, but I do actually have a serious fear of people carrying baseball bats not on the baseball field.

 

[Peter-PP]

Oh yes, I also do have a fear of the creepy dark deep waters. I love to swim and dive but I just refuse to enter any water that I cannot see the bottom.

There was one time I tried to face my fear of deep dark water. I was in FL and decided to go snorkling with some friends. The water was very calm and clear and I could see the bottom (about 15 feet deep). And what do I encounter? A group of HUGE manatees with their babies swam by gracefully. I know they are harmless but their sheer size freaked me out, so I jumped out of the water. I tried again about half hour later and what do I encounter the second time? A large evil looking grinning with his many sharp teeth exposed, a striped barracuda! It came face to face with me about 5 feet in front of me. He just stayed their motionless, probably thinking of attacking me and that was the end of my snorkling days!

I also do not like urinating in public rest rooms, just can't do it. I shudder even thinking about all those nasty germs lurking everywhere.

 

[JonZ]

I have 4

Worms
Roaches
Salt Water
Heights

 

[andrew markworthy]

Actually, it's a recognised clinical technique, called 'flooding' (though admittedly it's not often used these days). The idea is to make the client realise that a truly extreme version of the phobic situation is harmless (e.g. being placed on a tall building does not lead to your death) and thus less extreme versions are also harmless. On no account should anyone try to do this unless they are a suitably qualified psychologist or psychiatrist.

However, it should be noted that many phobias have a basis in common sense (e.g. heights are potentially dangerous, not all spiders are harmless, etc).