Phobias

[Barbas]

What are yours and how did you find out you had them? I think I might have acrophobia and possibly haemophobia - specifically veins and arteries. The former was easy enough to discover. Suspicions of the latter came as a result of watching a freak sporting accident. The poor bastard had PTSD from it, and I don't blame him. I was a homophobe, I am possibly a transphobe, and am almost definitely a xenophobe - but only really toward Japan, because of everything they've done.

EDIT: Arachnophobia and chilopodophobia - respectively, the fear of spiders and the fear of centipedes. Tarantulas are OK, since they don't tend to move too quickly, but black widows? Fuck 'em right off, spindly legs and all. That's what flame-throwers are for.

 

[Sonmi]

I don't think I have any.

Speaking on the phone makes me extremely uncomfortable though, and I absolutely dread calls with unknown callers.

 

[The Philistine]

Heights. Looking over any sort of ledge I couldn't safely jump down from leaves me with the overwhelming reaction of "NOPE!"

About the only way I can handle going up in a lift is to focus on the ceiling.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I am possibly a transphobe,

Would that be a genuine fear, or more latent irrational animosity? If the latter, that's something you'll find difficult to sort out without confronting the situation internally, then sternly taking yourself to task. If the former... Well it's important to realize that most of us are like everyone else with our own quirks and such, but the bad examples of us are going to stick more in your mind. Mostly because trans folk are different from cis folk, in a way that's neither easy to explain, or really understand, even when one is transgender.

For me I have pretty severe acrophobia, being just a few feet off the ground gives me vertigo. I have arachnophobia, but only with spiders in the medium-large size range, I'm fine with small garden spiders and huge tarantulas. I'm also afraid of insects, especially bees and wasps, the only exceptions are butterflies, dragonflies, and bumblebees. Finally I'm somewhat agoraphobic and hate to be in social situations that involve more than a few people I know very well, among trusted people though, the sky's the limit on group size. Oh I also have a weird phobia about male clothing, excluding t-shirts, even when other people are wearing those clothes...

 

[Frankster]

Arachnophobia: though I try to fight it as best as i can. Also i find killing even small insects distasteful so whenever a spider bothers me, i try to capture it and place it somewhere else it would bother me less. Thus i frequently have to fight against this phobia whenever i try to catch one.

Heights: I am utterly terrified of them, once above the height of even 2 meters when climbing an indoor climb surface i need to start rolling fear and terror tests. Yet weirdly i'm perfectly comfortable flying in planes, goes to show how logical that fear is.

A dizzying and wide array of social phobias rounds up the list.

As for how I found out about them..That's tough to answer, as far as I remember I always had them to some degree.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I don't think I have any Phobias. I used to have pet spiders, snakes, lizards, scorpions and have no problem picking them up or even having them crawl on me, unless I know they are poisonous and in that case, I either grab something and chop their head off or squish them the second I realize what it is. Do not really have any irrational fears. I like numerous things about many cultures and people, even those I disagree with. I am afraid of tornadoes, but that is not an irrational fear, I have survived enough of them I have good reason to be terrified of them.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I too have a fear of spider.

I have no idea what was the cause and when I first have the pobia as I clear remember I wasn't afraid of spiders when I was a kid.

 

[Barbas]

(Snip).

It's discomfort in some cases - when I look at someone and they don't look 'right' on the surface - their facial features are neither here nor there, it makes me feel marginally uncomfortable. The way I understand it at the moment, some trans people undergo HRT and surgery to go from MtF or FtM, so maybe the people I see are in a state of physical transition. The idea of someone having both breasts and a penis (or an unexpected vocal pitch) doesn't bother me, but I would look at someone with more feminine features and a beard and think that was weird, to a greater extent than I would seeing someone who simply has the particularly pronounced facial features. Like Jennifer Lawrence vs. Michael Jackson, if that makes sense - hopefully without being hideously insensitive. The reason I wonder about it being a latent phobia is that I think it may just be toward people who've undergone surgery but carry certain physical traces of the previous sex, though someone who appeared feminine talking with a deep, masculine voice would be momentarily startling.

 

[Barbas]

I too have a fear of spider.

Just the one? Lucky bastard! :<

 

[Casual Shinji]

I don't fear the average garden spider no more than a beetle, but the creepy, black house spiders that emerge at the start of autumn I truly despise. I'm too scared to leave 'm be, but not too scared to grab the nearest heavy object and do battle.

Also extremely constrictive spaces. I often have nightmares about having to make my way through extremely narrow cralwspaces, like caves or collapsed interiors. I also remember when my sister was still stronger than me as kids she'd trap me under the blankets of my bed and I'd freak the fuck out.

 

[God'sFist]

Mine would have to be Peniaphobia. I'm just beginning my adult life and I don't want to end up on the street and shit out of luck. Also vehophobia the fear of driving which combines with peniaphobia do to the amount of expenses involved. I have practical fears stuff that can either lead to an unhappy or not very good life. I fear for my future for the most part when it comes down to it. I think my peniaphobia begets my vehophobia.

[sarcasm]I'm also homophobic and transphobic oh, and of course islamophobic.[/sarcasm]

 

[Just Ebola]

Don't no what it's called, but I have a fear of open bodies of water, and ocean life in general. Even if it's just a pond, I can't help but imagine what horrors lay in wait just below the murky surface, all the way from tiny leeches to giant freaky sea serpents. If I had to guess, maybe that's called hydrophobia? Sounds about right. Not afraid of spiders though, I squish them before they can squish me.

Most of my other fears are existential in nature. Like my life being a huge production ala The Truman Show, or other people can hear my thoughts, etc. Or maybe I only exist as part of someone else's dream and I'll cease to be a thing once they wake.

But I know that's crazy... right?

 

[the December King]

Trypanophobic. Fear, of, needles.

I love horror movies and have been doing effects shots, including comping gore and squibs, for years. But one clip, fake or not, of a needle being administered will make me sweaty and dizzy, hiding my eyes.

And me, taking a needle (for bloodwork more than an inoculation, but only marginally)? When I was a kid it took multiple nurses to hold me down, I was thrashing so hard. I dropped one poor soul with a kick to the funbags (to whom I profusely apologized afterwards). I wasn't even a big kid- built like a scarecrow when I was little, but I was fighting for my LIFE. Then, after an agonizing moment, practically strapped to the chair, they'd jab me, and I would pass out.

Nowadays? I just meekly pass out- thanks mainly to crippling social insecurity and a sense of responsibility coupled with shame.

...

Now that I look at some of the other posts, I, too, have something like 'vehophobia', I guess? I mean, the big fear is effortlessly and instantly hurting or killing others with a ton of steel and glass moving at inhuman speeds.

If a spider is on me, I jump or spasm, but that feels reflexive- I will do my best not to hurt anything, and think spiders are cool. And I LOVE snakes.

It's discomfort in some cases - when I look at someone and they don't look 'right' on the surface - their facial features are neither here nor there, it makes me feel marginally uncomfortable. The way I understand it at the moment, some trans people undergo HRT and surgery to go from MtF or FtM, so maybe the people I see are in a state of physical transition. The idea of someone having both breasts and a penis (or an unexpected vocal pitch) doesn't bother me, but I would look at someone with more feminine features and a beard and think that was weird, to a greater extent than I would seeing someone who simply has the particularly pronounced facial features. Like Jennifer Lawrence vs. Michael Jackson, if that makes sense - hopefully without being hideously insensitive. The reason I wonder about it being a latent phobia is that I think it may just be toward people who've undergone surgery but carry certain physical traces of the previous sex, though someone who appeared feminine talking with a deep, masculine voice would be momentarily startling.

I also want to mention, that I find I am curious about transgender people, but I think it has more to do with their social standing and my current views on masculine and feminine. I certainly don't have a fear or hatred, but might very well have some latent ignorance.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Fuck Spiders. They can fuck right off with their little eyes and crawly legs and fangs. Go bother flies and beetles, and stop trying to take showers with me!

 

[Saelune]

Phobias are irrational fears. Arachnophobia is a myth. They are evil, and we are right to fear them.

And I HATE when people are like "I like them in my house cause they kill bugs". I prefer flies thanks. They don't leave traps, and are not very sneaky.

I hate bugs in general though. Ironically my fear and hate of them is what gets me to be proactive about it...cause I just cannot sleep with any of them in my room. Ive stayed many a long nights on watch with paper towels and cups. The cups are to catch the larger things and starve them to death.

No survivors. I don't bring them outside and let them go because what if they come back? I guess the so-called "irrational" part comes here, but I don't want to take chances that they are just telling more of theirs how to get into my house...

Edit: And don't try to test my "phobia" out. That's not cool.

 

[SupahEwok]

I don't think I have any phobias in the medical sense, but I do have some intense discomforts. As others above have said, I don't like being in the ocean. I like being ON it just fine in a boat, that's not a problem, but I do not like swimming in areas where I cannot clearly see boundaries on all sides. You have no idea what could be behind you, and when you check then you don't know what's below you, and by the time you check that maybe there's something to the right...

But what really gets me are slugs. Filthy, disgusting, abhorrent creatures. The thought of slugs doesn't really fill me with fear, but disgust and anger, driving me into a sort of berserk rage. If I see slugs and salt is easily available, I'mma grab it and drive those fuckers off. Fuck slugs. Abominations.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

As many others have said, I have an aversion to deep water. Specifically lakes. To me lakes just feel malevolent and old. Kind of Lovecraftian in a way.

I also have a weird anxiety about sleeping sometimes. It's not an actual phobia or even something that keeps me awake. Just the thought of not exactly knowing when I'm going to fall asleep or how long I'll be in this vulnerable state or if I'll wake up at all distracts me right before I drift off.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

(Snip).

It's discomfort in some cases - when I look at someone and they don't look 'right' on the surface - their facial features are neither here nor there, it makes me feel marginally uncomfortable. The way I understand it at the moment, some trans people undergo HRT and surgery to go from MtF or FtM, so maybe the people I see are in a state of physical transition. The idea of someone having both breasts and a penis (or an unexpected vocal pitch) doesn't bother me, but I would look at someone with more feminine features and a beard and think that was weird, to a greater extent than I would seeing someone who simply has the particularly pronounced facial features. Like Jennifer Lawrence vs. Michael Jackson, if that makes sense - hopefully without being hideously insensitive. The reason I wonder about it being a latent phobia is that I think it may just be toward people who've undergone surgery but carry certain physical traces of the previous sex, though someone who appeared feminine talking with a deep, masculine voice would be momentarily startling.

I think it's fair to be uncomfortable, and any discomfort you have, imagine being the one going through puberty for the second time, or who's recovering from one surgery and waiting for the next. I'm personally really weirded out by people who have had excessive amounts plastic surgery. It's not particularly transphobic if someone who is visibly trans makes you uncomfortable, it would be transphobic to say nasty things to them because of it.

I also want to mention, that I find I am curious about transgender people, but I think it has more to do with their social standing and my current views on masculine and feminine. I certainly don't have a fear or hatred, but might very well have some latent ignorance.

Well at least honest curiosity is often a good way of removing ignorance.