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What are you afraid of most?

Do any of the following phobias apply to you?

  • Arachnophobia (Fear of spiders)

    Votes: 10 33.3%

  • Coulrophobia (Fear of clowns)

    Votes: 1 3.3%

  • Acrophobia (Fear of heights)

    Votes: 5 16.7%

  • Agoraphobia (Fearof large places, crowded or empty)

    Votes: 1 3.3%

  • Cynophobia (Fear of dogs)

    Votes: 3 10.0%

  • Claustrophobia (Fear of small, enclosed spaces)

    Votes: 4 13.3%

  • Glossophobia (Fear of public speaking)

    Votes: 7 23.3%

  • Trypanophobia (Fear of needles)

    Votes: 10 33.3%

  • Nyctophobia (Fear of the dark)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Apiphobia (Fear of bees or wasps)

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • Total voters
    30
Harv

Harv

TS Member
Ok, I guess it might seem a bit of a weird thread for me to create, but I was reading about phobias and stuff earlier and thought it might be quite interesting to hear what people on this forum have fears of. Always fascinates me how different people fear certain situations to different degrees. So my question to you is, what freaks you out?

Personally, spiders are an absolute nope; I really do hate all spiders of any shape or size. Surprisingly (considering that the tarantula is often painted as the epitome of 'spider-hater's nemesis') I can think of MUCH worse types due to obsessional Googling back when I was much worse with it. That's not to say I'll be getting a pet tarantula anytime soon, but a quick image search for a 'Brazilian wandering spider' or 'Goliath bird-eating spider' will soon show you what I mean. They make me shudder.

Does anyone else dislike gas masks? That Doctor Who episode with the Empty Child properly got to me when I was little, and I still hate them now. Something VERY creepy about them.

Anyway, over to you!
 
Yes! I completely understand what you mean about the gas masks. I've felt uncomfortable with masks since halloween when I was young, and that Doctor Who episode really affected me. The WW2 air raid siren makes me shiver as well. Your post has made me feel slightly more normal. Slightly.
 
Its not on the list, but Public Hand Rails, ie on stairs, escalators, shopping trollies

urrg cant touch them, thinking of all the other dirty germ infested hands that have gone before.
 
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Shi* scared of heights. Have dreams about them occasionally. Don't mind them when I'm strapped in to a coaster though.
 
Spiders, specifically tarantulas. My grandmother kept a tarantula skin that had belonged to the tarantula of her eldest son on one of the shelves in their dining room, and it really freaked me out for years. Also never really liked snakes for some reason.

For years, I hated public speaking, as I just felt people didn't listen whenever I was talking (but they did when others were), which did once end up with me telling my classmates to shut up and listen - and the teacher didn't end up telling me off for it! I'm better at public speaking than I was, but I do have to go over what I'm going to say a few times before I say it - such as when I'm using the tannoy at work - as I don't want to stuff it up and feel like a muppet.

Not very keen on needles, either. Having said that, when I had a local anaesthetic at the dentist a couple of years ago as part of having a filling, it wasn't too bad - I didn't really feel the needle going in very much, even though it went in at a few separate locations around one area of my mouth.
 
Public speaking has always been a fear of mine. Even just speaking to 3 or more people in a room gets me really nervous. Don't even know why I get so anxious in situations like that as when I do speak people have said I'm quite a strong public speaker.

Other than that I'm pretty fearless, some things I can be afraid of although I get a little exciting rush doing some things.
 
Spiders for me. Been terrified for as long as I can remember so I don't know what triggered it.

I've done things like systematic desensitization which I think has helped but the phobia seemed to get worse as I got more anxious generally in my early teens. I remember on holiday seeing entertainers holding a tarantula and running in the opposite direction into a walI haha. It was quite bad though, I had hallucinations of spiders crawling over me for about a year afterwards which was pretty horrific and resulted in many panic attacks.

At the moment I'm doing well, better than I've been in so long. It still effects me a though so I've tried to get CBT treatment but the mental health service is so pushed for funding it's not really an option at the moment. I'm going to try self directed CBT though, I have a good understanding of the treatment and myself anyway so I feel okay about that. I've just got to remember to try and challenge my cognitions rationally.

I'm also really scared of balloons (it's the load pop :( ) and ghosts. I love watching ghost documentarys but get so scared afterwards, always do it to myself.
 
From the two in the poll, I have a fear of:

Spiders: Just seeing the little ones you find in the bath scare me, never mind the big poisonous ones you see in places such as Down Under.

When I was younger I had an unusual fear of large open spaces. It played tricks on my mind thinking everything was far away from me and it just freaked me out so much. So naturally for a while I stuck to small spaces where ever possible. It's not bad now though, but I still much prefer smaller spaces.

I also have a huge fear of losing someone I know very closely. It can range from losing someone as a best friend by falling out. Or worst case scenario is losing them thanks to death. It's horrible to think :(

A more unusual one I have is seeing the sight of spots together very closely in large quantities. It makes me dizzy and very uncomfortable. When I had chicken pox, I didn't take my clothes off for days because I didn't want to see it.
 
You should of added Other, for us without a fear in the list.

Ted, i wonder if your problem with large places is that is easier for you to lose anyone you are with.

As for my fear, it is the sister to fear of heights, it's the fear of falling.
 
delta79 said:
Ted, i wonder if your problem with large places is that is easier for you to lose anyone you are with.
Click to expand...

Yeah this was one of the reasons, and it actually did happen to me when I was about 7 inside the largest shopping centre in the UK (Bluewater in Kent it was) and was the worst experience of my life at that point. It just made me scared as a kid to go there again.

I think the main reason however, was that my mind played tricks on me thinking spaces were larger than they actually were, and it made me fell vulnerable to attacks. It's hard to remember exactly the reason why I feared them since it was such a long time ago, but that's what I can remember.
 
My biggest secret fear is dieing alone, nobody finding me, nobody caring.
I sometimes work out, if i dropped dead at home, how long it would be until someone noticed.
I never like the answer.
:(
 
My biggest fear is Gerascophobia, aka being afraid of old age. Quite weird I know, but to me the idea of being too old and weak to even care for myself or have any independence is pretty terrible and disturbing.
 
There is no need for any life form to have more than four legs. Thus any that does is pure evil and will die if it is caught in my home.

As for gas masks, it's the eyes... a bit like aliens. That's another thing you need on the list... fear of aliens...
 
Thankyou for creating this thread!!! Even if it turns out I am the only person who voted for Cynophobia :oops:

When I whent on tower of terror at dlp a year ago, became scared of heights. Finally getting over it (thankyou oblivion!!!)

Needles (shudders for a minute)

Not just public speaking for me. Speaking to anyone. Family, friend... anyone. I can't do it.

Big crowded spaces just make me VERY angry. Definitely wasn't me who pushed over 2 kids last time I was at Alton towers.

My worst fear, however, is not on this list...
TedTheHuman said:
also have a huge fear of losing someone I know very closely. It can range from losing someone as a best friend by falling out. Or worst case scenario is losing them thanks to death. It's horrible to think :(
Click to expand...
 
Confine me in a small space and I'll use every ounce of strength to break out of it and punch whoever decided to lock me in there.

Hard.

In the face.
 
Phobia's are fascinating. I came across something ages ago called Uncanny Valley.
That website thingymajiggy said:
The term “uncanny valley” describes our strange revulsion toward things that appear nearly human, but not quite right.
Click to expand...

Also explains why I hate that Spitting Image Maggie Thatcher puppet so much. :p
 
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