So this time of year I have a lot of trouble due to the abundance of moths. The big, dark, bat-like moths. They appear after darkness. Since a child I have suffered from fear of these things.

Mottephobia

https://www.fearof.net/fear-of-moths-ph ... ttephobia/

It´s irrational, and incapacitating. The worst is when people don´t get it, and start with comments in the tune of "thety´re harmless", "you´re and adult" etc. Thus it´s something I seldom share.

What are your phobias?

AR385 wrote:

What are your phobias?

My worst, life-long phobia, is "emetophobia," or fear of vomiting. Seriously. I'd rather have a broken arm.

Funk spiders.

I'm a 28 year old man but I'll squeal if a moth comes at me, so I'm not going to judge.

For many decades, I had a fear of both radio towers and fireworks. With the help of therapy, I discovered that my fear of those two specific things were because of my three or four year old mind not having any history or basis to understand what was going on. I still get a shock when I get near Sutro Tower or KGON tower but I can tell myself what is happening and I can look like any other adult.

I have a fear of flying, mostly because I am so used to driving and being in control when I go long distances. Plus, I fly so rarely that things like turning and turbulence are a new concept to me. But, I get over it.

The one really odd thing that I am most afraid of is grass. I try my level best to not walk on or sit on grass. Not in my back yard or in a park or anywhere. I can play soccer on artificial turf with no problem. Because I can not see and react fast enough to whatever is lurking in the inky depths of the ground. The rusty nails and dog poop and glass bottles and worms. No boots are thick enough. I can not step on grass.

And clowns. God help you if I see a clown.....

The ocean, and ships. I'll go to the beach but you are not getting me any further into that endless abyss filled with terrifying things you can't see that will kill you. Think I nearly got PTSD watching this video.

Crabs. I have no idea why. All I know is I'm terrified of them, they look horrible, and I wish they would go extinct.

It's very annoying because I find all other marine life fascinating. I am very on edge during visits to aquariums, and I have to send people on reconnaissance missions to identify where the crabs are in the next room before I will go in.

And if you think I'm going paddling in that rock pool you've got another thing coming mate!

seb146 wrote:

The one really odd thing that I am most afraid of is grass. I try my level best to not walk on or sit on grass. Not in my back yard or in a park or anywhere. I can play soccer on artificial turf with no problem. Because I can not see and react fast enough to whatever is lurking in the inky depths of the ground. The rusty nails and dog poop and glass bottles and worms. No boots are thick enough. I can not step on grass.

I thought I was the only one who had this phobia! I cannot sit or touch grass at all. Granted, if I wear closed shoes and the grass is cut and well kept, I don't have too many issues. But I will not sit on grass (not even with a blanket or mat), walk barefoot on grass, or even touch grass.

Another phobia: tattoos. I squirm and avoid touching skin with tattoos (which is why I like guys with no ink). One tattoo...depending on the design, I can let go...but the more ink you have, the lesser your chances with me. It's something I can't explain.

It's not to the level of a phobia (yet), but as I get older, my fear of large insects, spiders, and other such creepy/crawly things keeps getting worse and worse. I have no idea why.

Funny thing is, a lot of the time, I still take photos of them when I see them.

A couple months ago, a large katydid decided to perch on the wall near my apartment door for about two days. I got a great photo of it, and then proceeded to be freaked out every time I'd walk into or out of my apartment.

My fear is of flying, stinging things. When I was five years old my mother was stung by a wasp and went into anaphylactic shock in front of me. I suspect that is why I'm so terrified of such creatures. Never been stung so I don't know if I would have an allergic reaction.

trav110 wrote:

The ocean, and ships. I'll go to the beach but you are not getting me any further into that endless abyss filled with terrifying things you can't see that will kill you. Think I nearly got PTSD watching this video.

Similar for me. Underwater terrain scares me. Like, you could be riding a boat or even swimming over a rocky spire, or over a deep chasm. That causes a huge reaction for me. I think a lot of my ancestors died in shipwrecks, or perhaps those who feared shipwrecks were the ones who survived.

mbmbos wrote:

My fear is of flying, stinging things. When I was five years old my mother was stung by a wasp and went into anaphylactic shock in front of me. I suspect that is why I'm so terrified of such creatures. Never been stung so I don't know if I would have an allergic reaction.

I was exactly the same as you for years- and still am to an extent. Many people in my family are very allergic and have had horrible, life threatening reactions. Then started to read about beekeeping and have actually taken it up as a hobby despite being really afraid of getting stung. It happens from time to time but I now realize its because of something I did and not because the bee is "out to get me." It helps a lot to understand how they think. I suggest watching some beekeeping channels on Youtube like http://www.youtube.com/user/JPthebeeman this guy has helped me a lot. Plus its pretty darn interesting.

First and foremost, I'm absolutely terrified of fire alarms, even if it's a planned drill. It doesn't help that the fire alarm in my building sounds like an air raid siren. I guess it does a good job in getting me out of the building in time.

Also, I'm afraid of pretty much any insect, but especially centipedes, wasps, cockroaches, bedbugs and spiders. I'm also afraid of clowns and snakes.

Arachnophobia for me. I have always had an irrational fear of spiders. If there's a fairly large one scuttling across my floor I have a near panic attack before I pick up a book or something heavy and squash it.

I am quite scared of wasps and barking dogs, but I'm not sure they're real phobias since it's at least somewhat rational.

My one indisputable phobia is going up ladders. Even very small ones. The amount that I'm terrified is totally out of proportion to the actual danger. And I'm not frightened of heights generally. It's very odd.

I hate centipedes. I also hate anything related to the eyes. Red eyes, LASIK surgery, anything that disturbs the way a normal eye is supposed to be freaks me out. I want to get LASIK actually because I'm tired of wearing glasses, but the procedure scares the hell out of me knowing my eye will be cut. I know it is a safe common procedure now, but I can't get over it. In addition, any movie where someone gets injured in the eye makes me cringe. I can watch any horror movie and even gruesome stuff like the Saw movies, but if someone has their eyes messed with in those movies I turn away.

Similar to what others here have mentioned, one phobia I have is not being able to see what's under water with me. I am fine in the water and snorkeling etc. if I can see and know what is around me but something like swimming in murky water and god forbid if I am near a bouy or something that runs down deep into the water beyond what I can see.... it just freaks me out. Terror and panic and I have to get out (not just away).

And then there are needles and in particular oral ones. I can handle a needle when I must have a shot in the arm etc. I don't like, I will avoid it if possible but I'll take the shot when needed. But the dentist... no, don't want it, am terrified of it. I am lucky that I have very healthy and strong teeth so almost have never needed one. When I do, if possible I'll have the work done without a shot, I have a few surface fillings and they were done without any shots etc. The two times that I have needed one (getting near the root and wisdom teeth) I take a "make me not care pill" because I can't get myself to even go if I don't.

Tugg

Slugs and snails. Oh sweet Jesus, just the thought!

Someone once found this out about me and I went out to my car one morning to find a slug on every door handle. I had to climb into a Vauxhall Corsa (a very small hatchback and I'm a well built 6'4") through the boot. I drove straight to a car wash.

Bad feeling that all of this information may be used against us?

Airliners.Net Nuff said. Byeee

SoJo wrote:

Airliners.Net Nuff said. Byeee

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, sunshine!

coolian2 wrote:

SoJo wrote:

Airliners.Net Nuff said. Byeee

Don't let the door hit you on the way out, sunshine!

Up yours... Byeee

coolian2 wrote:

Funk spiders.

Agreed 100% and then some.

I friggin hate spiders.

Just 2 hours ago I paid $121 to get a pest-control done as summer is approaching.

I killed a huntsman a few nights ago whose leg span was just over 20cm.

The battle lasted about 5 mins but I wasn't going to give it a chance...

777Jet wrote:

coolian2 wrote:

Funk spiders.

Agreed 100% and then some.

I friggin hate spiders.

Just 2 hours ago I paid $121 to get a pest-control done as summer is approaching.

I killed a huntsman a few nights ago whose leg span was just over 20cm.

The battle lasted about 5 mins but I wasn't going to give it a chance...

Apparently the place I've just moved to gets the NZ version of hunstmans. I'm thinking of getting a new cricket bat.

Ophidiophobia, fear of snakes, I even know where it comes from, when I was 8-9 we did a family trip to Disney World then Miami, my dad thought it would be a great idea to go see the Everglades while we were in Miami, so off we go, off course an even better idea would be to stop at one of those places that has crocodile wrestling etc, but by far the best idea, hang a massive python around your sons neck, yep from that point on, snakes and I can happily never come into contact.

jetwet1 wrote:

Ophidiophobia, fear of snakes, I even know where it comes from, when I was 8-9 we did a family trip to Disney World then Miami, my dad thought it would be a great idea to go see the Everglades while we were in Miami, so off we go, off course an even better idea would be to stop at one of those places that has crocodile wrestling etc, but by far the best idea, hang a massive python around your sons neck, yep from that point on, snakes and I can happily never come into contact.

Oddly, I got better with snakes after my ex-wife and I decided to get one hung around our necks in Australia.

Admittedly it wasn't a killer bitey evil snake, but I don't feel as freaked now.

EA CO AS wrote:

AR385 wrote:

What are your phobias?

My worst, life-long phobia, is "emetophobia," or fear of vomiting. Seriously. I'd rather have a broken arm.

How on earth are you able to survive watching a Trump speech?

I used to be extremely scared of heights, which did settle a bit recently but I still have this extremely unnerving feeling of constantly being about to drop something (phone/keys/camera/glasses/wallet) whenever I am close to some type of edge or standing on a structure that allows you to see through it downwards.
I absolutely hate pretty much anything alive with more than 4 legs
And ever since my former orthodontist screwed up big time I get uneasy even thinking about a dentist visit.

Confined spaces and heights. Don't like snakes much either!

As many of you I am also scared of spiders. I don´t know if it can be considered a phobia. Maybe there are different levels of phobia. I don´t get fear frozen when I see one. But I also cannot kill it or remove, which would imply coming close to it. The absolute worst kind for me are among the most harmless creatures: the daddy long leg, with its tiny long skinny legs and the black oblong body. I need to retrieve stuff from my cellar. I need it soon. I can´t do it because those little fokkers decided that my cellar is a great place to dwell. I´m looking for friends who would come and get that stuff for me.
Luckily in Berlin we don´t get much wildlife so we don´t get many different species of arachnis or other bugs. I could never live in a place like Australia or other Countries where you get a Hauntsman with 20 cm legs, like somebody wrote above. I don´t want to kill them. I consider them precious. They have a place in the ecosystem and I appreciate the fact that they get rid of pests. I just don´t want them in my home or in any room I´m staying.
Also I am kinda disgusted by insects in general but I learned to control my fear of wasps. In Berlin we get every year a wasp invasion between beginning of August and end of September. You just can´t eat outdoor during daylight. But I never got stung. I understand it´s not fear of the wasp per se, but it´s rather few of the pain induced by the sting.

Some more:

Scorpions
Jellyfish
Blue Bottles (Portuguese Man o'war)
Mice

777Jet wrote:

I killed a huntsman a few nights ago whose leg span was just over 20cm.The battle lasted about 5 mins but I wasn't going to give it a chance...

Oh my god, I'm freaking out just thinking about that.

I have a hard enough time killing the black widows around here.

My God, I thought I was neurotic, but I don't really have any phobias. I love flying, elevators, ships. I don't mind insects, I even ate some dried crickets! I suppose I don't much like snakes, and when one appears in my yard, I try to shoo it toward the woods. For those people with a fear of dentists, my dentist uses the DentaVibe; it looks like ladies' vibrator, but it blocks the nerves from transmitting pain to the brain. The needle for anesthetic is absolutely painless. Be sure to ask your dentist. Injections don't bother me since I had to self-inject anticoagulant daily in my abdomen. It actually doesn't hurt, but the idea is unsettling.

Telephonophobia.

I don't like talking on the phone at the best of times, but I think mobiles and smart phones are an invention of the devil, dominating too many people's lives.

mariner

mariner wrote:

Telephonophobia.

I don't like talking on the phone at the best of times, but I think mobiles and smart phones are an invention of the devil, dominating too many people's lives.

mariner

I hate making phone calls personally, or answering them personally (I'll go to another room away from people if I have to!), yet I worked in a call centre and I was brilliant.

Go figure.

coolian2 wrote:

777Jet wrote:

coolian2 wrote:

Funk spiders.

Agreed 100% and then some.

I friggin hate spiders.

Just 2 hours ago I paid $121 to get a pest-control done as summer is approaching.

I killed a huntsman a few nights ago whose leg span was just over 20cm.

The battle lasted about 5 mins but I wasn't going to give it a chance...

Apparently the place I've just moved to gets the NZ version of hunstmans. I'm thinking of getting a new cricket bat.

A cricket bat would be too short for me - I wouldn't want to get that close to them. I have also never stepped on a spider - that would get them way to close to me for my comfort.

I use a combination of spray and a 10 feet long or so golf ball retriever. First I spray them for as long as I can to make sure that they have been thoroughly poisoned in case they quickly run away. Once sprayed, I press the end of the golf ball retriever against them and cut them up. After all 8 legs have been cut off, I keep squashing the rock hard body / head until it stops moving. Then, I spray the head again for about 30 seconds leaving it in a puddle of poison. Then I sleep good after knowing it is 100% finished off.

You might wonder why I got to that extreme?

About 10 years ago I was staying overnight at a friends place. He attempted to kill a huntsman in his bedroom and only managed to cut off two legs before it got away (some are very, very quick). I remembered what it looked like. Then next morning he showed me his toe and it had small puncture marks on it and was a little swollen. He said he felt a bite during the night. Then what did he show me, the same huntsman, with the same two missing legs, up in the same place on the wall in his bedroom where it was yesterday before he fought it, staring him down and saying one last F U before getting killed off properly. After that, we are convinced that if you try to mess with or kill a huntsman and you fail, it will remember you and come back for revenge ASAP. So, make sure you finish off any huntsman you try to kill - or look out!

steman wrote:

But I also cannot kill it or remove, which would imply coming close to it.


The absolute worst kind for me are among the most harmless creatures: the daddy long leg, with its tiny long skinny legs and the black oblong body.


I don´t want to kill them. I consider them precious. They have a place in the ecosystem and I appreciate the fact that they get rid of pests. I just don´t want them in my home or in any room I´m staying.

Like I said above, I never step on them. I don't want to get close to them. That is why I use a combination of spray and a long golf ball retriever during battle with them.

I actually don't mind the daddy long legs (Cellar spiders). Whilst I won't touch them, I let them be. They don't scare me at all.

As for the other spiders, especially the huntsman (as per my experience above), I have to kill them. It makes me sleep better knowing they are gone. If I let one get away, I have nightmares for weeks. Until I started to kill them all, I would sleep walk looking for non-existent spiders in my bedroom. My wife would tell me there are no spiders and to get back in the bed. But I was sure there was a spider right there. Since I started killing them all, I have never slept better. Basically, it's better for my health and well being to kill them - to kill them all...

My fears:

Bees (I'm allergic to anything that stings)
Failure
Ending up alone (I'm 31 and have never had a girlfriend, so this really terrifies me right now)
Heights (only on ladders though...I'm fine in skyscrapers or planes)
The surgery I'm having next week
HOW I will die...I'm not afraid of the hereafter and am not looking to start a debate on it.
Fear of making too many wrong choices and it being too late to fix them.

I'm sure there are more if I really think of it

777Jet wrote:

As for the other spiders, especially the huntsman (as per my experience above), I have to kill them. It makes me sleep better knowing they are gone. If I let one get away, I have nightmares for weeks. Until I started to kill them all, I would sleep walk looking for non-existent spiders in my bedroom. My wife would tell me there are no spiders and to get back in the bed. But I was sure there was a spider right there. Since I started killing them all, I have never slept better. Basically, it's better for my health and well being to kill them - to kill them all...

I normally see your posts and want to call you deranged.

This is no different, but I 100% get you. I got myself a nice new can of bug spray yesterday - the biggest one I could find. It's yuuuge

mariner wrote:

Telephonophobia.

I don't like talking on the phone at the best of times, but I think mobiles and smart phones are an invention of the devil, dominating too many people's lives.

mariner

I'm not a fan of making/receiving phone calls either, however, I will say smartphones have made my life so much easier, most of the people I deal with on a day to day basis know to text me, that way we have a brief conversation and also a record of what was said to refer to later.

SNAKES. Thank god I live in Hawaii! Can't even look at a picture of one.

My intermediate microeconomics test tomorrow is pretty scarey...

But for real, my phobias are centipedes, millipedes, electrocution (i have a big wooden stick in my car at all times in case I need to do electrical work on it and I have someone hold it to push me off my car if i need to), being burnt (touched a lit fuse on accident as a kid during new years once, not fun).

Me and my brother got in a wreck once when I was in high school, and I still sometimes cringe when I'm driving down the road and see someone get into the left turn lane; that's where the guy came from, he even almost rolled his SUV because he was going so fast and didn't stop. Thank God I was wearing my seatbelt... I cringed almost every time I drove past that intersection for years afterword. Sometimes I still do if someone is in that lane...

Rats and mice especially. I freeze, they freeze, we run in opposite directions.

Also changing room/locker rooms where there are pegs on the wall for hanging clothes. They can be 6 feet away from my eyes but i still feel they're about to stab me in the eye ball.