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Exeson
2007-08-02, 03:57 PM
Fears play an important part in our life, they can completely change our outlook on something or affect our behavior. So I'm just wondering if anyone else has fears that have actually affected their life, and if so how and does it still.

Personally I was terrified of the darkness, up to the point that if I was walking away from a dark place, I wouldn't walk, I would sprint. Many time I would turn off the light in a room and I would thunder out of it, this brought some strange looks from my parents. I also hated spiders, numerous times I would freeze, and not move if I saw a spider, until it had its back turned, at which point I would sprint away.

luckily I have combated my fears and they do not affect me as much anymore, although I refuse to touch spiders and I still hate being along in the dark, I can tolerate it, but I still hate it.

Bottom Line: What fears do/did you have and how do/did they affect you.

Cyrano
2007-08-02, 03:58 PM
I have the fears of being roasted and/olr buried alive. As you might expect, this really doesn't affect me.
At all.
I mean, what, I'm going to walk away from matches and 3 inch depressions?

MR.PIXIE
2007-08-02, 04:05 PM
:smalleek: Wasps. When one is flying over my path I duck and run under it, stand back up, slow to a fast walk, And then keep on going

bosssmiley
2007-08-02, 04:15 PM
I mean, what, I'm going to walk away from matches...

Don't fear what they are DB; fear their barely restrained latent potential for destruction. Those little red-topped SoBs are just waiting for your guard to slip so they can exploit the chance to invite their big nasty friend Fire around to wreck your house and annoy the neighbours. Hate them. Fear them. Lock them up so they can't sucker the young into their wicked plans. :smallyuk:

Me? Used to fear the dark. An instinctive thing I suppose.
"Can't see = vulnerable = danger" in the primitive monkey part of the brain.

I'm not too keen on heights now. Not so much fear of them, it's just that the seductive little voice that says "Jump. You know you'll float down" is really difficult to ignore sometimes. Again, irrational and probably inherited from the monkey part of the brain.

The one thing that freaks me out though: images of damage to the eyes. The thought of blindness hits something deep down and visceral in me. I cannot watch horrors with eye gore in them; the fight/flight reflex just kicks in too hard. :smallannoyed:

That's Eggy.

Pyro
2007-08-02, 04:18 PM
Hmm I can't think of something I fear right now. I know I have one but I'm just drawing a blank on it.

Captain van der Decken
2007-08-02, 04:24 PM
I'm not too keen on heights now. Not so much fear of them, it's just that the seductive little voice that says "Jump. You know you'll float down" is really difficult to ignore sometimes. Again, irrational and probably inherited from the monkey part of the brain.

Those kind of thoughts tend not to get inherited. :smalltongue:


The one thing that freaks me out though: images of damage to the eyes. The thought of blindness hits something deep down and visceral in me. I cannot watch horrors with eye gore in them; the fight/flight reflex just kicks in too hard. :smallannoyed:


Oooh, I'd have to agree. This is probably my only 'fear'.

Syka
2007-08-02, 04:48 PM
Bugs. I seriously think I have insectophobia, which really sucks since I live in Florida. We have cockroachs and palmetto bugs the size of your hand, and misquitos that'll suck you dry, and all manner of other bugs. This also goes for gnats and the like.

My fear used be restricted to the bugs that could harm/spread disease. Within the last couple years it has come to encompass pretty much any bug except for those cool leaf ones which don't really move all that fast. I walked into a cloud of gnats once...I was shaking for half an hour, all sorts of twitchy, and my arms were red from trying to get invisible bugs off of me. I once had a cockroach approach me in a classroom and I just froze, eyes locked on it. At work once, there was a big 'ole flying thing on one of the shelves that I saw as I was heading to the bathroom. I seriously couldn't bring myself to pass it, so I got the guy I was working with to kill it. I could have walked past it without a problem, but that would have meant going within 2 feet of it and I just...couldn't.

Spiders however I'm generally ok with. Unless they are big (like the wolf spider), bright and/or distinctive markings (black widow, brown recluse, etc), or they are in my sleeping quarters. Otherwise, I let them live. But spiders also aren't insects.

But yah....Insectophobia+Florida=baaaad. I need to move to the Pacific Northwest. My teacher used to live there and says they have no cockroachs, misquitoes, nothing. Just slugs and stuff. ;)

Cheers,
Syka

bosssmiley
2007-08-02, 04:50 PM
Those kind of thoughts tend not to get inherited. :smalltongue:

Maybe I was descended from the monkeys that only jumped from really low-hanging branches? Once again, Eggy beats the spread! ("Haha! Have at you hateful butter!")

horseboy
2007-08-02, 04:54 PM
I have a weird form of Claustrophobia. I love caves and can be wrapped up in a sleeping bag no trouble. Big crowds/D.C. traffic and I start flipping out.

It's not that I'm acrophobic, so much as I'm REALLY tied to the Earth. It misses me loudly in my head when I'm not there.

Barbers. A complete stranger straps a garrote around my neck, holds razor sharp implements about my head and neck, tells me that if I don't remain completely still they'll cut me. I don't get to hit back. Then they take my money. And I'm suppose to volunteer for this kind of treatment?

SDF
2007-08-02, 04:58 PM
But yah....Insectophobia+Florida=baaaad. I need to move to the Pacific Northwest. My teacher used to live there and says they have no cockroachs, misquitoes, nothing. Just slugs and stuff. ;)

Cheers,
Syka

Well we do have mosquitoes with west nile virus, but they are pretty good at eradicating them when they find them... but yeah, not too many bugs here, and yeah you should ;P In Minnesota the mosquito was the state bird I swear, and on my last trip to Voyager's National Park I had 29 ticks on me at once! These things carried lyme disease too... And then there is that 7 year cycle where billions of caterpillars come out. They covered an entire side of my house making it a living wall, yuck.

I can't think of anything specific at the moment for myself though.

Exeson
2007-08-02, 05:18 PM
Spiders however I'm generally ok with. Unless they are big (like the wolf spider), bright and/or distinctive markings (black widow, brown recluse, etc), or they are in my sleeping quarters. Otherwise, I let them live. But spiders also aren't insects.

I think that is what started my fear of spiders, two encounters with wolf spiders, when I was growing up in South Africa. The first time was I was about to go to the toilet and there just above the toilet was a wolf spider, just looking at me. Of course I just walked away slowly but the shock, I could barely breath for ten minutes.

The other time I went into my room turned on some music and sat down on my bed. I looked up and there it was, a wolf spider, I froze and tried to get up slowly, but it started moving towards me, it got really close when i just screamed and ran out the room. I even jumped down the ladder (there were no stairs in that house) I tell you, jumping down a whole floor is not worth it just to get away from a spider, seemed worth it at the time tough.

Despite that, I still do love South Africa, Even with its spider and snakes... well I love snakes, so they aren't a problem.... [/random aside]


Bottom Line: I HATE wolf spiders more than most other spiders for a reason.

StickMan
2007-08-02, 05:22 PM
Snake scare the heck out of me I have no clue why.

One time they brought a snake in to class in grade school, and I ran to the other side of the room.

Syka
2007-08-02, 05:24 PM
Hehe. I nearly jumped out of a moving cary to get away from a bee. I had my seat belt unbuckled and my mom managed to pull over just in time.

They also told me about finding a wolf spider the size of their palm in our bathtub once. Then, the guy I was dating at the time and I found a nice size one in his brothers apartment that would NOT die. Like, we ran it over with a vacuum, dropped stuff on it, drowned it in RAID, and it was STILL moving. We eventually just scooped it up while it was slightly immoblized and chucked it outside.

But yes. Bugs no good. ><

Cheers,
Syka

Insert Name Here
2007-08-02, 05:30 PM
The dark still scares me somewhat. Less than before, though, and less when I have something else to think about.
Large bugs and stinging ones scare me, even when they're dead (maybe even more so, oddly).
And one large fear I have is loss of personality. I really, really want to stay the self that I know.
Oh, and eye injuries. I'm always careful, ever since my grade 6 teacher told class that the white part of the eye was actually a liquid, and if something were to puncture the lens, it would drip down my face and the eye would cease to work. Now every time something comes close to my eye, I check it for white stuff.

Natania
2007-08-02, 05:32 PM
I'm afraid of things I know are there but I can't see...
Like I can pick up a spider or other insect and I don't mind them in my room as long as I can see them. As soon as they're out of my eyesight I freak out.

PhallicWarrior
2007-08-02, 05:47 PM
Hehe. I nearly jumped out of a moving cary to get away from a bee. I had my seat belt unbuckled and my mom managed to pull over just in time.

They also told me about finding a wolf spider the size of their palm in our bathtub once. Then, the guy I was dating at the time and I found a nice size one in his brothers apartment that would NOT die. Like, we ran it over with a vacuum, dropped stuff on it, drowned it in RAID, and it was STILL moving. We eventually just scooped it up while it was slightly immoblized and chucked it outside.

But yes. Bugs no good. ><

Cheers,
Syka
FYI, those things tend to keep moving as their fluid powered muscles equalize pressure with the surroundings. Yeah, gross.
My fear? The Universe. It cares nothing for us, and eventually it'll just disintegrate itself along with us! Also afraid of black holes, supernovas and other interstellar phenonemae.

Exeson
2007-08-02, 05:50 PM
They also told me about finding a wolf spider the size of their palm in our bathtub once. Then, the guy I was dating at the time and I found a nice size one in his brothers apartment that would NOT die. Like, we ran it over with a vacuum, dropped stuff on it, drowned it in RAID, and it was STILL moving. We eventually just scooped it up while it was slightly immoblized and chucked it outside.

The one in my room was not too big, my dad used a upturned beer mug thingy and some card to trap it and then he put it outside. The one in the bathroom was MASSIVE though, like the size of my Dad's palm, if not bigger. He did not even try to get ride of it using the usual upturned glass/beer mug/tea cup and some card. he just covered it with some toilet roll and before it could move he grabbed it and threw it out of the window.

FoE
2007-08-02, 05:58 PM
I don't like touching insects; I even shy away from touching moths. I'm not crazy about heights either, if I'm standing on a shaky ladder or some other precarious perch. When I was a kid I was also terrified of werewolves.

But what really creeps me out is ZOMBIES. I have a lot of nightmares about zombies, and my greatest fear is to wake up some night to see some undead thing pulling my guts out and chowing down. :smalleek:

It's not so much the "undead" thing that scares me, but the notion of getting slowly eaten alive. One of the worst scenes in Land of the Dead for me was the scene where some poor bastard has been torn in half and he's lying there screaming as the zombies munch on his arms and innards.

Plus there's the whole "Get bitten once and you're screwed" deal. That also makes zombie movies very cringe-worthy for me.

Sean92k
2007-08-02, 06:03 PM
Well now im scared of tiger spiders aswell. Curse you google images *I can feel one on my head**Screams and runs arond in circles*
I'm scared of dogs:smalleek: and the bloody things are everywhere so i dont really need to explain how that messes up my life :smallfrown:
Also manholes, i fell down one a few years ago and now i have to walk around them or anything else on the floor that has a hole under it.

SDF
2007-08-02, 06:09 PM
I don't like touching insects; I even shy away from touching moths. When I was a kid I was also terrified of werewolves. But what really creeps me out is ZOMBIES. I have a lot of nightmares about zombies, and my greatest fear is to wake up some night to see some undead thing pulling my guts out and chowing down. :smalleek:

It's not so much the "undead" thing that scares me, but the notion of getting slowly eaten alive. One of the worst scenes in Land of the Dead for me was the scene where some poor bastard has been torn in half and he's lying there screaming as the zombies munch on his arms and innards.

Plus there's the whole "Get bitten once and you're screwed" deal. That also makes zombie movies very cringe-worthy for me.

I have zombie dreams. I had one recently where I was running through suburbia and they were running out of garages after me... There was a huge mob and it was really foggy. Not scared of them though, and I can't even call those nightmares. I think a viral epidemic of something like mutated ebola is much scarier.

horseboy
2007-08-02, 06:17 PM
I have zombie dreams. I had one recently where I was running through suburbia and they were running out of garages after me... There was a huge mob and it was really foggy. Not scared of them though, and I can't even call those nightmares. I think a viral epidemic of something like mutated ebola is much scarier.

I never had zombie dreams. I always have werewolf dreams. Like the time they were hunting me down for scientific experimentation. They turned me into some sort of werelepus. So I go on this rampage and somehow infected Captain Planet. They're weird.

RAGE KING!
2007-08-02, 06:43 PM
i pretty much had the same thing as Exeson. I no longer run out of dark rooms, and i never ran away from spiders, though my skin would crawl when i saw them, and id get a piece of paper, get them to walk onto it, then chuck it out a window.

I also have this retarded fear of assassins coming after me...dunno why they would though :smallbiggrin:

Sean92k
2007-08-02, 06:44 PM
I also have this retarded fear of assassins coming after me...dunno why they would though :smallbiggrin:
We have our reas... Assassins? Dont be silly:smallwink:

Semidi
2007-08-02, 07:05 PM
Spiders.

It started when I was living in Maine. One day, I was playing Neverwinter when I saw a huge spider making a web behind my monitor. I killed it and went to bed a few hours. Later, I awoke with bites all over my neck and chest, and upon getting out of bed, a multitude of webs assaulted me. I wear contacts and didn’t have any glasses at the time, so I was blind, flailing as several webs stuck to my face and arms.

A little later, after putting my contacts on, I started to notice little black shapes moving along my ceiling. Yes, you guessed it, spider eggs had hatched somewhere in my room and a huge number of baby spiders scurried and crawled over everything. I couldn’t get them all because they were incredibly tiny and clear. They spread all over the house, so no room was safe, I’d find them making webs in the shower, the kitchen—everywhere.

At least a hundred, or maybe more, spiders made my room their home, and it took me days to get rid of them, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get them all. I received many spider bites that season, it doesn’t help that I slept on blow up mattress, so they could get into my bed.

I tried to vacuum them up, but the crafty buggers could actually crawl out. It didn’t stop right them either; I had quite the bug problem in that horrible state of Maine. I think it was because I didn’t have an air conditioner, and the house was poorly protected from the elements so all I could do was put a fan in the window (letting bugs in despite the screen).

It was a horrible experience because they got into my hair, my cloths, and sheets. I can’t see a spider today without freaking out.

Dragonrider
2007-08-02, 07:39 PM
I'm not afraid of spiders or other insects. I'm not even that afraid of dying, except my one little horror is not being able to say goodbye to OTHER people before they die (it nearly happened with my grandfather).

I'm mildly claustrophobic and mildly acrophobic - but not to the point where it's debilitating.

I AM scared of two things: failure and losing control. Which are kind of the same thing, although not entirely.

My biggest and most crippling fear is probably the telephone. I get one in my hand and literally freeze up - I'm usually okay answering it, but dialing a call...even if it's my favorite aunt, my best friend, or my dad at work...my heart is pounding about a mile a minute when start to dial, and it's a supreme effort to actually press talk. How many teenage girls have THAT problem?

I'm getting better.

RationalGoblin
2007-08-02, 08:12 PM
I'm getting better.

I could go for a walk! /montypython

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Anyways, don't we have this exact topic EVERY 6 MONTHS?

I'm personally afraid of heights, Bossmiley said it the best, so I really have nothing to add, unless someone wants to find the old fear thread.

Arameus
2007-08-02, 08:19 PM
I always thought I was afraid of bugs. I realized I was just afraid of chitinous vermin. As such, I have no problem with caterpillars or moths or anything. I also seemed to manifest a fear of heights that I distinctly remember not having before. i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive
And everyone is afraid of being eaten alive. Think you aren't? If oyu thought you really might be eaten alive, you'd know otherwise.i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive
i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive
Sleep well! i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive i will eat you alive

The Vorpal Tribble
2007-08-02, 08:21 PM
Well, aside from the standard family/friends dying/injured, world destruction, etc...

Mmmm, I have a very healthy respect for heights, but I love to climb, so I'm not sure thats a fear.

I have a learned fear of japanese giant hornets because being stung by them is like being shot and I've been stung so many times that I have a latent toxin build-up that could send me into shock if I get stung again.

Other than that no real 'fears'. I'm wary of a good deal however.

Edit: Well, there is one more, about not being able to win the heart of a certain girl, etc, but y'know, that may need to be up there with the standards.

Siwenna
2007-08-02, 08:42 PM
Things that screw with my brain. Not paradoxes and the like, but drugs, brain damage, Alzheimer's disease, and strokes. Even drugs like Ritalin and Prozac, which I know help lots of people freak me out. Hell, I won't drink coffee. It's not as bad with the drugs because I can choose not to take them, but I have a major fear of strokes and Alzeimer's, especially since I found out that my grandfather probably had it. I love neuroscience and there's a radio program that focuses on topics in neuroscience, but I can't listen to it much of time because they have a lot of stuff about stroke victims and that upsets me too much.

Ranis
2007-08-02, 08:57 PM
I am hemophobic.

From an incident many of you probably know of involving the index finger of my right hand and an axe.

blackfox
2007-08-02, 09:35 PM
I used to be afraid of monsters as a little kid. (7,8,9 years old. I read to many wierd fantasy books.) I got over that after a year and a half of playing Heroes of Might and Magic... all sorts of wierd creatures in those games.

I'm afraid of the usual failure, incompetence, etc. stuff.

I'm afraid of fire. I won't light matches, I hate candles with a burning (no pun intended) passion, I won't go near a campfire or even a fireplace... It used to be a lot worse than it is now, though... I wouldn't touch the stove or the oven as a kid. >.<

Nomrom
2007-08-02, 09:45 PM
I'm afraid of doing something new. I hate having to try something new, because I know it will be a failure. At restaurants, I never order something new, because I know one thing I like, and I'm afraid to try something else. I also tend to not try new restaurants for the same reason.

Midnight Son
2007-08-02, 09:47 PM
They say the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. That's why I'm curled up in a wimpering, trembling ball; afraid that I'm gonna be afraid.

Lilly
2007-08-02, 10:23 PM
Long time members are now sticking around long enough to notice the thread cycle. We also get a "what the origin of your username?" and "useless trivia" around the same time as the fear thread.

My fears, ghosts, things without eyes (zombies, skulls etc), and falling from heights.

The fear of ghosts is the worst. I can't really stand to be in places with a lot of history for very long. I flipped out after spending 4 days in Charleston. The closet door opened itself, and I hide and start yelling for my mom. And my friends start telling stories about how their dead uncle comes to visit, and I don't sleep well that night.

Gowron
2007-08-02, 10:38 PM
We Klingons fear NOTHING!

Except for the *shudder* Tribbles.

Thrawn183
2007-08-02, 10:42 PM
My dad. I thought the nightmares where he killed me would go away once I went to college. I was wrong.

I'm not good with heights, but I managed to take rock climing lessons and go sky diving. Its really helped.

I gotta agree with the phone one. People always get mad at me for procrastinating. But its really not that, its just that I'm terrified of calling people up to get stuff done. Now, if I was there in person, it wouldn't be a problem, but those cold calls, shake me to the core. I think its actually harder for me to call somebody I don't know... say to make a reservation at a restaurant, than it is to ask a girl out on a first date.

SurlySeraph
2007-08-02, 11:04 PM
I don't fear spiders so much as hate them. Loathe them from (near) the bottom of my soul. It's very hard for me to avoid killing spiders just for existing; I have to remind myself that they get rid of mosquitos to spare any, and if they're more than half an inch in size I kill them anyway.

On to what I actually fear.

1. Really wide open spaces, especially when they're brightly lit. I just freeze up, I look for a corner or something. It just doesn't feel safe. The fact that I've lived in a big city my whole life probably is responsible for this - if I can't find a shadow within a hundred feet, I feel trapped. It's worst with stuff like gyms and big indoor basketball courts. The outdoors is usually okay, if there are trees and tall grass, but completely exposed spaces just make my pulse spike.

2. I'm terrified of failing. Much more terrified than is healthy. Whenever I'm doing something that's really important for me, something that doesn't matter much to anyone else, I get so worried that I lose track of what's going on and just immediately mess up irreversibly. It doesn't happen to me when I'm taking tests, where it feels like I'm doing it for my future/ people I will later help with my knowledge, but on stuff like sports tournaments I just can't focus, immediately fail, and never forgive myself for it. I've screwed up many, many wrestling tournaments because I'm so scared of failing - I easily win my first match, knowing I can do this, and then think "What if I lose the next one?" and promptly do so, because I just get completely scared. In the private school state tournament in 9th grade, I lost to 3 people in a row, all of whom I'd easily beat earlier in the season - not because they'd gotten better, but because I was scared that I'd lose to them. There's this girl I was actually in love with who I never asked out, even though I knew she liked me, because I was afraid that I'd sound stupid or make her stop liking me. She eventually just gave up on me. I'm never going to forgive myself for that one.

3. Becoming evil. I'm a very unpleasant person in a lot of ways. I'm terrified that I will become actually evil. I'm pretty violent and always have been, I'm very self-righteous, and I'm more judgemental than I should be. Combined with the aforementioned fear of failure, I often show very bad judgement - either I go after people, thinking I shouldn't allow them to keep doing bad things, or I do absolutely nothing, thinking I'll just make things worse. Plus, I've got ADHD, I'm kind of bipolar, and I have most of the symptoms of early-stage schizophrenia. I know it would take very little to make me snap and decide that I'm the instrument of God's vengeance or something along those lines and start destroying the lives of people I consider sinners. You know Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver? I know I could end up like that, and thinking about that possibility scares the hell out of me.

Hell Puppi
2007-08-02, 11:20 PM
Er, wow. I Let's see....
I'm scared of the dark, not so much because it's dark or I can't see, but because my brain hates me. I'm walking Perfectly fine through a dark hallway when this though flashes through my mind:
"There's something behind you."
I think "No there isn't..." But now I'm afraid anyway and the metal image sends me tearing though the hallway, or afraid that I'm gonna reach for a lightswitch and somethings gonna grab my hand.

I'm also afraid of not being able to help someone, or someone going to come to me for advice and I'm not going to know what to say.

Also afraid of going crazy.

Nomrom
2007-08-02, 11:51 PM
I'm also afraid of not being able to help someone, or someone going to come to me for advice and I'm not going to know what to say.

I have this problem too, but it's got some foundation, because there have been times I could have helped someone and I didn't. I never know what to do in situations like that. I think it has to do with my inability to really be serious, the fact that I look at everything as a joke, and my complete lack of ability to understand other people's emotions.

Pyrian
2007-08-03, 12:10 AM
I have a lot of generally legitimate fears... For instance, I don't fear snakes if I know they're not poisonous (or huge), but random strange snakes do scare me.

On the other hand, I have a couple of fears that go well beyond the standard of reasonable caution:

I'm afraid of heights, and generally dislike and/or avoid any activity that involves them unless there's reasonably wide, solid ground beneath my feet. I do fly on airplanes, but I don't like to! Thrill rides, though - no way.

And, I'm pathetically, boot-shakingly afraid of asking women out. :smallredface: I can do it, mind you, but only after mustering all my will-power and determination. And even then I literally shiver in terror in the process. Very annoying. :smalltongue:

Castaras
2007-08-03, 06:23 AM
Injections.

Fainting, avoiding syringes whenever possible, not even being able to watch cartoony syringes...

Gah. It's annoying. *sigh*

Exachix
2007-08-03, 06:51 AM
Heights.

I hate heights. Twice I have not gone abseiling/rock climbing because of it. I know I'm safe, I just start thinking of things that can go wrong, and it worries me. Like when flying. I hate it because I can THINK of what will go wrong.

I am also afraid of learning to drive.
I don't really think being in control of a cage of heavy metal capable of hitting someone and killing them is what I want. It'll be a problem in later life if I don't, so I probably should learn...

Exeson
2007-08-03, 08:18 AM
Injections.

Fainting, avoiding syringes whenever possible, not even being able to watch cartoony syringes...

Gah. It's annoying. *sigh*

One of my good friends has the same problem, he broke a Doctors nose once cause the doctor was trying to give him a jab. But he has recently gone to a shrink and now as long as it isn't too big you can get near him with a needle.

Rex Idiotarum
2007-08-03, 08:28 AM
My fears: The sound Flies and Bees make when they get right up in your ears. Not the bugs themselves, just the noise. This goes back to the white striped @#$%in' devils that lived borrowed in the lawn I mowed. I get tiny pains thinking about them. I could stand such bugs when they are out of my way or stationary, it's just the buzzing.

Something on my chest always makes me panic mentally. I can't even wear long-sleeved shirts without feeling really uncomfortable. Asphyxiation, not my thing.

Other than those to, I realised that as long as I know what is going on, I won't have fear.

tannish2
2007-08-04, 03:31 AM
general paranoia and mild fear of everything, but that just comes from overthinking, my only real fears are stupid, and fear, so i stay inside and try not to say much/look@mirrors

Vuzzmop
2007-08-04, 04:19 AM
I'm afraid of sharks. Not the little, unaggressive ones, dangerous, juggernaut of death ones with the testosterone issues. The thing that really gets me is the eyes. They're lifeless, black and dull, until it attacks you, it's jaws thrust forward with hunger, and it's eyes roll back and become white. It finally seems more alive than anything else, and far more alive than you soon will be. You have nowhere to go, you are in the water, and it's coming for you, fast. You struggle to get out to shore again, but it bites into your torso and begins to drag you down, drowning you while you bleed out, until it finally puts you out of your misery, and the last thing you see is it's eyes roll back and become black again, glossing over while it finishes you off, and moves on to it's next meal.

This has taught me two things. That I should wright horror novels, and that everyone who reads this is having nightmares tonight.

Castaras
2007-08-04, 04:25 AM
One of my good friends has the same problem, he broke a Doctors nose once cause the doctor was trying to give him a jab. But he has recently gone to a shrink and now as long as it isn't too big you can get near him with a needle.

Yeah...I don't think I've got violent around an injection...

Although that may be because I've only had one in my whole life, and that was the one that made me faint first.

>.<

@^ Heh. You're not gonna give me nightmares mate. Not after the episode of Doctor Who called "Blink".

Vuzzmop
2007-08-04, 04:27 AM
Well you can't say I don't try. Not too big on injections/blood tests my self.
Weeping Angels have got nothing on a bull great white in a frenzy.

Arameus
2007-08-04, 05:23 AM
Long time members are now sticking around long enough to notice the thread cycle. We also get a "what the origin of your username?" and "useless trivia" around the same time as the fear thread.

My fears, ghosts, things without eyes (zombies, skulls etc), and falling from heights.

The fear of ghosts is the worst. I can't really stand to be in places with a lot of history for very long. I flipped out after spending 4 days in Charleston. The closet door opened itself, and I hide and start yelling for my mom. And my friends start telling stories about how their dead uncle comes to visit, and I don't sleep well that night.

My uncle came back as a ghost, and actually had many prolonged sightings about his house! Talking to people, walking around, sitting and (apparently) watching TV, which terminated in him eventually conversing with the living, the course of which led up to him deciding to move on. His incorporeal form was witnessed to turn and walk out of the house. This was a few years ago, and he's not been back.

Believe it or not.

evisiron
2007-08-04, 07:30 AM
Hmm..not too many really bad fears, but have a few mild ones:

1. Needles. For injections and the such. Even people talking about them, I can feel a painful throb where I got the BCG, and feel uncomfortable. Seeing a needle does the same thing. Admittedly, I can get an injection when I need to without freaking out or anything, but it is such a relief if I find I dont have to get it.
2. Having to ensure my own survival. This is a kind of odd on to explain. It is like I feel better if my life is in someone elses hands. For example, I have no problem with heights, unless I am the one climbing. I love rollercoasters, but was terrified when driving when I was starting out.
3. Bugs getting inside my clothing.

And semidi, that really sucks! That would mess me up.

Sean92k
2007-08-04, 08:03 AM
Im also afraid of needles, I was willing to risk getting Tb just to skip the vaccination.
Vazzomp, you should write some sort of horror novel, I could picture it all in my head and even though i was about to be ripped to shreads by a giant shark it was damn cool.
Atm, Im scared of things hitting the back of my neck. Last night I realised how close your spine is to your skin and how unprotected it is and it freaked me out :eek:

Dragonrider
2007-08-04, 04:24 PM
I am also afraid of learning to drive.
I don't really think being in control of a cage of heavy metal capable of hitting someone and killing them is what I want. It'll be a problem in later life if I don't, so I probably should learn...

I had that problem. Huge. Massive. I had to get my permit a year ago, when I turned 15, because my parents wanted me to drive my brothers around...I TOLD them I was scared, that I wasn't ready....

Sad that they still didn't believe me even after the first time I drove, I crashed and totaled my dad's beloved car.

:smallamused: Yes, I'm sure that was ever so helpful in assuaging your fears. Seriously though? It was...holy crap, a year ago tomorrow. And I'm now a fully confident driver getting my license in a month, my drivers' ed teacher told me that I was one of the best in the class. Probably BECAUSE I crashed the car and "What might happen" DID happen.

I confess, however, that driving is still NOT a joyful experience.

SDF
2007-08-04, 05:49 PM
@^: I never went through drivers ed myself. I just had my dad teach me, and when I went to get my road test the instructor said I was the best driver he'd had in months. It was scary knowing most people on the road were worse than me >_< (I wasn't that great) I love driving though. It's calming, I can just think and listen to music. ^_^

I still don't get the fear of needles thing. Why just today while I was picking up my mess I accidentally stabbed myself in the hand and chest with a 1 inch needle that had been left out. Oops. :P

Dragonrider
2007-08-04, 06:15 PM
Well my dad WAS teaching me...DID teach me...we just had that little incident, there. :smalltongue:

He managed to reduce me to tears a lot of the time (largely in frustration), particularly learning to back up, but he was really good about his wrecked car, too...while I was sobbing and feeling awful, he couldn't stop laughing and all he said to me was, "This is gonna be great - I'll be able to tease you forever and I can't wait to tell my friends about this." And "Don't feel bad, in a year you'll enjoy telling the story."

Heh. My dad's so cool. Even though he's always right. :smallamused:

Vuzzmop
2007-08-04, 08:15 PM
I can't stand driving lessons with Dad. He's too irrational and worries too much about little things, instead of the big picture. My Mum's way easier to leearn from. So, who had nightmares after my post? I want to know if I should keep writing horror.

ForzaFiori
2007-08-04, 08:26 PM
SPIDERS!

i CANT STAND them. if i see one, i will SPRINT away from it. If it is somewhere i need to go, i have to have someone kill it. I cant even stand seeing cobwebs. and those fake plastic spiders w/ the webs? nope, dont like those either, my mind keeps making me think they're real. So much so that a teacher had to remove one from her room to keep me from basically hyperventilating.

I'm also not that fond of bugs, though its not that bad, i just dont like them on me.


I'm also terrified of asking a chick out, though i'm getting better at that one.

TSGames
2007-08-04, 09:14 PM
True fear is something so internalized and such an integral part of most human beings that it cannot be expressed in words. True fear is what the person thinks is the case under which he will surely have no hope. And what should happen when the person confronts this fear? Surely, to this person, there can be no hope of escape and despair is all that awaits.

I had better stop here, you would not like the rest.

PhallicWarrior
2007-08-04, 09:44 PM
@^ Heh. You're not gonna give me nightmares mate. Not after the episode of Doctor Who called "Blink".

I forget, what happened in that episode? Also, if you haven't gotten violent around needles, you haven't had your nose cauterized. Having a nice big needle full of Novacaine pointed at your head seems like the sort of thing that would set a needlphobe off. As a side note, nose cauterization doubles as a means of torture! (at least if it was done poorly.)

Dragonrider
2007-08-04, 10:36 PM
Found out I'm getting my wisdom teeth out in a couple months. And they'll be putting an IV, a pulse moniter in my finger, and about three other instruments in me...needles. Joy abounds.

I guess they'll also give me shots in my mouth, but that after they've put me under.

This will be in January.

Fun.

Extra_Crispy
2007-08-04, 11:40 PM
Lets see when I was a kid, I was scared of the dark. Those little nasty gnomes with cobras on leashes would come out from under my bed when the light went out. Yes you can laugh, my imagination ran away with me when I was a kid.

Used to be scared of heights. If I did not realize how high up I was, I was fine. Rollercoasters - fine. Fariswheel - BAD. At the age of 10 my older cousing and sister took me on a feriswheel, one that the cage you were in spun also. My cousin (a very large woman) reached over and spun the wheel and I freaked. Grabbed the wheel and would not let go, my mind just shut down. When the ride stopped they had to get the opperator to pry, with the help of my father, my fingers off the wheel so that we could get out of the ride as we were upside down. When I climbed out it was like I was in a coma or something, I dont remember anything after my cousin spun the wheel. Out grew that quickly.

There is only one thing I am fearfull now that I am an adult. Death of friends and family, espically the family. I know it happens to us all but it will destroy me when my parents die. We are very very close. They have saved my life, not litteraly but... I could care less if I die, am badly injured, or lose functioning like sight. I survived being burned severly and electrified. Death and injury does not bother me at all. Losing my family on the other hand, I would volenteer for 100 years of torture in hell just so my family would not suffer or so I could spend more time with them.

Pyrian
2007-08-05, 01:38 AM
I survived being burned severly and electrified....Thus the username? :smallsmile:

Orzel
2007-08-05, 01:40 AM
Blindness

the thought of it scares and angers me

The last time someone did something that I thought injured my eyes, I freaked and stabbed him in the arms. Both. I threw the last guy to break my glasses down a flight of stairs then fainted.

Death of friends, family, and lovers.

Someone dies in my family every 2 months now. Anything I hear than someone went to the hospital, I can't sleep for a week from the nightmares.

The Orange Zergling
2007-08-05, 02:23 AM
Insects and spiders.

Just... ew. I will freak out and flail around if I see one on my skin. I will never willingly touch one, and will generally kill them if possible.

Pain, in general.

This is weird because when frustrated I like to bite myself in the arm. Doesn't draw blood, but sometimes makes it go red for a day or two... I'm also excessively cautious.

Drowning.

Not water, just dying in it... I used to be able to swim moderately well, haven't swam in several years, though.

Naleh
2007-08-05, 03:45 AM
Heights. Oddly, not really high heights, like at the top of a skyscraper; but anything 2-50 metres above the ground is hell. I just can't think rationally.

I used to be afraid of spiders, but I've got over that. Now they're just distasteful. When I find one, I tend to pick it up with something and move it away, just because it annoys me.

Driving. Exachix put it well a few posts ago:
I don't really think being in control of a cage of heavy metal capable of hitting someone and killing them is what I want. It'll be a problem in later life if I don't, so I probably should learn...

Public speaking (or public anything, really). Really, I'm terrified. And yet, I do Drama, and enjoy it. I draw some sort of line there... I think that it's because, when I'm acting, I'm not really "me". I'm the character. Or something like that. Anyway, I can act fine, but anything else public is a big fear.

I don't have problems with needles. In fact, I rather like getting injections at school, because it's always the 'tough' and 'cool' people who break down in tears, and I, their ancient target, don't even notice when the injection's over.

On the other hand, I have a deep-seated hatred of pills. I can never get them down, and then they gradually disintegrate in my mouth and taste more horrible than you could imagine, and then I throw up. But that's not really a fear.

The thing with my fears is, I don't fear the consequences. I'm not afraid of falling and breaking a leg. I'm not afraid of crashing a car into anything or anyone. I'm not afraid of being embarassed in public. I don't really fear any thing. But whenever I'm in one of those situations, I just seize up.

And I do believe this is my longest post on this forum, and possibly my biggest actual-content post anywhere. :smallbiggrin:

Extra_Crispy
2007-08-05, 05:53 AM
...Thus the username? :smallsmile:

Exactly :smallwink:

Though you think with all that I would be scared of fire or being electricuted and the pain that goes with all that but I am not. Like I said in my post death or injury to me does not bother me at all. Others espically my parents -- scares me alot.

Jimmy Discordia
2007-08-05, 06:14 AM
I have very few actual, concrete fears in the classic heights/spiders/death sense. I was in a near-fatal car wreck three years ago... for a couple of months, I would start to tense up when I got behind the wheel, but eventually, it just... went away.

That said, I'm utterly terrified of failure and rejection. I have a fair idea of why this is, but I can't for the life of me come up with a way to fix it. This is to the extent that I don't even undertake a lot of potentially-rewarding ventures even when there aren't any real consequences to failure, simply because the idea of it scares the hell out of me.

Largely, I think this is because my concept of self-worth is tightly bound with the idea of always winning. I don't hold other people to the same standards as myself, but in my mind I'm perfect or I'm worthless. Even winning isn't always enough, if I don't win by a great enough margin.

I'm aware that this is incredibly stupid, but like most of the incredibly stupid things that people do, I'm at a loss as to how to turn it off.

Were-Sandwich
2007-08-05, 06:33 AM
The idea that something infintely bigger, wider and complex than myself, which is totally incumprehensible an unknowble to me is cotrolling my life, thoughts and "soul".

Therefore, I'm an aeitheist, and don't sucscribe to Sychronicity or any other theory like that.

Arameus
2007-08-05, 06:41 AM
Not to pick, but is it smart to completely ignore something because the concept frightens you? Defusing your anxieties by refusal to acknowledge their source seems like faulty logic.

However I, who have an immense fear of bugs, can't really just stick my fingers in my ears on that one. There was a giant cicada hatching out of its shell on my backporch just the other day. That... monstrous atrocity is just disgusting! :smallfurious: :smalleek:

Pyrian
2007-08-05, 11:34 AM
Though you think with all that I would be scared of fire or being electricuted and the pain that goes with all that but I am not.Not necessarily. There are two most common responses to a trauma: you become afraid of it, or you lose all fear of it ("been there, done that"). I'm actually kind of curious what makes people respond one way and not the other; the actual severity of the trauma is a factor, but does not seem to be a determinant.

SurlySeraph
2007-08-06, 12:40 AM
I have very few actual, concrete fears in the classic heights/spiders/death sense. I was in a near-fatal car wreck three years ago... for a couple of months, I would start to tense up when I got behind the wheel, but eventually, it just... went away.

That said, I'm utterly terrified of failure and rejection. I have a fair idea of why this is, but I can't for the life of me come up with a way to fix it. This is to the extent that I don't even undertake a lot of potentially-rewarding ventures even when there aren't any real consequences to failure, simply because the idea of it scares the hell out of me.

Largely, I think this is because my concept of self-worth is tightly bound with the idea of always winning. I don't hold other people to the same standards as myself, but in my mind I'm perfect or I'm worthless. Even winning isn't always enough, if I don't win by a great enough margin.

I'm aware that this is incredibly stupid, but like most of the incredibly stupid things that people do, I'm at a loss as to how to turn it off.

I am exactly like that. Even when failure would be meaningless, I can't stand the risk of failing. This has caused me to make my life suck in innumerable ways on countless occasions, but at least I don't do anything wrong.

Hell Puppi
2007-08-06, 12:58 AM
Not necessarily. There are two most common responses to a trauma: you become afraid of it, or you lose all fear of it ("been there, done that"). I'm actually kind of curious what makes people respond one way and not the other; the actual severity of the trauma is a factor, but does not seem to be a determinant.

Actually I've been burned so severely that's its taken 5 surgeries to get the skin on my chest to almost back to normal. I still have a 2 cm scar running down the length of most of my chest.
The burn was caused by boiling water, but to be honest I'm not really scared of it. I can still cook fine, though I am extra careful :smallwink:

Yeril
2007-08-06, 04:18 AM
Monsterous things jumping out in the dark, have you ever seen one of those flash movies or video clips that are perfectly innocent, like a spot the difference or a long box of text or somthng so your sitting quietly closley watching and then BOOM picture of the zombie girl from exorcist or somthing and a huge scream in your speakers freaks the CRAP out of you!

Im preety much scared about that to the extent that almost every time I open a door when its dark, or turn around, or do somthing I just get this mental image of some screaming zombie/ghost girl jumping straight at my face screetching :smalleek:

It doesn't effect me that much other than sometimes I hesitate to open a door, exept after ive like watched a horror movie alone and feeling abit freaked out I wont dare open any doors/cupbaords. :smallfrown:

Jibar
2007-08-06, 05:15 AM
Oh wow, a fear thread I haven't posted in.

Hi, I'm the resident toteophobe, and the only thing that stops me from being completely paralysed with fear is the food in my stomach, and the hundreds of nervous twitches I've accquired over the years.
People call me a coward, I say I'm the smart one. When thos octopi are crawling out of the sea and killing you all, I'll be ready.

Xuincherguixe
2007-08-06, 06:12 AM
I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm afraid of being normal :P

Also afraid that no matter how hard I try, I can never be succeed. But that's a pretty poor one since it's so open ended. Success can just be doing well in impossible situations :P

Dragonrider
2007-08-06, 05:44 PM
I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm afraid of being normal :P


As in, you don't want to be "just another person"? "One of them"? You don't want to join the Sheeple? Oh dear, you're not American, are you? Because that's not allowed in this country, we're all supposed to be conformists, did you miss the memo?

:smalltongue:

Not a bad thing, my friend.

evisiron
2007-08-06, 06:38 PM
I forget, what happened in that episode? Also, if you haven't gotten violent around needles, you haven't had your nose cauterized. Having a nice big needle full of Novacaine pointed at your head seems like the sort of thing that would set a needlphobe off. As a side note, nose cauterization doubles as a means of torture! (at least if it was done poorly.)

Oh ho ho! You will love this. Read to the end for a happy ending.

First off, through my childhood, I had regular nosebleeds. As in, would randomly start pouring from my head with no warning. Irritating. Worse was the cauterizing the nose, mostly with some silver nitrate compound (I think). This happened about 4 times, so I know how bad it is, in the inside of a healthy nostril.

I tell you this to set the scene for the next part. Have you ever heard of an ingrown toenail? Doesn't sound to bad, but it is. It occurs when the nail grows into the flesh. The tissue responds by (I love this) swelling up! If this punctures the flesh, it may become infected, and swell even more, while becoming inflamed (from infection) and filled with oozing pus. This happened to me...with both toes... at the same time. I didn't bother getting it seen to early as it wasn't a problem until it began to swell up, and thought the infection would clear with antibiotics. Wrong. By this time, I was finding it increasingly difficult to walk (why did I put up with that?) through the pain, and something needed to be done, as an important Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition (4 day hike over mountains) was coming up soon.

So, I had the local doctor look at it. Mistake! First off, he speared the toe with a needle to inject the pain killer, but he messed up, and so it felt as if the skin on the underside of my toe had burst. Needless to say, this hurts like a B:smallfurious: ch. It then turned out he got the doses wrong. And. Had. To. Do. It. Again. It was worst the second time.

Still unsure whether the painkillers had taken effect, he revealed his plan. The doctor was going to chemically cauterize the large, pulpy, incredibly sensitive pieces of skin which had errupted from the sides of my toes. Think, scrapping away layers of skin and then filling the wound with long lasting acid. Ouch.

And the kicker? The procedure did not work. I had to do the hike on 2 highly infected ingrown toenails. And this was no minor infection. To give you an idea, the pus was able to seep from my toes through 2 layers of socks... then dry. Like a scab. And each night I had to chip through the scabbed pus from my socks (which also really hurt) or use water to loosen it, before I could try to take my sock off.

Happy Ending:

I got through the hike. After returning, a competent podiatrist had set up, and treated the toes in an efficient and almost painless set of procedures. Moral of this story? Always try to see a specialist!