Have you any irrational fears?

[Purple Train]

Tall towers, especially clock towers, level crossings, the vast majority of footpaths, most dogs, luggage racks, rollercoasters, waterslides, and Picasso's violin.

1) Usually frightened they'll fall on me, especially if the clouds are moving.
2) Frightened of being marooned on the crossing - also hate the klaxon.
3) By which I mean ones next to a road. Always frightened that a vehicle will come from behind and hit me.
4) A couple of dogs I know are really sweet, but most of them are owned by people who refuse to believe a loud thing with teeth can be frightening without previous acquaintance.
5) I refuse to use the end ones in case my luggage gets stolen, and racks above the seats are usually too high for me to reach.
6) Make me sick. Nothing else does.
7) Wet enclosed plastic pipe that drops you into deep water at high speed? No thanks. I refuse to go in water of any depth where I can't stand flat-footed and breathe.
8) Gives me a headache.

 

[Ediswan]

Re irrational fears: all I can submit is, rather boringly, not being over-keen on spiders. Not an acute case of arachnophobia: realise "with head" that no British spider can do me any harm (hence the "irrational" bit): it annoys me to feel as I do -- as with you and cephalopods -- spiders are fascinating and accomplished creatures, and I wish I could like them.

There are several species of venomous spider in the UK. The worst bites are from the false widow.

 

[Calthrop]

There are several species of venomous spider in the UK. The worst bites are from the false widow.

Confess that I was, consciously, generalising rather wildly -- over-compensation, perhaps, towards spider-kind. If I understand correctly, British venomous spiders are not (rare, allergic reactions aside) able to deal out truly hideous / life-threatening harm; and it's a thing not likely to affect me, who have little interaction with spiders at any time. A guy whom I knew, told of once having been bitten (this happened in this country) by something called a woodlouse spider.

 

[AM9]

My only 'irrational' fear is claustrofobia. I put the word irrational in inverted commas as this fear only manifests itself when enclosure is close and likely to restrain movement, i.e. like a small cave or (more likely to be encoutered an MRI scanner. I have no fears of tunnels (road, rail, deep tube or even those on the Post Office railway at Mount Pleasant).

 

[ChrisC]

I have never liked snakes. In fact I have to avoid them if I see them. I have no idea why.

I’ve also never liked snakes. I can manage to view them from a distance but always thought I would never be able to touch one.

It was probably around 20 years ago, whilst I was still teaching, we went on a school visit to a science event being held at the University in Derby. Each class of children took part in a number of workshops during the visit and I didn’t know until we got there that one of these involved viewing and handling reptiles. I was horrified but felt that I had to put in a brave face in front of my class of 6 & 7 year old children. I wasn‘t helped by the fact that a couple of the parent helpers chose to stay outside of the room but I couldn’t really opt out. I sat there in a state of complete horror holding a huge python pretending that I was ok with this, whilst also gently persuading hesitant children to do the same. I’m not sure if I could have done that if the workshop had involved me coming into close contact with a rat!

 

[Acey]

Those suspicious little red/brown dots you get in egg yolk sometimes ( know they are harmless ,but still ) and those dodgy rectangular pads you find under joints of beef !

 

[VauxhallandI]

My only 'irrational' fear is claustrofobia. I put the word irrational in inverted commas as this fear only manifests itself when enclosure is close and likely to restrain movement, i.e. like a small cave or (more likely to be encoutered an MRI scanner. I have no fears of tunnels (road, rail, deep tube or even those on the Post Office railway at Mount Pleasant).

Pretty much snap. It doesn’t help when you have a scan and they inject you with adrenalin, that was in my top list of horrible experiences

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Being in any body of water when my feet aren't able to touch the bottom

I have actually experienced drowning 3 times in my teens and had to be resuscitated in hospital. I panic if I cannot stand in the swimming pool or the sea

I thought I would panic in the enclosed space of an MRI scanner but managed to face my fears by just self-talk in that it was for the greater good for me

 

[778]

Another thing I don't like is loud noises that make me jump. I don't know if that is an irrational fear though as humans are born with 2 innate fears of heights and loud noises.

Unfortunately it has sometimes got in the way of my enjoyment of railways, probably more so when I was younger. I don't really want to be too close to a train when I think its about to sound its horn, and I didn't like being in the front coach of a DMU or EMU because the horn would make me jump, although this is less of an issue with more recent built trains as they have better sound insulation.

Continuous loud noises I can deal with like a plane taking off, but sudden loud noises I don't like. I cannot stand fireworks, they are probably the wost thing for making me jump.

 

[AM9]

I thought I would panic in the enclosed space of an MRI scanner but managed to face my fears by just self-talk in that it was for the greater good for me

I do as well but twice, (out of four scans), I have persualded my GP to give me a prescription for Diazepam to help me keep still (I am a fidget). The last scan was an MRV, (a vein scan) that took nearly 40 minutes. I had the Diazepam OK but there were three phases of scans where I was asked to hold my breath for over 45 seconds whilst a detailed scan was completed. That was difficult,despite that fact that I can swimm 25m underwater taking about that time.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Another thing I don't like is loud noises that make me jump. I don't know if that is an irrational fear though as humans are born with 2 innate fears of heights and loud noises.

Unfortunately it has sometimes got in the way of my enjoyment of railways, probably more so when I was younger. I don't really want to be too close to a train when I think its about to sound its horn, and I didn't like being in the front coach of a DMU or EMU because the horn would make me jump, although this is less of an issue with more recent built trains as they have better sound insulation.

Continuous loud noises I can deal with like a plane taking off, but sudden loud noises I don't like. I cannot stand fireworks, they are probably the wost thing for making me jump.

This sounds like a lowered threshold for the startle reflex. Sometimes, it's a fear of an impeding sudden loud noise before it actually happens

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Moths - I can't stand them flying around quietly at night, knowing they could be eating away at some curtains, carpets etc.

I don't particularly like when they get in the house and make a racket bashing against the light fixtures, but I wouldn't call it a fear...

However if I'm camping I always wear earplugs after a moth crawled into my ear while I slept once, and couldn't get out. I awoke to an excruciating earache and the quite horrible sensation of it flapping about in my ear canal. Luckily my mother was able to pour water into my ear to flush it out- something she only did to "prove there couldn't possibly be anything alive in there"!

I realise this won't really help with your fear, sorry about that!

I don't particularly like spiders, though I wouldn't call it a phobia any longer. Any house spider in the UK I can now deal with using a heavy book, whereas in the past I'd have frozen with fear. Any footage of large spiders, or tanks with tarantulas or similar in zoos, I'll still give a very wide berth though. Snakes I don't mind, though if I encountered a deadly one in the wild I wouldn't be keen.

Heights can sometimes freak me out, but not always. I'm fine on high viaducts, looking out of high windows and even in planes, but watching wildlife programmes about those goats or ibex that scramble about on cliff edges turns my knees to blancmange!

 

[infobleep]

Not sure if these are irrational but I have a fear of anything suddenly coming towards me. So if a ball is going over my head, I don't like it. If can be any sudden unexpected movements towards me close by.

When I was aged between about 5 to 7, I got hit on the side of the head by a stray football in the school playground. Hence what led to this.

I also have a fear if any sudden noises in bathrooms or if the lights go out ir flicker. When I was young, I use to dream about not being able to turn off the taps in bathrooms. I don't have the fear iin kitchens though.

I assume those dreams coincided with me wetting the bed. My muscles took time to develope and get strong.

I'm scare of abseiling or Go Ape type activity centres. It may relate to the fact I don't have stereo vision and only see in 2D.

Zip wires not so keen but I have no problem in planes

 

[Sun Chariot]

Two wonderful irrational fears of two work colleagues, nearly 25 years ago:

One lady was fine with buttons attached to clothing - but she had a phobia of buttons laying unattached.

One chap had a phobia of toilet roll. He told us he hated the squishy sensation if he had to pick one up - but he was OK using loo roll on a holder. He admitted that he asked his wife to put new rolls onto the holder in their bathroom; he couldn't face doing it.
We never did find out what happened if he needed a new roll whilst sat on the toilet....

 

[Calthrop]

I don't think I would want to eat either, but may have to in future, now that fish populations are declining. I don't think an octopus would attack a human but a squid probably will if given the chance.

(My bolding) -- Forgive me -- but isn't this overall view of things, a bit "apres moi, le deluge"? I see some hope as regards retaining fish, in some way or shape, on the menu: in enormous numbers of people setting up back-garden carp ponds.

I don't particularly like spiders, though I wouldn't call it a phobia any longer. Any house spider in the UK I can now deal with using a heavy book, whereas in the past I'd have frozen with fear.

Bolded above: That is to say -- you read aloud to the creature, a great deal of super-dull technical or philosophical stuff, till it drops off to sleep and is no longer a problem ? (Sorry !) -- self-righteously, I try vis-a-vis big spiders, to do "catch and release" -- with a glass and a piece of card. As said in previous post: I'd wish to like these beasties; but sadly, can't.

One chap had a phobia of toilet roll. He told us he hated the squishy sensation if he had to pick one up - but he was OK using loo roll on a holder. He admitted that he asked his wife to put new rolls onto the holder in their bathroom; he couldn't face doing it.
We never did find out what happened if he needed a new roll whilst sat on the toilet....

There do seem to be medico-psycho-scientific Greek-and/or-Latin terms, for every kind of phobia. Wonder what the word is, for this one?

 

[THC]

There do seem to be medico-psycho-scientific Greek-and/or-Latin terms, for every kind of phobia. Wonder what the word is, for this one?

Papyrophobia is the fear of paper. The Greek for toilet is τουαλέτα (toualéta). I'll leave you to do the maths.

THC

 

[Islineclear3_1]

There do seem to be medico-psycho-scientific Greek-and/or-Latin terms, for every kind of phobia. Wonder what the word is, for this one?

Papyrochartapurgatorbia

 

[GB]

I don’t think it’s classed as a true irrational fear/phobia but trypophobia always makes me uncomfortable, particularly on images of skin.

 

[nlogax]

Wasps, particularly being trapped in a room with one.

For the longest time while on skiing trips or on rambles across clifftops or atop tall buildings I've repeatedly experienced 'high place phenomenon' aka catapedaphobia, the weird fear of jumping from high places. Believe this is a fairly common one but not something I hear many mention.

 

[Calthrop]

I don’t think it’s classed as a true irrational fear/phobia but trypophobia always makes me uncomfortable, particularly on images of skin.

There's a thread here on General Discussion, from some years ago, about these general matters -- titled Phobias, first post 5/6/17; much of this overall ground covered -- including quite a discussion about trypophobia. I'd have imagined that "a phobia is a phobia -- 'true' or otherwise, doesn't apply"; but the thread goes into assorted niceties from psychology and other disciplines -- one poster opining a propos trypophobia: "if it's any consolation, apparently it's not a learned phobia but a genetic repulsion. You were programmed to respond that way." If you say so, sir ...

 

[GB]

There's a thread here on General Discussion, from some years ago, about these general matters -- titled Phobias, first post 5/6/17; much of this overall ground covered -- including quite a discussion about trypophobia. I'd have imagined that "a phobia is a phobia -- 'true' or otherwise, doesn't apply"; but the thread goes into assorted niceties from psychology and other disciplines -- one poster opining a propos trypophobia: "if it's any consolation, apparently it's not a learned phobia but a genetic repulsion. You were programmed to respond that way." If you say so, sir ...

Interesting thanks. The genetic repulsion certainly works this end.

 

[PeterY]

My irrational fear is the thought of touching a fish. I can watch them in a tank all day but the though of one jumping out and I have to pick it up. Enough to drive a grown man to jelly.

I hate using someone else's throne (Toilet) for a number two.

 

[Trainguy34]

I hate using someone else's throne (Toilet) for a number two.

I am so glad it isn't just me, even when I was 2 I went a week without taking a no. 2 at my grandads in Spain and I still can't. Even the public loos near me are just as bad.

 

[johnnychips]

For the longest time while on skiing trips or on rambles across clifftops or atop tall buildings I've repeatedly experienced 'high place phenomenon' aka catapedaphobia, the weird fear of jumping from high places. Believe this is a fairly common one but not something I hear many mention.

I don’t think it’s a phobia as such; but I live in a flat with a balcony, and every now and again I think ‘I could jump off this’. Same thing while crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Evidently, I haven’t yet.

 

[Lewisham2221]

I dare say quite a few of the aforementioned fears are far from irrational, with contributors giving some quite logical explanations as to the origins of their fears.

For me, personally, it's spiders and needles. The thought of a spider touching me absolutely terrifies me, although I have got better at managing to be near them, primarily for the purposes of disposing of them! As for needles, I'll generally avoid them as much as possible without seriously putting my health at risk.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It's debatable if this is an irrational fear or not, but this thread coupling is too good to ignore...


Image is a screenshot of this thread nestled directly above the Rishi Sunak thread.

 

[Bevan Price]

1. An irrational dislike of earwigs - somehow i think they look rather sinister.

2. Strange dreams. Sometimes (in the dream) I get off a train or bus; sometimes I am just "there" in a place I know. I start to walk to my destination, but the route turns into a seemingly never ending distorted reality, increasingly different from where I thought I was. If I am lucky, I wake up quickly and end that dream.

 

[Ashley Hill]

hate using someone else's throne (Toilet) for a number two.

There’s nothing better than having a cr*p on your own toilet.

 

[Cowley]

There’s nothing better than having a cr*p on your own toilet.

Completely agree. I’ve seen some of the worst toilets in the world on building sites I’ve worked in.

It’s worth getting up 15 minutes earlier to avoid that horror show…

Actually thinking about it, if you’d seen some of them you’d probably say that it wasn’t an irrational fear.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Image is a screenshot of this thread nestled directly above the Rishi Sunak thread.


View attachment 149157

Brilliant! Definitely a rational fear...