Phobias...

Karen Garcia5 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Jan 2012

#1 · Jan 14, 2006

Does anyone else here have a phobia, or know someone who does? For me, I pass out every single time I have to get blood drawn 🙂 I’m not sure if there's a specific name for it, maybe hemophobia or something... 😬 I know it sounds ridiculous, and I can laugh about it, but when it’s actually happening, it isn't funny at all 😁

Megan Reed Active Member

170 messages
joined Sep 2005

#2 · Jan 14, 2006

You've got a few different topics regarding phobias listed under psychology here.

Karen Garcia5 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Jan 2012

#3 · Jan 14, 2006

Man... my mistake 🙂

Lisa Moore7 Member

35 messages
joined Feb 2007

#4 · Jan 14, 2006

Why not here? I’ve got massive acrophobia—even being three feet off the ground messes with me. I used to think I was claustrophobic too, until I met a woman who actually struggles with it. She gets legit panicked just being stuck in a car or a bus. For me, it's different... if something is right in my face, I feel like I can't breathe immediately.

placidraven22 Member

23 messages
joined Sep 2004

#5 · Jan 14, 2006

I’ve got a massive phobia of lakes, rivers, or even just a swamp... my head starts spinning, I can't catch my breath, and my chest tightens up. Plus, heights kill me too. Everything goes blurry and I get that sickening feeling like something is pulling me straight down... brrr.

Steven Cruz53 Newcomer

7 messages
joined Feb 2013

#6 · Jan 14, 2006

I’ve got a massive phobia when it comes to dogs—honestly, I’m pretty wary of animals in general, but dogs? They are my absolute nightmare...

Karen Garcia5 MemberOP

10 messages
joined Jan 2012

#7 · Jan 18, 2006

placidraven22 said:I’ve got a massive phobia of lakes, rivers, or even just a swamp... my head starts spinning, I can't catch my breath, and my chest tightens up. I’m terrified of heights too. Same thing happens—dizziness and that weird feeling like something is pulling you down... creepy.

Don't overeat? I haven't heard that one before. 😱

Chloe Palmer2 Regular

266 messages
joined May 2009

#8 · Jan 18, 2006

Heights, though I only really notice them when I'm on bridges or standing on high-rise balconies. When I'm cruising at a few thousand feet in an airplane, I just look out the window and see nothing. It feels perfectly normal, I suppose.
Anything goes 🙄 😁

placidraven22 Member

23 messages
joined Sep 2004

#9 · Jan 18, 2006

Thomas Hernandez21 said:Don't eat too much? Now that's a new one. 😱

Honestly, people are unbelievable.
I haven't heard anyone mention being afraid of lakes or anything, but being near those waters is genuinely tough for me. Even if it sounds weird, whenever I'm at the beach, I stick strictly to the sand because I need to see what's under my feet. It's a phobia, plain and simple. And believe me, living with it isn't easy—especially when you're surrounded by people who think you're just making stuff up for attention.

Megan Reed Active Member

170 messages
joined Sep 2005

#10 · Jan 18, 2006

Let me drop a little psychological insight here for you:

neonmarlin2 said:There isn't such a thing as an official "list" of phobias, because a phobia is just an extreme, irrational fear of any specific object or situation you can possibly dream up!

And then I'll go ahead and toss in my favorite little directory for all those fears: www.phobialist.com. 😁

Michael Garcia23 Member

36 messages
joined Jun 2006

#11 · Jan 18, 2006

I’ve got this massive phobia when it comes to bridges. Honestly, I could never bring myself to cross one—unless someone else is behind the wheel and I just shut my eyes tight. Same goes for blood; if someone gets a little cut or anything like that, I’m out. Uhhhhh

coastalpilot11 Newcomer

1 message
joined Jan 2006

#12 · Jan 19, 2006

Is it possible I'm hitting the early stages of a phobia if I can make it up a certain number of floors in a skyscraper, but I just can't bring myself to go to the top? It’s because I get this sudden fear that I won't be able to make the trip back down once the panic sets in. Maybe it sounds stupid, but this has happened to me a few times lately, even though I used to be totally fine with heights.🙂

Nicole James Regular

313 messages
joined Dec 2010

#13 · Jan 19, 2006

Phobophobia... now that’s an interesting concept to unpack 🙂

jadetinker85 Regular

446 messages
joined Jan 2024

#14 · Jan 19, 2006

Melissa Torres81 said:I have a phobia of dogs. Honestly, I'm afraid of animals in general, but dogs are my absolute nightmare...

I get it, though it’s changed for me. Just yesterday, I ran into this massive dog. It headed straight for me out of nowhere—just a lone dog popping out of a yard in the middle of nowhere, total desert vibes. No owners, nothing. 👎 So, I pulled out some Nilla Wafers and tossed one to him. He ate it. I did that three more times. By the time I was down to my last cookie and wondering what to do when the snacks ran out, the dog just picked himself up and wandered back into the yard.

placidowl6 Newcomer

6 messages
joined Dec 2005

#15 · Jan 19, 2006

I’ve got a massive phobia of the deep ocean—and honestly, standing next to those gargantuan cargo ships? Absolutely not. If I somehow slipped into that gap between a massive vessel and the pier, I’d probably die of pure terror before I even hit the water.

One of my worst nightmares is being stuck on some giant tanker in the middle of a midnight storm—just me, the pitch-black Atlantic, and that terrifying sound of massive amounts of metal screeching like styrofoam under the pressure of the waves.

restlesspanther1 Active Member

90 messages
joined Dec 2010

#16 · Jan 19, 2006

snake 😱

electricdriver78 Active Member

90 messages
joined Dec 2002

#17 · Jan 19, 2006

Paul Lopez49 said:Heights, though it’s really just when I’m on bridges or standing on high balconies... when I'm cruising at a few thousand feet in an airplane looking out the window, everything seems perfectly fine.
Kind of a weird one 🙄 😁

I feel the exact same way

plus I’ve got those phobias too, you know, spiders, snakes, and all that kind of stuff...

Drew Kim3 Member

11 messages
joined Jul 2006

#18 · Jan 22, 2006

I have a massive fear of heights; my vision starts going dark the second I look down.

neonmarlin2 Newcomer

8 messages
joined Jan 2006

#19 · Jan 22, 2006

Thomas Hernandez21 said:Does anyone else have—or know someone who has—a specific phobia? For instance, I pass out every single time I have to get blood drawn 🙂 Not sure if there's a fancy medical term for it, maybe hemophobia... 😬 I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous. It sounds ridiculous to me too, but when it’s actually happening, it’s definitely not funny. 😁

Hey Thomas Hernandez21!! Yeah, that is absolutely a phobia. 😁 Here’s a little fun fact about it since you might find it interesting... What defines most phobias is that the second you face the thing you're afraid of, your defense mechanism kicks in. Your body readies itself to run away and your heart starts racing like crazy. That’s how it works for pretty much every phobia EXCEPT yours. 🙂 With your type, the exact opposite happens—your heart rate slows down, your blood pressure drops suddenly, and that's why you black out. It’s basically the only phobia that triggers that kind of reaction. 🙂

neonmarlin2 Newcomer

8 messages
joined Jan 2006

#20 · Jan 22, 2006

Megan Reed, you really made my day. It’s such a great feeling when you realize someone actually reads what you write and—get this—actually remembers it(!) Thanks so much... 😘

p.s. I’d also add that people constantly mislabel their basic anxieties as phobias. They aren't the same thing, and trust me, actual phobias are a whole different beast. I personally have arachnophobia, and let me tell you, it’s led to some seriously embarrassing moments. Just for context: I freak out at almost any bug; if a grasshopper even looks at me funny, I’m probably going to scream and jump back, but that isn't even close to a true phobia. People dealing with real, severe phobias have incredibly restricted lives and face massive struggles.

Phobias...

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