What are your phobias so i can hold them against you at forum events, ive heard some strange one, my physics teacher is scared of carpet.
Im scared of spiders, but not that much, and also not a fan of elevators.

noise made by power tools, and crowded places,

but I am ok with

spiders
worms
tunnels
flying
being alone

I don't fancy going through the Channel Tunnel but apart from that I am ok. I would be a little worried if a snake came into the house but not to thr point of freaking out.

oh - I luurrve the channel tunnel !

same!
its fun!

Only slight claustrophobia, but I feel uneasy in crowded places and hate large supermarkets and shopping centres - especially indoor ones - with thousands of people wandering around. I need to get out into the open air!

The most depressing place in my life was a monstrosity in Runcorn called Shopping City in the earl 80s. I was doing a Uni sandwich year nearby and lived close to this place for 2 months. An enclosed shopping centre on concrete pillars with a bus station underneath it. One more month and I'd have been in the looney bin!

Steve

its fun!

and so quick.

I really, really don't like electric shocks, even the idea of them
I don't understand how people can voluntarily put their hands on those games that give you electric shocks, even if they are only mild.

One of the strangest ones I've seen: an old friend of mine is scared of yellow fruits (e.g. bananas); he eats green pears but not yellow ones and he eats apples although we all try to tell him they're in fact yellow inside

I'm not telling you mine

People.

Anything snake-like (snakes, caterpillars, slugs...) or fish-like.
Eels are the absolute worst!

The idea of swimming in the same water as anything vaguely fishy sends shivers down my spine.

ALL creepy-crawlies and related delights - ie spiders (Big Time), slugs, snails, worms.

I'll never forget my dad throwing a worm at me when I was about six and it landed on my arm. Ewwww.

Him Indoors is WONDERFUL with spiders - he is quite happy to pick up even the biggest .

I don't like people much, either - I mean in large quantities and at close quarters, mainly - crowded and noisy pubs, the Tube (which I will do almost anything to avoid travelling on), airports, planes...

if i not mistaken the phobia thread has been posted by someone

i hate balloons because at the 1st grade i bursted it in my face hehe

Wasps.

And I'm talking major hissy panic.. with the old heart racing, cold sweat, struggle to breathe scenario. Not fun.

I'm terrified of lightning, because I was struck by it when I was 13 years old while on a camping holiday with the school in the New Forest.

Heights and getting blood samples taken - I try to avoid both at all costs!

Staff nights out at work.
Big parties where I know virtually nobody, but people seem to know me, or think they do.
Big busy crowds.

Never used to be bothered by heights until I had kids, now I am...

Not scared of: spiders, daddy long-legs or other creepy-crawlies - if it doesn't sting, I'll carry it out in my hands, if it does, I'll catch it live in a glass and put it out.

Flying, to the point where i physically can't get on a plane I'll have to get over that if i want to be a musician...
And blood tests :|

But my worst phobia is being sick, i mean, PETRIFIED. I've gone to all lengths to ensure i wont be sick and i havent been sick since i was about 4 (im 17 now). If i feel sick, i'll refuse to eat food and will eat ice as it stops you being sick, etc. I'll do anything not to be sick

And weirdly... i hate spiders, but like tarantulas

Anything injection-like, so that's the anaesthetics they give you at the dentist, vaccinations, that sort of thing.

If I have to have an injection, then I'll have it, but it won't stop me not feeling at all good about the whole thing...

I used to be phobic of spiders, but living in Australia for 2 years helped..... nothing eight-legged over here is ever going to be as bad as over there!

I can get overwhelmed in large supermarkets if I'm not careful, but have survived a trip to one today!

I hate the sound of crisp packets/sweetie packets being rustled!

Spiders!

Snap! They are so huge at the moment and they keep appearing when hubby's not around to rescue me. I've seen at least 5 monsters in the space of a few days running round my house - yuck!!

Music exams. *Starts shaking*

And I don't like performing at all either. I don't even like practising when I can be overheard.

I'm not keen on tunnels, though have managed the Channel Tunnel. You would never, never, ever persuade me to go pot-holing, and I hate The Deep (not the film, the actual deep, dark parts of lakes and seas and things). I was the only person in our family who had to cover my eyes in Finding Nemo when the diving goggles went down into the abyss. My children were very understanding. I redeem myself by being very cool and capable when spiders need to be removed from the house

A girl I knew at college had a serious button phobia - none of her clothes could fasten with buttons.

Love the topic - well, I mean it's a good topic to talk about!!

I'm absolutely petrified of spiders - bit of a cliche, I know! I can't even stand money spiders and get seriously freaked out by cobwebs etc!! I get the whole heart racing, shaking thing!!

The other day I was getting out of the shower and there was a rather large spider on my towel - I'm telling you, I've never screamed so much in my life...and I was completely hysterical! I'm sooo glad no one else was in!

My friend is actually rather appalled with me, because she said 'If I was asleep and there was a spider crawling into my mouth (following the old wives tale of swallowing spiders each night, etc), would you get it off in case I choked?' and I said no!! I would want to, but I actually wouldn't - psychologically- be able to get over the fact that it was a spider!!! Is that stupid of me?!

Oh, and I can't even - comfortably - touch pictures in books or whatever of spiders...

L

I've heard of button phobias before. I wish I could handle being near spiders, my phobia is so bad that I can sense when they are in the room!

I have this terrible fear of being sick, and I mean bad...
I was sick when I was 13 and for three month's I was in and out of hospital taking panic attacks (and gastrointeristis sp? ) cause I was sooo scared of being sick.
I resorted to all lenghts just to avoid anything that would possibly cause sickness, I wouldn't eat at night, I wouldn't eat out, I would only eat small amounts, then I had a fear of drinking fizzy juice. Eventually In my opinion I think I gave myself Coeliac Disease cause I barely ate for a year...

Taken me about 3 years to get over it haha

Nothing else, I actually like getting blood taken for some reason, Methinks I was a vampire in a previous life!

PSL

oh no, nor can I, I can't even bear to look at the picture, never mind touching! And I am the same, it doesn't matter what size. The problem that I find is that other people that just don't understand the problem and think that you are just being stupid and tell you to control yourself!

The worse of my hubby going away is that I am terrified that I will get one of these 8 legged unwanted visitors!

ET

Bridges ...
... especially wobbly ones ...

dont say that!! im moving there with my sister in decmber for 3 months; im afraid of spiders but she has freak attacks when she sees them....

i have a serious phobia of fire. cant/dont/wont light matches, or go near any flame. find it VERY hard to cook on gas cooker, am always very tense when i have to do so. terrifies me, i used to have recurring nightmares about fire.

Also serious fear of being alone during the night due to recurring nightmares; one period of my life i was having nightmares every night of the week, and couldnt sleep after them - got to the point where i was too scared to go to sleep in the first place, and through that period of time, turned into insomniac for a few months until help assisted me in being able to sleep when it was dark out.

People - large crowds of people, being in a room with strangers, trying to find a seat on a crowded train, meeting new people. Before I would have said that they were just things I didn't like, but after various experiences, including this afternoon in a rather large railway station, I think 'fear' is more apt.

Me too.

I have been known to have to run out of the room at parties and just ESCAPE..

I have a fear of ferries - in case other passengers are sick near me!
This phobia developed after a ferry journey back from Ireland in rough seas - it was one of the most horrendous experiences I've ever had. I won't go into any more details!

Moths. I don't know if it's their large bodies, or the flapping noise they make when they flap their wings, but they are really scarey. And they are a horrible, revolting brown colour. Yuck!

I used to have a phobia of flying, but was cured by several sessions of hypnotherapy and a flight to Australia. (That made flying seem very boring).

Snakes!

A slow worm popped out to see what I was doing whilst I was mowing the lawn today and gave me a touch of the heebie-jeebies!

Sorry to be boring and add to the list of spider scaredycats, but they put the fear of you know what into me. I'm fine with rats, bats, mice, snakes, blood pouring out of severed limbs........... but show me a big black hairy spider running at me and I scream big time.
My Dad and my Step Dad pick them up on their bare hands In fact, I knew my Step Dad really loved when I woke him at 1 am to get one off my bedroom wall ( this was some years ago), and he didn't shout at me
I now have an arrangement with the 8 year old boy across the road. He gets rid of my spiders when Barry isn't home, and I sort any blood spill situations at his house as they are all scared of blood. A good arrangement if you ask me
Beverley.

Feet.. They just aren't nice whatsoever ! I know it's strange, but to me they're just disgusting looking

Hmmmmmmmmmm, you wouldn't have got on very well with Warren Beatty then

Rats, mice, dogs and babies

Babies are pretty scary, I must admit. Some of my friends have just started popping them out, and visits have turned into sessions of trying to avoid holding their offspring... They look so fragile, and I'm always afraid of dropping one. I don't much fancy being vomited on either.

I agree. I just don't know what to do with them

Misread that as 'Maths' I don't like moths either! Glad you were cured for flying

Injections and blood tests. I need someone to sit on me when they're essential to stop me running away. It all stems from some bad experiences as a child.

I'm also mildly claustrophobic and feel very uncomfortable in crowded rooms. Not keen on being amonst crowds of people.

I'm not keen on sick but have learned to cope thanks to having children. Can totally sympathise on the bad ferry experience as I've experienced a few of those.

Can totally sympathise on the bad ferry experience as I've experienced a few of those.

Me too - one in particular - north sea between Newcastle and Stavanger.
19 hour crossing, with a baby and a toddler.

Not nice.

Me too...

Dead easy Babybird. Feed 'em, clean 'em, play with 'em and let them sleep. Done.

I'm mildly claustrophobic, at work I have to get some clothes on to a rail and roll it to the shop floor. That involves a veryy small elvator which I don't mind going in, however I went in with me, my two managers and four customer in this small elavator which caused me to freak out becuse it was just so horrible and claustrobic-y.

Also I don't like poeple touching me for hugs, or like touching me when I make a mistake on the piano etc. I just don't like hand contact or eye contact verry much . I find it hard to look poeple in the eye.

I don't like poeple watching me too. When I know they are watching me. I don't mind if they do it subtely but if people make it obvious I just won't do my best and get anxious about what they are thinking.

... oh dear this thread make me seems I have tooo many problems.

Needles and heights where there is a risk of falling!

needles

flying

lifts

Lots of needle phobias going on here....as a practice nurse I cheerfully and skillfully assault patients with needles all day long, and I love my job. "It's the same size of needle that I use to vaccinate newborn babies" I say to the adults quaking with fear as I approach, trying not to smirk.

However if I myself have to have an injection or a blood test, I get palpiations, cold sweats, shakes, have to lie down and take deep breaths during the procedure...and always without fail completely black out.