irrational fears?

[anotheranon]

Damn, but this was a story out of my own childhood! Like the author, I had a fear of getting Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever as a kid, and for a similar reason (a distant cousin got it and I was told that it was "bad"). Totally ridiculous, since we were nowhere near the Rocky Mountains (hey, I was a very literal child), but I had sleepless nights worrying that some tick was going to travel cross country and climb into my sheets at night :P

Such was the first of many consuming irrational fears that I wasted many brain cycles on :P To this day I have spells where I can't even look at pictures of spiders (though the Podcast I heard about a woman who overcame her arachnophobia so fully that she now keeps the things as pets was.. er... inspiring[?] - I'd link but I can't find it), and let's face it, I'm unlikely to ever be trolling around in the Amazon where the really scary bastards live.

So - what's your favorite [snerk!] phobia, or phobia story?

Comments

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

it's not technically a phobia, because I know EXACTLY where it came from - it's simply a severe case of the willies that has only gotten worse in the 28 years since it happened. I can't handle caterpillars or worms. The legacy of a backpacking trip gone horribly wrong.

See, we have these things out east called Gypsy Moths, which are slowly heading west. They travel in swarms so large you can actually hear them munching the forest. Also, they have prickly hairs on them that sting.

I accidentally packed into a large swarm of them and spent 2 days with them crawling on my tent, crawling into my fire, crawling into my food, crawling on ME!!!! *shivers*

To this day the sight of anything resembling one (caterpillar, worm, slug, centipede, etc) totally freaks me out and makes me want to hurl.

I'm not real fond of bugs of any sort (and the cicadas are coming!) but more than 8 or less than 1 leg sends me screaming out of the room like a 50s housewife.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Naw, that's a phobia and a justly earned one - having them crawl on everything like that would do ANYONE in!!

amended

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, this IS a phobia, in the irrational sense, as centipides aren't likely to crawl on you AGAIN - but, the fact that you lived through it means you know what your'e talking about.

Damn, watch me try and post before the first cup of coffee :P