Spoons
My little brother has a fear of tea spoons. You know the little spoons you use to eat small tubs of ice cream with. Dunno why but hecan't stand being near them.

Oh and i have a fear of falling off a wall and breaking my neck....but that is quite rational i think
(azrael2k4, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:22, Reply)

Centipedes
Ugh! They just make me squirm!

My housemate last year had to close the curtains in the sitting room as soon as it started to get dark, because people could "see in". I don't know why. It's when he also started doing the same with the kitchen curtains that it really worried me, because it only looked out onto the back yard... strange chap.

Oh and obviously toilets flushing were scary as a child. The noise of the cistern refilling is actually all the snakes inside, you see... and they'll come out if you get too close!
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:21, Reply)

intricate
this is a little on the fucked-up side...i am quite scared of random tramps stabbing me with disease-infected hypodermic needles...but why? whatever gave me the idea that people actually do that? got 14 piercings and plan more so more likely to be infected by one of those rapscallions...

also, can i propose a motion that would ban rats? no need for rats at all. horrible horrible squeaky creatures who will eat through anything and oh god no...

also, big one now, those "holiday from hell" documentaries when some fat bloke came back off holiday with an earache and had weird shit living in his ear (you can replace ear with any orifice)

oh and the idea of worms living in your body too...what the fuck was god thinking if he created all these things?

sorry for the length >.<
(conkers deep, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:15, Reply)

Getting over phobias takes a lot of courage and a lot of hard work
There are a number of resources out there and a number of therapies - CBT is my favourite.
1) Recognise the fear for what it is - a fear.
2) Look at the object of your fear objectively
3) Take small baby steps to facing up to your phobia - like looking at a picture for a second and working up to more time.
4) Take steps to introduce yourself to things associated with the phobia to disassociate them from the phobia.

Sorry, couldn't help posting this but after years of living in fear I like to share techniques that have worked for me.
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:09, Reply)

I have a stupid fear of
ghost trains and haunted houses. I don't know why, but they scare the absolute shit out of me, even the crappy fairground ones. I used to go on them as a kid, but only if I was in the middle car with one person either side of me and I'd go through the entire ride with my eyes shut and my hands clamped over my ears.

Oh, and maggots. Horrible bastards. Anything that wriggles and squirms like that is just WRONG WRONG WRONG.

I also used to have trypanophobia (fear of injections) but I had hypnotherapy for that.
(Rev. Otana, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:09, Reply)

when i'm in bed
i simply can't have my feet sticking out of the end of the duvet, i have no idea why, i always get a feeling of being exposed!
( viperrr mostly comes out at night, mostly, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:04, Reply)

Bathroom mirrors. I used to be terrified of them, but
I'm trying to overcome it with ever-increasing success. I think it stems from crappy horror movies. Something always happens to the (often nekkid and thus unable to run) girl in the bathroom, and often for a "clever" camera angle they'll show it through the bathroom mirror. Candyman, candyman, etc.

This fear manifests itself in two ways: I have to try not to blink if I catch sight of myself in the mirror ('cos then the director will "cut" to the scary thing behind me when I open my eyes) and I have to leave a "nice" face in the mirror (to try to persuade it not to get me next time).

[edit]Also, Mullet Over is right - Daddy-long-leggeses are terrifying.
( Dr Phil Kitten, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 20:02, Reply)

Henry Vacuum cleaners gave me the fear
I had a very bizarre dream as young lad that I went to a vacuum cleaner warehouse, somehow I managed to get locked in, and the evil Henry was chasing me around, trying to kill me. It screwed me up so much that for years I'd have the same dream over and over again, each time breaking out in a cold sweat. Fortunately I lost my fear of them when in the last dream I had about them, a friendly Dyson helped me out.

No I'm not on crack.
( Muns, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:58, Reply)

I get the same thing as mocha louder
Except that I have an urge to cover my neck with the duvet to ward off vampires.
When I was a kid, as well as the usual (lights on/jumping into bed/fearing dangling limb dismemberment), I was also deeply suspicious of my wardrobe for a long time, after I dreamt that the kite in it with an eagle head was floating across the room to get me, somewhat implausibly piloted by the ghost of our dead cat (don't ask). In adolescence I suspected that the ghost of Mary Whitehouse resided in there and would somehow reveal any illicit porn to my parents (again, don't ask).
(Watermelon, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:56, Reply)

Many females I know/have known
will squirm, contort their faces into hitherto unseen masks, cover their ears, sing lalala loudly, run away. Just to avoid hearing the word....

'gusset'*

Is this widespread?

*no.3 in all-time fave words list
(Montyphuq, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:45, Reply)

just a bite...
well, it probably started when i was a kid and watched some scary movie on tv - but to this day - i still feel that if i fall asleep (on my stomach) without my hand up covering the side of my neck, then a vampire will be able to come and bite me, and i'll wake up as one of the undead - or not wake up at all. i don't know why - i mean - a vampire could just as easily remove my hand before biting - it's not as if it stinks of garlic or anything - but i guess that's why it's called irrational, eh?
(mocha louder, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:43, Reply)

milk
I can't stand the idea of drinking milk on its own. It's fine in coffee, cooking, etc. and even on cereal, but if someone is drinking milk out of a glass I have to look away, and the idea of me doing that...urgh!
(coldjam, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:41, Reply)

I am also afraid that someone is watching me
so I have trouble doing things, like changing my clothes. Also, I am afrad that someone is coming up behind me, so I am constantly looking out windows, or looking behind me. I think I may have schizophrenia.
( Lisette von Falcon, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:41, Reply)

I was afraid of buses tipping over
I would only sit downstairs on a double decker (this was only when transport by bus is a must).
As soon as I found a seat I would start to formulate an escape plan for when the bus does tip over.
Going round corners was the worst as I would lean into the corner, regardless of whether or not someone was sitting next to me, purely because I felt that my extra weight would be the weight that causes the bus to tip.

I dont know why I was scared of buses tipping over. I am not now though, thank god.
(Clivicus, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:40, Reply)

not so much a fear....
but if im in a room and the door is shut and then someone comes in i have to get up and go and shut it not so much a fear but i think that someone mad will come in when i dont want them to (not that a door would stop them) this usually means i get dirty looks if im round one of my parents posh tosser friends house(and thats not easy to say, try it). i used to be shit scared of sharks but for some reason i thought they where the most amazing things and i was going to study them for a living.when i was little i used to have nightmares that hitler was still alive and he was after me because i dont have blonde hair. but thats just stupid, he is dead right? right? you guys he is dead ist he?
(RACH*D*, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:35, Reply)

Bugs in My Shoes
I have A particularly bad memory from when I was about 13. I put my trainers on to got to a Kickboxing Class. One of My shoes had something in it but I thought nothing of it, just thought it was a Stone. I got to My class, took off my shoe, and stuck my hand in it to retrieve the "stone". Something squirmed and pinched my finger, then I realised the "stone" was actually a stag beetle! I never put my shoes on without checking them now.
(once_upon_a_time, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:35, Reply)

I am afraid of MEN!!
I hate it when a man is too nice to me, it freaks me out. I think they are trying to get to me. Like if I am in an elevator or something and a man is in there and we are alone, and he tries to talk to me I start freaking out and the worst thoughts go through my mind. I think Silence of the Lambs, cannibalism, rape, all kinds of horrible stuff. It is terrible, and nothing ever happens to me. It's not every guy, just certain ones, I don't know why but they scare me. it's horrible.
( Lisette von Falcon, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:33, Reply)

plugholes.....
a fear of still being in the bath when the plug is pulled.......cos there is a wee bit of air which will come up thro the water....and there might be a big hairy spider monster in it.......creeplets!!!!!


oh...also have a phobia about spiral staircases.....tried to overcome it by climbing one in Paris in the Notre Dame Cathedral......but fainted at the top and came to with stupid Chinese people taking my photo cos they thought i was high......asswipes!!
(feed me toffee revels now, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:21, Reply)

I was a rather profound child...
And as profound children do, I watched tomorrow's world religiously.

Due to snippets of information gathered about DNA, I formulated a theory that genetic information could be passed onto humans via the air.

This genetic information would then mutate your cells and gradually turn you into a clone of that person. The only way to prevent this was to wash yourself of this material.

So for the next 5 years, I washed myself if anyone came without about a foot of me. As I said, profound.
(LexWest, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:19, Reply)

K..... maybe not irrational but pretty screwed.....
when I was a kid I was scared of going to bed without a light on in case something came to get me and I couldn't run away. (Strangely this only applied to being in a house, I could cope with camping in the woods!) anyways....

When I was younger I was in my bunkbed and unknowingly fell asleep, but my dream followed straight on from me being bed (i.e. didn't realise i was asleep) and suddenly there was a power cut, the lights went out and all these dead people started crawling out of the floorboards. Just as they were about to reach me I woke up....

The lights were still on, I breathed a sigh of relief and......

THERE WAS A F****** POWER CUT.

Never got out from the top bunk or ran so fast in my life.... still can't sleep in the dark on me own tho :(
(Lemster the sound of one luma clamping, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:19, Reply)

Eyes
Wrong. The most wrong part of the body. So complex, so delicate, so slimy - the slightest dust speck sets them off in agony. Also the phrase "keep your eyes peeled".... NO. WRONG. So soft, so jellylike, so exposed..... you can so easily sink a razor into them and be blinded. And eyelashes and suchlike floating in them.... and getting bugs drowning in them....

I live in daily terror of something happening to my eyes. Why can't you see out of your cheeks? Would be soo much less hassle.

Also, as a small child, I used to be terrified of spiders creeping up from the bottom of my bed and eating my toes. To this day (at the wise old age of 15) I sleep with my duvet folded over my feet.
(~Sunny~, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:12, Reply)

the scariest thought I ever had...
Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing your double standing over you, just staring at you.

I gave myself proper night terrors with that
(christophaloph, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:07, Reply)

moths and butterflies
I am scared of both moths and butterflies - those beautiful fluffy fluttery things you might say - YES exactly that. I hate the flutteryness,
when at "Butterfly world" when I was like 7 or something I went in with parents and as soon as I saw all of those horrible insect birds I paniced. I had to RUN through the tropical butterfly paradise into the "scary" trantula room and stroke a fluffy terantula to calm me down. urrrrrgh
( Nostrebor can't be everything all the time., Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:05, Reply)

Simple. If I
wake up at 3am then every noise outside is Something Coming To Get Me Or Smash My Car.
( witchy is covered in BEES, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 19:01, Reply)

Things that stick to things because they have microscopic hairs.. WRONG!!!
I just don't like the idea of insects, lizards and the such having many many tiny hairs and hooks on their hands, same goes for burrs and the plants that grow them aswell... stickiness without some kind of viscous fluid is wrong!!

I'm fine with velcro though how strange.

I think this all stems from when I was about 5 and one of my friends got a leaf from those scary burr producing plants stuck to his lip, when it was removed so was a sizeable portion of his lip... lovely!
(not_a_monkey, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 18:58, Reply)

Moths
Little bastards. I have had an overwhelming fear of moths for a very, very long time. I hate the fact that they crawl on your face, leaving dusty footprints as you sleep. (They may not do this, but they might)

I stayed up all night because there was a moth in my room once.........
(Robbvayne, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 18:51, Reply)

When I was like 5
a tick attached itself to my little willy (you have ticks in the UK?). Talk about traumatic!
To this day I have nightmares about ticks (on dogs and cats, not my willy thank goodness)
(rwsab, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 18:41, Reply)

my work collegue
has a bizarre fear of bananas. it's not so much she doesn't like the taste, she just cannot go near them. this is fun for me because I sit on the desk next to her, and I like bananas! Bwahahaha!
( Edd: The Unfunny Try-Hard Edgelord, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 18:34, Reply)

I hate the texture of chalk
and also the sound of it writing, sets my teeth right on edge. Also sparklers 'cos of the afore mentioned public service program of a little girl in a stoopid hat pickng up the wrong end a letting out a piercing scream.
And ice cream vans, my parents told me that when the music stops it means that they've run out (i think this is quite unusual though).
(Swampy, Tue 27 Jan 2004, 18:34, Reply)