Being bum-raped by clowns...
An awful experience I imagine...
(wrigglesworth, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:12, 5 replies)

Waxworks
Can't bear them, will not go near them.
I don't even like dummies in department stores. Think it stems from a family holiday in Llundudno when I was seven. We decided to go into a chamber of horrors on the pier. After being scared shitless by the exhibits I slammed my eyes shut and told me dad to tell me when we were outside. Obviously, he did what any responsible parent would do and marched me right up to the scariest model he could find and went, "Right Son, you're okay!" I think my scream echoed round the whole building.
*********************************
Fast forward 8 years to 1995 and I was on a youth club trip to Italy. We found out that one of the big Italian horror directors lived locally and there was an exhibition on of his work. I aksed to stay in the youth club where we were bunking but was told I couldn't stay on my own. Reluctantly, I went inside and edged my way around the room, slowly getting used to the place and trying not to look like I was on the verge of passing out. In the middle of the room was a large straw circle, at the edge of which stood a dummy with the face of a rat, in a monk's robe, holding a sword. Time passed, and I had gained a bit of confidence, mainly as I was trying to impress the young lady I fancied. I decided to go up to the monk/ rat for a closer look. as I got close it leaped out the circle, yelling in Italian and brandishing the sword. Heroically, I curled up in a foetal position on the ground sobbing, "Get me out, get me out!"
After I was lead shaking from the building I sat on the steps and lit a cigarette, after many attempts, to calm my nerves. The bastard in the outfit only came legging it out the place and chased me down the street!

Never ever receovered from that.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:11, Reply)

I've never told anyone this before but,....
.....I have an irrational fear of axe swinging, gun slinging, cannibalistic psychopathic ass rapists. Silly I know but what can you do?
(Kopite Ceoil agus Craic, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:11, Reply)

sponges / solid foam
I can't abide the feel of foam, it makes me feel terrible. When I worked in a call centre I wore my headset without the foam padding, because I couldn't put it on.

I accidentaly let it be known in the pub one evening. I got chased by someone weilding a sponge, pinned down and had it rubbed all over me. I was left hunched in a corner shaking. They didn't do it again after they realised it was a real phobia.

edit: cows in the dark scare the living daylights out of me, and I have great difficulty walking down a path next to a river that doesn't have some kind of barrier (kerb, fence, bit of grass etc)
( CowJam, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:11, 1 reply)

festine lente...
Some people are scared of high speed. I hatehatehate the lack of speed. Slow things make me cringe.

The reason is that I get migraine, and one of the things that that does to me is to give me the hallucination that I'm falling... slowly.

For this reason, things that move slowly - and I mean slow, not just cautious-driver slowly, or dawdling pedestrian slowly - have an instant association with nausea and dizziness. I can't watch them: the sense of malaise is unbearable.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:10, 3 replies)

Frictionless palms
B3ta - what have you done ?

I started work in this new contract back in February. It was the first time I'd had to work in an office for nearly 2 years (working at home previously) and first time I hadn't been contracting for a Rather Large Telecoms Company for 9 years. It was also the first time I'd worked in London for nearly 13 years.

I'm quite a confident person in most ways - but something about the combination of the above meant that I developed atrociously sweaty palms. My hands would basically pour out sweat 30 minutes into my journey into work, and stop once I was on the train home.

Then, I noticed the other day, after over 2 months working here, that it had stopped. For whatever reason, it had stopped. Thank God, I thought, as the sweat from my palms made typing unpleasant and produced visible pools on the area of plastic between the keyboard and the edge of my laptop.

And who likes sweaty palms ?

But like I say, it had gone. It HAD gone - until this QoTW. Now it's back. I've tried taking a photo of it for your delectation, but it's not come out too well.

So, I'm phobic to QoTW's about phobia. Why ?
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:10, Reply)

Right, this is a weird one.
Immunisation injections.

I hate the fact that people are injecting me with a trace of whatever I'm being immunised against, and just automatically assuming that my immune system will fight it, and create antibodies.

What if it doesn't, eh? I'm fucked!

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with needles, have had various peircings, (lip, tongue etc.) and was at the dentist just yesterday to have root canal, and was fine with the anesthetic injection, but I fucking hate immunisations!
(Xstopher, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:07, 2 replies)

Potatoes
My 14 year old daughter is scared of potatoes! You know when they get a bit old and grow little tentacles - we can spend many a happy moment chasing her with one of those. She sees cooking, roasting, chipping and mashing as REVENGE!
( seeballs Doo da da doo da da doo da da doo, da da doo da do, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:06, Reply)

In response to the post on a phobia of certain numbers...
... I'm like that, but not to the extent that it bugs me.

Football scores, for example - I'd rather England win 5-3 than 6-3 'cos 5-3 is a "better score."

Examples of bad scores are 4-3, 5-2, any 6-x besides 6-0 and 6-1 and the same for 7 and (rarely, if it happens) 8.

x-1 is always OK as is x-0. I have very few problems with draws but anything above 3-3 is a bit shit.
(MJPerry was crude but clickable at, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:06, 2 replies)

Those F'ing Flying Daddy Longlegs
'Tipulidae Phobia'

Spiders don't bother me at all, even the long skinny ones and fat hairy ones, and I’ll tell you for why, because they are predictable. The spider is in the bath/on the floor/wherever, and ive got good old reliable gravity on my side making sure that’s where it stays.

What sick fucker decided to give these little bastards the ability to fly? Not just fly but awkwardly hop about like they're stop-motion animated like some awful harryhausen monster. And they go for you as well, if anything a spider will do its best to run away from you, but on these guys, they think to themselves 'I could have him' and fly right for your face and hair!

My biggest fear is when im alone and one comes in to my room, so I look for something to destroy it with, but while im looking I lose track of where it went... the *panic* sets in...

Where. the. fuck. did. it. go?

I’m backed in to a corner in abject terror like someone from the old school Doctor Who episodes encountering some awful alien creature that the budget doesn't streach to showing so its all down to the look on the persons face to show how scary it is.

Anyone whos played Resident Evil or Silent Hill and has found themselfs in a room where they can *hear* the monster but not see it will know my fear...
(Dean, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:04, 4 replies)

Wasps and...
A colleague with a humorous West Country accent would always run and hide in the kitchen if a wasp came into the studio, not leaving until we assured him we'd killed it. Once, when he emerged, he told us in all seriousness (and a comedy accent, remember) that "I'm only scared of two things: that's wasps... and zombies."
(Mr McKenzie Mr McKenzie, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:03, Reply)

There is a formula I live by re: animals...
4 legs = fuck right off
(MJPerry was crude but clickable at, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:03, 2 replies)

And heights
It doesn't have to be very high - just needs the ground falling away in front of me. Many years back I was walking the walls at York, going clockwise and hugging the wall side when I met someone coming anti-clockwise who was obviously doing the same thing. Tricky. Also steep paths while walking in woods have to be negotiated by running from tree to tree and grabbing on for dear life. Must look like a manic hippy tree-hugger!
(misspiggy In danger of having to get a job, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:01, Reply)

feet
Even clean feet are ugly and horny and flaky and crusty and disgusting. And all the icky things that can go wrong with feet, bunions, athletes foot, veruccas, pong. And toenails - eugh. I never understand how people can CHOOSE to be chiropodists or pedicurist-ist-ists.
Dog feet are LOVELY though. I like to sniff my pooch's paws, especially when she has been running on the grass.
( seeballs Doo da da doo da da doo da da doo, da da doo da do, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:01, 1 reply)

How not to cure a fear of needles
I've always hated injections - although I doubt that anyone at all actually likes them. Still, I decided a couple of years ago that I ought to tame my dislike, and so volunteered to give blood. Not because I think it's an admirable thing to do - it is, but that wasn't my motivation. My motivation was that it was a regular, albeit infrequent, means of having a needle put into my arm. Gradually, I would become inured.

I was even prepared to watch the needle go in. It's not someting I plan ever to watch again.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:01, 10 replies)

Oh, and Zombies...
....because in theory...a full on living dead holocaust could happen if the right chemicals were involved.

BRAINS!

Oh, and this neatly leads me on to my other big phobia. Zombie spiders....not encountered one yet, but when i do i'm convinced i'll be afraid of it.

I'm a rational adult, honest.
( The Pollitt chooses to listen to Enya on, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:00, Reply)

kittens:
their eight legs, their long scaly tails, their three rows of razorsharp pointy teeth, their painted-on smiles and the way they run at you and try to eat your brains.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:59, 3 replies)

To annoy those spider haters......
Did you know the average human ingests 8 spiders a YEAR whilst asleep !
(tfi049113 Was found alive on, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:59, 6 replies)

A few
Heights - I get this feeling that I want to chuck myself over the edge of a cliff or off a tall building when on/near either of those things.

Speed - Going too fast is not much fun unless you have good brakes.

Spiders - Pretty much everyone, then.

Worms - Really, really nasty things.

That's about it.
( its_hatorah_bitch is b3ta the devil you know on, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:58, 1 reply)

Sticky labels
Not me but an ex of mine had a phobia of labels - specifically sticky paper labels like price labels in supermarkets. She hated the thought of them being stuck on her. She also screamed once when she saw some pages from a newspaper floating in the canal. She could imagine them leaping up and sticking to her face.
Freakish.
(Mr McKenzie Mr McKenzie, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:58, Reply)

A close friend of mine
Absolutely loathes the thought of someone taking her pulse or blood pressure for some reason. So, for guaranteed entertainment, sit quietly on the sofa with your fingers over your wrist as though taking a pulse and wait until she notices. And then run. Fast.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:57, 1 reply)

Um ur ar ug, YEAH
I have a phobia of my own sanity !

Also have a phobia of the noise made when wearing a jumper and moving your arm accross a desk.

Its like Nails down a chalk board.
(tfi049113 Was found alive on, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:57, Reply)

Heights
I hate heights.

The Christmas before last, we went to visit the in-laws, and on Christmas Eve the wife kicked me out of the house, to take my eldest son (then 3 and a half) to the beach while she and mother-in-law get some bonding time in with the baby.

The beach, as it turns out, has two ways down from the car park - the long way, down a windy road, or the short way, down the rickety stairs attached to the cliff. Guess which way we went?

On the way back, my son said that he wanted to go up the stairs. No thanks, I say. Why not? he asks. Because I am afraid of heights.

He held my hand, looked up at me, and very solemnly pronounced: "It's OK, Daddy. I'll be with you."

Ahh, sniff. We still went up the road, though.
( Amish Information Systems hates misplaced, commas, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:57, 1 reply)

I have quite a few
Spiders: I have a theory they are in fact demons from the mouth of hell sent to terrorise me. And what animal needs that many legs?

Skype ringtone: Not really a phobia, but everytime I hear it ringing, I come close to vomiting, or like the other day, actually throw up. I think it has something to do with the pitch of the tone, but am not really sure.

Monkeys: Freaky little hands.

Nettles: When I walk past them, I get terrified that I'm going to fall into them and they will go in my eyes.

The Blob: A film my dad let me watch when I was very very young and I had nightmares for years. I still can't watch it.
(missc, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:57, 2 replies)

Carpet
More specifically rubbing my hand on carpet - I actually shudder at the thought of it. I have been the same since childhood. I think it was playing jacks on a carpeted floor that started it off.
(misspiggy In danger of having to get a job, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:55, Reply)

My phobia
Is claustrophobia. ANd I know what started it too. I used to have absolutely no problem with small spaces. When I was a student I used to work in a nightclub. On the nights I was on the floor as a glass collector (and all the nights actually but easier to ignore behind the bar or on the door), it was hot, dark,people were everywhere and it was hard to move. I also had to carry (without dropping) a stack of bottles/glasses and company policy said I had to have a roll of blue roll under my arm at all times. I found myself getting more and more agitated every time I had to do the floor. ANd never put two and two together at the time, only after I moved. Smoke breaks always helped relieve this not-quite-got-to-the-stage-of-panic-attack....but we weren't allowed them because it was too busy.

I now run an internet cafe. It sometimes gets very warm in said cafe. If I'm stocking the fridge, and the sweets are stacked too high and my hand touches the shelf above while trying to line things up neatly, I get close to a panic attack. I still have strange claustrophobia...If its cold/pleasent temperature I'm fine in tiny little spaces. But the moment I both get hot and even my hand is constricted I get more and more and more agitated. If this happens I'm out the door for a smoke like a shot.
(Teran Thinks Pogonophobia is funny, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:55, Reply)

Thomas the Tank Engine
I think I'm a bit of a wuss as I have a few of these which I'll post over the week.

but perhaps the strangest one is Thomas the Tank Engine. for no good or explicable reason, the theme tune with all its puffs and whistles makes my skin creep and my blood run ice cold.

I physically cannot be in the same room as the theme tune. why I have this fear is unknown, I even asked my parents once whether I suffered some deeply repressed childhood badness whilst the theme tune was playing. but they are as baffled as I.

never liked the show either so no loss.

I also hate the Postman Pat theme.

I confessed this to friends once, one of which I have recently learned is a fellow b3tan, now whenever the subject of my Thomas the Tank Engine terror comes up she insists on singing the tune.
(Katzilla Follow Me! @Kat_Zilla (I don't promise funnehs), Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:53, Reply)

Along came a Spider...
I'm sure that loads and loads of people are going to say Spiders. And you know what, I'm scared of spiders too.

But what really gets to me, what really makes my blood run cold and freezes the marrow in my bones, is the kind of person who (while you're cowering in the corner frantically scrabbling at the wall to find a way out while the spider looks at you with hungry eyes) says:

"It's more afraid of you that you are of it."

No.

No it isn’t. Anything with 8 fucking legs and 8 fucking eyes is fucking fearless. I’ve seen spiders run towards me when I’m trying to catch them in a glass. The weave webs across doors to try and catch humans - the ultimate spider buffet. They’re persistent, wholly evil malevolent fuckers and I hate them.

I know it's irrational, and I know that there would be flies and bugs everywhere were it not for the humble spider... But why do they have to live in my house?
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 14:53, 3 replies)