Melons
Even typing this is making me wretch, I don't know what it is, they freak me out big time. I can't even stand the smell, I was once conned in to eating a watermelon flavour jolly rancher and I spent the next 3 hours throwing up :(
(monstermunchqueen a queen for the people, by the people, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:36, 1 reply)

Beans...
Yep, I knew someone who has a phobia of Baked Beans. Not sure what caused it (neither is she) but she used to look very uncomfortable whenever someone bought some beans in.
(Ok, I'll get me coat, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:35, 3 replies)

Teeth
now its not as you might think... im not frightened of dentists in any shape or form, or there rooms and those chairs. im perfectly at ease...

But i have a phobia of my teeth. I have a phobia about my teeth falling out, going rotten etc. In fact anytime i am ill, stressed or anxious my dreams involve my teeth falling out.

I am also terrified of putting my head under water. I was so proud when i went scuba diving for the first time.(even tho the guy had to push me in and hold me down.

I am frightened of loud noises. particularly people shouting. This will make reduce me to a gibbering wreck incapable of doing anything but crying. And loud car exhausts give me palpatations.

Its no wonder i take beta blockers to calm my heart down. i cant even walk down the street without jumping out of my skin when a loud car goes past (funnily i ride a big fuck off motorcycle with a big loud baffless exhaust)

On a more amusing note: My cat if terrified of the bathroom. No idea why but when she plucks up courage to follow me in its in full slink-mode and the slightest noise makes her shoot back out of the room. Once i had a bin liner by my feet and a rustled it and i swear she jumped about 6 feet directly up in the air befor dissapearing quicker than a bar of chocolate at a weight watchers meeting!!
(Serbitar Has a furry shit canon called Whitey., Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:32, Reply)

Dolls
They look like dead babies.

They're just wrong.

My daughter has ragdolls as they look like cartoons not baby corpses.
( Peej, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:30, 1 reply)

Lip piercings.
The thought of a small metallic (or plastic) object rubbing against my gums all day gives me the jibblies.

I really don't know how you people can stand it.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:30, 7 replies)

Toads
and frogs.

Hell...prety much any amphibian. There is something about them that makes me stop dead in my tracks and shudder whenever I see one on the path or something.

But Toads are definately the worst out of them all. The dry warty skin and the way they crawl around is enough to make me sick.
(Foulkesy123 The one and only..., Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:29, Reply)

The Sea
Having watched Jaws at an unsuitably young age I am scared of going into the sea any deeper than my knees. The sharks will get me, even in the bloody freezing, condom-infested seas of most of the UK.

I am a little uneasy in the deep end of a swimming pool for the same reason, especially if they have grates for a wave machine. The sharks can get through there.

Also i have a perfectly rational but rather intense fear of going blind. I had a recurring dream for years about switching on a light and the only light being around the bulb - the rest of the room was still dark. This freaked me out good and proper.

Remembered : when i was a child my mom read 'the 3 billy goats gruff' to me. Apparently i wasn't scared of the troll, just the clip-clopping of the goats going across the bridge. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she made it extra scary on purpose. Ginger Penguin senior is a bit like that.
(The Ginger Penguin la la la la la la, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:29, 3 replies)

Buttons
I hate them, I can just about stand to wear a shirt for work when needed. My current job is scruffies so that's nice for a bit.

I hate buttons! uuugghhhh
( umbongo I vote for Evil Lu as Mayor of /talk, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:29, Reply)

Argh, picasso
A friend of mine is scared of:-

dogs (ok)
silver cutlery (erm...)
and big paintings, especially if they're near stairs (nutter)
(teebie jeebie, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:26, Reply)

Scary Sandwich!
Years ago, when my mother was a mere whelp of a gel, she somehow contrived to swallow some glass.

The Doctor was called to the Farm, and he prescribed (and this I swear as gospel) Cotton Wool Sandwiches.

Just the thought of chewing on soft bread with cotton wool getting mixed up with the butter is enough to make me feel quite sick...
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:25, Reply)

I'm pretty normal.
But The Moomins and poo (You know; number 2) make me very uncomfortable. If I knew why, it wouldn't be a phobia, would it?
(Lump, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:24, 1 reply)

Oh God Does anyone remember the Metz "Judder Man"?
That thing gave me nightmares through my college years
(Peek_a_Boo forgot how fun B3ta was until, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:21, 2 replies)

Oh God, it's all coming out!
Wet plastic bags, especially the little thin ones you get in supermarkets for your fruit. If someone drops one in the kitchen sink and I touch it I'll freak out big time.

Having anything written/drawn on my arms or hands, especially the right arm. (Ink stamps in clubs are the bane of my existence).

Anything to do with pregnancy going awry. That bastard zombie baby in the "Dawn Of The Dead" remake is a perfect example.
(Dok Zombie Cash, gash, pie and mash., Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:19, Reply)

The Aquafresh advert
The pencil-drawn animation one with the Mum, Dad and child bouncing up and down brushing their teeth in front of the mirror.

Shit me up when it originally aired (in the 80s?)

I almost screamed like a girl when they brought it back last year...
( Mike Fishcake teamfishcake.co.uk - better than your mum's face, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:19, 1 reply)

velvet
You know when you bite your fingernails a little too much and that bit of flesh that should be not be available to accidentally rub against something, especially velvet or any material like it? Sweating right now typing this, me - nasty.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:12, Reply)

Charlie Chalk can kiss my @rse!
Chalk And Clowns. Absolutely terrify the living shit out of me.
This proved somewhat of an inconvenience when working as a nursery nurse, due to the fact that:

a) Children quite like playing with chalk. And chewing it. And wiping their chalky dribble on my trousers

And

b) Clowns entertain children.
Peek_a_boo running in terror from clowns also entertains children..

I have since changed jobs!
(Peek_a_Boo forgot how fun B3ta was until, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:10, 1 reply)

Heights
For me..it's gotta be heights, for some strange reason, whenever I reach a great height, I have an unmistakeable urge to throw myself off!!-I'm not suicidal so god knows what that's all about : ~
I get quite edgy when I get high up, almost like I don't trust myself quite not to do it!!-very strange.

Also, biting seat belts..but who would!!
(misshotlips, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:09, 1 reply)

Needles - Pointy Hurty
A phrase you never want to hear when the visibly out of her depth doctor turns up with a few suspiciously large empty vials/jars is...

"we can't find the duty phlebotomist (vampire) so *twitch* I'll have to do it"

Jesus suffering liquorice-flavoured Christ on a bike.

Jab. Prod. Jabbity Jab Jab. Stab. OW.

To be fair, it wasn't a bad job after all, and surprisingly little of my precious juices joined the clotted blood that charmingly adorned the trolley (not mine, I hasten to add) (luckily I'm not phobic about blood in the slightest)(as long as it's not mine)(enough parentheses).

Ho hum, now an armful lighter, I relax on the trolley, listening to the dement next door begging alternately to be treated or killed. Then she returns.

'Zwipp' Goes the curtain. "Hello Mr Osok" she twitters. Too late. I have seen Concorde's Fucking Nosecone in her hand. "We need to take some fluids from your knee".

Mwaa.
(osok Rebel without a clue, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:08, 2 replies)

Worzel Gummidge
That programme petrified me as a kid.
I don't know if it was his voice, the whole scarecrow look, or the fact he kept removing his head (and he had an evil head I seem to recall)! I had nightmare's for years where he would eat me, starting from the toes. He's always get to my chest before I woke. #shudders#
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:08, 4 replies)

Eeeerrh
You know how after a shower the only part that will not dry is the inside of your ears? What gives me the shivers is the noise made when you use the corner of the towel and twist it in your earhole. That creaking noise like a door slowly closing. Eeeeeerhhh it's horrid!
(MunchMyBalloons, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:06, Reply)

Time is all in its perception
which means that the few seconds I endured at the top of one of those "vertical drop" things that are popular at theme parks lasted a very long time.

But not the first time I did it - then it seemed fine.

Instead, it was the second time I went on it. Just thinking back now to sitting there, strapped in, 100ft up or whatever it is, waiting for the inevitable fall downwards, is enough to make not only my palms sweat again but also my feet arch up and my teeth feel on edge. I swear if I had a time machine, despite all the stupid things I've done and said in my life, it would be the decision to go on it the second time that I would amend. The few seconds up there lasted for hours, I swear, and I'm amazed I didn't die of a heart attack.

God this QoTW is causing anguish to everyone, isn't it...
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:06, Reply)

socked feet and shriners
I cannot handle feet in socks. Once the shoes come off, the socks need to go too. There is nothing more disgusting than someone's damp dirty smelly socks sliding around on a floor. Blearrgh.

Shriners are just creepy, I don't know if it's the fez's, or the tiny cars but they've scared the shit out of me as long as I can remember.
(nibjet, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:05, 1 reply)

Being able to see my own bone.
Now this is fairly obvious, and I'm pretty sure there are few people in this world who aren't scared of any such a scenario to some degree. Bones should stay hidden out of site under the safety of flesh. That's where they live, with all the other glossy, throbbing things that keep you alive.

What makes this a slightly irrational fear, is the fact that no other amount of gorey horrible stuff can get to me at all. I'm a seasoned gore hound, love films like "Braindead" and "Story of Ricky" and always rewind the grisly bits, giggling myself silly and yet the thought of being able to see my own bone makes me squirm like a quadriplegic with piles.

Anyone who's seen the film "Men Behind the Sun" will know the sort of thing I'm talking about. Theres a certain scene in that which, to this day, remains the only scene in film history that I cannot watch.
(Mr Eraserhead Why aren't you a lemon?, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:05, 2 replies)

im a bit boring
just hights and claustraphobia.
which when looked at together are wierd because i like flying.
the height thing is pretty much only on natural formations as well, i can stand on the edge of a roof perfectly well (as long as its no to windy) but get me near a cliff and i go all pale!
(pogo_it, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:04, Reply)

Oh golly...
The usual... flying/spiders/heights all of that crap.

I am also terrified of escalators (namely the ones on the underground), to the point where Sparrow Dodger has to stand in front of me on them so I can't see their eerily slow descension. He's now taken to trying to distract me by talking when we're on them. Doesn't help though. But I can just about deal with the ones in the shopping centre now! (TRIUMPH!)

I can't turn wet jumpers inside out to hang them up, I have to wait till they're dry. I physically can't put my hand inside their horrible wet sleeves. An addition to this is that if I get water down my sleeves it makes me feel nauseous.

Deep Water. "Jaws" ruined my life, I wanted to be in the Navy. I still get my sister to get in the swimming pool first to check there are no sharks. If she doesn't have goggles to check, I will NOT get in. I know it's irrational. And weird.

The underground in general. I have to stand with my back against the wall because I know, I just know, that a tramp will try and push me under a train and I'm simply not nimble enough to retain my sense of balance after said tramp-attack.

Any numbers that aren't the numbers I like or multiplications/ divisions thereof. For example; 17 is fine. 15 is not. 7 is fine, 2 is not. 86 is fine, 85 is not. I could go on. There's no pattern to define why I like some numbers and not others, it appears to be entirely random. Not really a phobia, just more a set of randomly chosen numbers that I occasionally allow to govern my life. (ie, not getting on a number 6 bus, because although 6 is fairly inoffensive, it a multiple of the much maligned 2)...

Come to think of it, none of these are phobias. These are a bit OCD. Meh, no light switches involved as yet, so I think I'm okay...
(Ryfelwr can't stop here... this is bat country, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 16:02, 12 replies)

Bare feet
As a kid I had recurring nightmares about finding myself in various situations and discovering I had bare feet! But it felt like the equivalent of being naked in a public place and really freaked me out. Anyone know anything about interpreting dreams?
(misspiggy In danger of having to get a job, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:54, Reply)

Scary biscuits!
Being a 2nd year Psych student, you'd think I'd have no phobias right? Wrong, oh so very wrong.

Numero Uno: The big one. The big cheese. Not spiders, or falling off a building and getting impaled on iron railings, or being eaten to death by hundreds of zombified spiders. I am scared shitless by.......moths.
I have been scared of moths as long as I can remember. I like butterflies though, strangely. I can look at a butterfly in my garden or in the park quite happily. But moths are like the evil twin of butterflies. They're like vampires, they only come out at night. And they bang against the window if I've got the light on like some axe-wielding psychopath trying to get me. But god forbid if they actually get in. The minute I see one in my vicinity, you couldn't see my arse for dust as I dart out of the room and shut the door. If I know that a moth is in my room somewhere, I can't go back in. I have to get someone else to catch it and let it out, despite my cries of 'Kill the bastard!'. I don't quite know why I'm scared of them so much. Perhaps it's the way they fly maniacly around a lightbulb. But the worst ones are those bastards who fly up to the top of the room, and spiral downwards. I've once been trapped in the corner of my room, motionless for 2 hours while one of these devil's spawn continuously spirals round and round, blocking the pathway to the door. I hate them. More than anything.

2. Moths are at the top of the scared shitless list; but one rung down are wasps. Bees I don't really like either, but bees don't fucking chase you down the street; making you run screaming like a lunatic with stone cold fear on your face as you run across the road with no regard for your own safety to escape them. And to make matters worse, if they happen to take interest in you (me) and you don't notice them, they hover INCHES IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE! They're not content with me being terrified of them, they actually make sure I see them. I swear they've turned it into some kind of sick sport. As a result, it could be the hottest day outside and it could be 50 degrees inside; I will not open the window for fear of wasps coming in. In fact, I don't open the window in the night either for fear of moths coming in. As a result, I dread summer each and every year. What's worse are those people who treat wasps like flies, and pay no attention to them. They let them fly around their face, and even could let them land on them. "Just ignore them and they'll go away" they say...THERE'S A CUNTING WASP ON YOUR ARM, YOU FREAK! Those people sicken me.

I think I'll leave it at that for now, I may divulge a few more of my deepest fears soon, but now I have to wimper in the corner.
(Dazzorifik is bored of b3ta, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:54, Reply)

Porcelain Dolls
By Christ, B3ta, you've opened the floodgates here...

But anyway - Porcelain Dolls. When I used to stay at my exes house, her mum would not let us share a bed (even though we were both in our 20's), so I had to go in the spare room.

With the porcelain dolls.

I swear, as Mike is my witness, that if you turned the light off and on again, they would be just a bit nearer to you, with malice in their eyes.

I've never seen Child's Play.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:54, 4 replies)

Happy holidays.
I turned 6 in 1982, and my parents decided that a foreign holiday would be nice - our first. They settled on Ireland as a destination - mainly because it's Anglophone, which they thought'd make things easier for me and my brother, but also partly because my grandparents lived on Angelsey, and we could use them to break the journey.

Their mistake was telling me of their plans. I cried. I screamed. I refused to go. Why? Because I was scared of the IRA. We ended up going to France instead.

I'm still quite apologetic about that: I was a truly pathetic (and clearly spoilt) little shit. I should have been slapped far more.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:52, 1 reply)

The future...
....think about it.
( The Pollitt chooses to listen to Enya on, Thu 10 Apr 2008, 15:52, Reply)