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Specific Phobias

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1071

Hi Anerol,

I understand how you feel and also have specific phobias. If there is a bug in my bed, it does make it hard to get back in there, even when it's gone. We had a giant spider in our house. My Aunt from Oklahoma shipped us a box of Christmas gifts and inside was a large and hairy tarantula like spider. My husband grabbed a broom and whacked it with the broom stick side and it put a dent in it's back and it ran into a hole in the laundry room floor. I said to my husband, "Great. Now you've ticked it off." It bothered me for awhile and then, like you were able to, I got over it. When we were in Florida, I had to face 3 of my most horrible phobias all at once and on a daily basis. My daughter almost died of food poisoning and was hospitalized. I wanted to be with my daughter and had to 1) Park in a parking garage (claustrophobia, plus remembering The Pelican Brief parking garage scene didn't help either). 2) I had to go in an elevator to get to her floor. I had to talk to some nurses and tell them I had a hard time getting on the elevator and they showed me where the cargo elevator was; it was really 4 times larger than the normal one. One nurse actually went with me which really helped. One time I couldn't find the cargo elevator, so I took the small one by myself and survived. My daughter was my motivation, I had to see her. 3) The room she was staying in was tiny, or so I thought, till they moved her to a closet sized one. I had to sleep there over night for 4 days and I just had to and wanted to do it for my daughter. She really needed me there and I had to put her needs over my own fears. It was rough, but I did it. I didn't know anything about positive self talk and exposure back then (I'm on Session 2 now). I really think it would have been a lot less stressful having the coping skills I have learned now. You are brave and I am proud of you and thank you for sharing. I appreciate you. You are doing a great job!!!

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11226

Great topic Anerol.

Phobias are some what common 1 in 23 people suffer from phobias. Social phobia, agoraphobia and aerophobia (fear of flying) are some of the most common. Arachnophobia is another common specific phobia so you are not alone in your fears. The Panic Program is specifically designed to address these fears. Check out the exposure section (Session 4) to create a plan to try to conquer this fear.

Members, what are your experiences with phobias?

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1071

Hi Sunny,

Sunny, I'm impressed with your bat wrangling skills. When I was little, we lived in a house that had hundreds of bats in the attic. They would slam against the door at night and screech and would occassionally get into the house. We live in a 116 year old farm house now and it's amazing what comes in through the dog door. I came home from the store one day and saw a cute little frog magnet on the fridge. I asked my husband where he got it and he didn't know what I was talking about. I took a closer look and saw it's little throat pouch breathing in and out. During the holidays, I laid out all of my Christmas presents on the large dining room table and went to get wrapping paper which was upstairs. When I came back down, there was a nuthatch bird looking down at me from the top of the fridge. He had defiled all of my Christmas presents with tiny bird bombs. Before we had our chimney covered, a starling came through one of the old wooden stove hole covers and gave the cat a hobby till I got the bird out of the window. There was another nuthatch bird sitting pretty on my daughter's pillow on her bed. He looked at me like he was supposed to be there. Recently, my cat has been bringing dead salamanders into the house and I've had to dispose of them. It's a little freaky, because they are rubbery. I had to put on rubber gloves and get a thick wad of paper towels to pick up the poor unfortunate creature and put him outside under the tree. It's one of those wierd ironic things, that I can hold a giant snake, but get freaky about a tiny lizard. Another, wierd observation is, why can I have no problem having a pet mouse in a cage, but when there is a loose house mouse skittering across the floor, I pull a cartoon move and scream and hop up onto a chair. It makes no sense. Plus, my daughter had a Collared Lizard and I had no problem with him, but the salamander is an issue. I find it funny.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

Hi Anerol: Good to hear from you again. Yes, I'm not that keen on spiders either, but I can now put them on a piece of paper and put them outside. Sometimes you have to kill them, depending on where they are at the time. What I did was look at Nat'l Geographic article on spiders and leave the pages open to the photos and leave the magazine where I could see it - showed different photos every now and then, this period lasted 2-3 days. Next, I covered the photos - because I couldn't even stand to touch them - and read the article. Exposure I guess. Next, started touching the photos and now I seem to be ok. Not to say that I like 'em, but at least I can handle the situation.

As for heights, well a lot of people get dizzy with that, nothing too unusual. I know quite a few people who don't like those glass elevators going up tall buildings, where you can see out as you go up. I bet if you took that elevator everyday, you'd get used to it and it would be ho-hum. It's just that we aren't used to being high up like the birds.

Right now I have a bat in the house, somewhere. ugh. It wakes you up in the middle of the night flapping its wings trying to find a way out. My dog tries to follow it around, kind of funny. I would love to help it out but I've looked everywhere and can't find it. I have picked one up before to put outside, with gloves on and a towel to wrap around it. Lots of bats around my area but they're great for eating bugs.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1665

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Anerol

Was wondering where you were. I used to replay all the tight places I have been in, and panic real bad. Doesn't happen any more. It just went when I became able again to tell the panic that this is not realistic. Do it subconsciously now. You will too. So what special phobias do all the rest of you have. Not sure heights are a phobia, they could just be survival. Like train trestles or deep water. Something to think about.

Davit.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 517

Anyone else have a specific phobia?

The other day a big spider came running out of my shirt on the floor. I screamed my head off and I couldn't sleep that night thinking it can crawl on me while I sleep. I slept in another room but was still paranoid of all the other spiders in the other rooms and my thoughts became obsessive. I was always afraid of spiders all my life but at one point when I lived on my own, I was able to kill them if we ever crossed paths... and I've done it on a big one with a single tissue paper. Now that I have anxiety constantly, I can't believe I was able to do that! Anyways, it's been a few days now since that incident and I am fine now and I can sleep in my room. I also have a specific phobia of heights and I become dizzy and nauseous when I get close to the edge on a high level(even on the second floor), I eventually have to squat or get away some how.

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Specific Phobias