/r/Phobia

Photograph via snooOG

The community for discussion of phobias and ways to treat them.

Phobia /ˈfōbēə/

An irrational, intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people.

Welcome to r/Phobia!

Discus phobias and ways to treat them.

Phobia- An irrational, intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people.

Rules

1. Every post must be related to a legitimate phobia

2. Do not trigger any phobias

3. No spam, trolling, harassment, or advertising

4. Only post links from credible sources. If you are unsure if a source is credible, ask the mods.

Other Subreddits

r/Arachnophobia r/kosmemophobia

Other Resources

Phobia Definition

List of Phobias

/r/Phobia

31,377 Subscribers

1

Herpetophobia

I have this really bad phobia of reptiles. Like even a picture of any reptiles makes me JUMP. It's so scary omg.

Tried exposure theory but I keep getting scared. Went through 1000 pictures of lizards, monitor lizards, snakes, crocodiles (just saw the crocodile emoji and I CAN'T), etc.

I understand they are important probably and food chain and shit and some people might even pet them but I seriously can't- I'm too scared.

-Is there a way to avoid coming across any reptiles picture? Wish there was a setting in my mobile set reptile pictures as sensitive content.

0 Comments
2024/11/23
13:30 UTC

1

Is there a term for a phobia of being worried something will be gone forever without any trace of it existing?

Like archiving different form of medias with the fear that any of it will be gone forever without access to the original quality

0 Comments
2024/11/23
11:59 UTC

1

jumpscares and chasing

this is probably pretty common but i dont know if its that bad i could call it a phobia.

so i used to not get scared of jumpscares AT ALL, and recently (like maybe 2 years ago) i had this fear of jumpscares. yeah, i know they’re supposed to be scary, but somehow i wasnt scared of them when i was like 8 now im 13.

i always flinch whenever i see a jumpscare appear, whether it be someone else playing the game or me. like sometimes in evade on roblox, the jumpscare can be so sudden and then i just die. like im just minding my business and out of nowhere i hear a sound effect and die. i watch funny streamers, like caseoh, but some of the games he plays (most) scare me. i have to skip like the whole video and it kind of upsets me because he’s actually really funny… my heart thumps and i flinch when it happens.

im also really scared of people chasing me/seeing someone chase another person. me getting chased can go for either in a game or in real life. tag scares me because yes, the whole objective of the game is to chase people, but they get you from behind and thats what scares me. i dont play tag anymore, and i dont think anyone wants to anyway. also hide and seek kind of goes for jumpscares, but they get you from behind too.

anyway, for this reason i dont play any horror games so im not actually sure if it’s that serious. for some reason it only doesnt scare me if it’s movies or shows. i usually watch funny 80s/90s movies or anime though so maybe that’s why.

0 Comments
2024/11/23
04:36 UTC

2

crossing bridges

crossing suspended bridges has always made me feel incredibly uncomfortable and despite having anxiety, somehow I'm even more on edge whenever I cross one. but today I had a reaction I've never had before shaking and crying because I encountered an unexpected bridge in my route and essentially having a panic attack not being able to cross it then I had to call my mom who distracted me on the phone while I slowly crawled across my hands were trembling the whole time. I know nobody can diagnose me on here but I'm wondering if this characteristic of a phobia

2 Comments
2024/11/22
19:55 UTC

1

Irrational musophobia

The fear or rodents, mostly rats, is literally consuming my life. I have 0 idea when and where this started and it’s not genetic. My family and friends tease me because of how irrational it is.

It’s not just me getting grossed out by rodents. It’s pure disgust and panic when I even see a picture. I lose my appetite immediately and freak out and start to hyperventilate even from just seeing a picture. It’s mostly rats that cause this. Mice do instill fear in me but they’re smaller and usually less ugly.

Rats just ruin me. If I even see one which is thankfully rare I will have a panic attack and feel like I’m going to die. I will avoid any place that’s somewhat run down. I declined hangouts with my friends to explore abandoned places. I refused a job one day at a summer job I did, because I had to go into a crawl space. If I come across a picture I will literally feel like everything is spinning and will check my bed sheets thinking one is in bed with me.

Idk why I have this fear. I literally don’t. Somehow as bad as it is, I can watch movies like ratatouille just fine, probably because it paints a good picture of them and they’re kind of cute.

Just their disgusting bald tails and their nails and teeth and the thought that they want to crawl up my leg. I feel my heart accelerating just typing this.

It runs my life. I constantly check for droppings in my house. Obviously I’ve never found anything but I can’t help it.

It started when I was around 6-7 for no apparent reason. I used to have a gerbil as a pet but that was fine but now I can’t even look at gerbils. It’s gotten worse.

I’m an 18 year old guy, in college, i work out, play hockey, have 0 fear of spiders, snakes, cockroaches, anything.

But a mouse? I will turn into a little girl and feel like crying.

It’s not healthy. I’ve literally told girls about it that I’ve dated and had them kind of brush it off before I go in depth about the severity of it.

I look every 5 seconds at the toilet when I use the bathroom bc I’ve heard they can crawl up toilets.

One time I was at a summer camp and they had “rat races” which I sat out from and told my counselor why. Well two of the kids took one of the rats and when I wasn’t paying attention put it on my lap and I was so distraught that I threw it and then passed out. I woke up 15 seconds later or so from what I was told, and I started screaming and crying.

The rat apparently was injured because it hit a fence after I threw it off my lap.

I didn’t touch food for like a week after that because I had “rat residue” on my hands.

Anyways I feel like this is the worst case and I genuinely think I need therapy or something

0 Comments
2024/11/22
08:36 UTC

1

Fear of things flying towards your head and hitting it?

I get this weird fear of something flying towards my face or the back of my head and hitting it. For example, watching a sport like baseball, I get weirdly anxious when I think about a foul ball flying directly off the bat towards my face. In a less dramatic example, driving in the snow, seeing the snowflakes flying directly towards my in my eyeline gives me really bad headaches. The best way I can describe the feeling is like my eyes start to cross inside my head and everything around me seems to shrink (which is also an anxiety I’ve had since I was little, especially when I was tired, everything around me felt really really small and my mind would picture a large ball bouncing around the tiny room, idk if that’s related or not).

Sorry for the long post. If you read until the end, here’s a cookie 🫴🏻🍪

0 Comments
2024/11/22
07:48 UTC

2

Fear of bathtub faucet

When I took showers when I was little, I'd touch the bathtub faucet and it would burn me every time. Nowadays, I'm too scared to touch it and never use the faucet. It's still hard for me to even run my fingers under the water from the faucet because I'm scared it'll burn me.

Anyone have this problem as well?

0 Comments
2024/11/21
23:38 UTC

2

athazagoraphobia

an intense and irrational fear of being forgotten, or of forgetting someone or something.

1 Comment
2024/11/21
21:57 UTC

1

How to get over zombie phobia

Hello, how would I get over kinemortophobia? Zombies absolutely terrify me..

7 Comments
2024/11/21
14:11 UTC

0

Phobia even you heard the word or see it on tv?

Why couldn’t our brain realize it is fake on TV?

0 Comments
2024/11/21
08:13 UTC

2

What is this phobia?

Hi everyone,

So I understand trypophobia and the fear of holes or clustered patterns ; I am fine with this, however there is something similar that makes my skin crawl, and I'd like to know if anyone understands it.

I first noticed it when playing the playstation game AstroBot. There are shelled enemies who reveal spikes through their shell - again, fine with this. The anxious feelings occur when the spikes only slightly protrude from their holes, and whenever I imagine it, I get really uncomfortable and my skin crawls.

Does anyone know what this is?

Thanks in advance.

2 Comments
2024/11/21
06:29 UTC

5

I have a question

What is it called when I have an irrational fear of confessing to something I didn't do? Like if I was under laughing gas and for some reason confess to a murder across the country.

1 Comment
2024/11/21
02:25 UTC

1

Fear of pooping

Hey guys for the past few weeks ive struggling to poop even tho i went perfecrly normal to the toilet ive watched many youtube Videos about it and they dont help i fell like im always being watched

0 Comments
2024/11/20
19:50 UTC

2

Fear of fire alarms (but not the fire)

What phobia is this considered??

I freak out when I'm alone and a fire alarm goes off. I get nervous when buildings tell us about a scheduled fire alarm, even if I know I won't be there during it. I have seen fires in-person and I have never been scared, but I always have to hold a comfort object close to me when walking alone in halls with a visible fire alarm above it yada yada yada other typical fear stuff

I wouldn't avoid it entirely but I will flip out internally and scream but look calm (aside from shaking of the singular leg)

0 Comments
2024/11/20
19:38 UTC

2

Bro I need help

So I have a fear of bugs and it keeps getting worse day by day I'm scared of eating at the table cause of bugs I think they will get in my food please help

0 Comments
2024/11/20
12:31 UTC

1

What to take

I'm here because I think I have a phobia. So I wanted to talk to people to see if this is a phobia or if I'm just a bitch. I have a fear of men that are older than me but I don't fear old men. But I'm a boy and 19 years old and I'm pretty big. So I find this fear of men ridiculous but still I'm scared. Do anyone have something like this or is this even a phobia.

0 Comments
2024/11/20
08:41 UTC

1

This is hard to explain…

I recently discovered a new fear that I have, and maybe others have it too. I haven’t been able to find anything online concerning it, nor am I that great at explaining it, so I’m going to give context to the it.

I really like Minecraft. I’m a young adult with a decent amount of free time, so I spend my time watching YouTube videos about Minecraft horror mods. These are entertaining to me and don’t scare me in any way. Not even goosebumps when the scary noises happen. HOWEVER, something that has actively given me goosebumps and a genuine fear is Minecraft arg’s. You know, where a YouTube channel posts something that leads down a rabbit hole of “what the fuck?” and “I have to figure this out.” The way the YouTube explains the video that the creepy stuff happens in, and what not is what gets me. Getting down to the bottom of the mystery makes me feel like I’m being watched. I’ve never been so afraid from YouTube videos in my entire life.

1 Comment
2024/11/20
06:21 UTC

5

Day By Day, getting better!

so i got a strong case of anemophobia/ ancraophobia. had it ever since i was a kid. been working through it & getting therapy since i was a kid.

exposure therapy was really the only thing that worked, and even then, i'm far from healed

i'm happy to report i'm slowly getting better! when i was a kid i didn't leave the house or go to school when it was windy, and i couldn't go to parks or outdoor events where i didn't have a house to hide in. now i can go camping! i still panic when it gets windy, then, but i am so happy i finally have a life.

of course there's still bad days. there's days where i see a leaf moving in the wind and it triggers a panic attack. there's days where i watch a movie and have to turn it off because the wind is too strong in it. i cannot fall asleep with a fan because it sounds like wind.

but day by day, things are looking up!

just wanted to share some positivity :)

4 Comments
2024/11/20
01:17 UTC

0

Makeup phobia

I have this strong phobia of makeup, the idea of putting it on my skin makes me gag and sometimes even seeing excessive makeup on people makes me feel nauseous. It can be quite limiting for me in my day to day life. For example, recently my friend needed me to wear fake blood for their film. It was a tiny amount (like the size of a pea), but the process of putting on on my skin and seeing in on me made me crazy panicked and almost throw up. Afterwards I was washing it off aggressively. I have no problem with real blood, but the fake blood was too much. I have a similar thing with other make up products and even face paint. I have tried searching Google about this phobia and barely anything comes up. Only a few people have ever talked about their experiences and they never seem to describe how intense my experience with the phobia is.

I want to know I'm not alone so does anyone else here have a similar phobia?

1 Comment
2024/11/19
21:30 UTC

1

Fear of bio. Malfunction?

Whenever i encounter a situation (real of fictional) where a medical problems such as anemia or organ damage is involved, i get scared almost to the point of tears and gag (even writing this). Its definitely not traumatophobia as cuts or even broken bones dont get to me but impailation definitely does.

I find that with most things I can brave my fear and do things anyway, except this. I once had to try for a shot 4 time because i was too afraid that I'd twitch and pop the artery. Just so you know this is NOT normal fear.

0 Comments
2024/11/19
12:41 UTC

1

Venephobia, what do I do?

I dont know how it originated and when, but ever since I was a child, I have felt extreme discomfort when thinking of blood vessels. It’s not a fear, but more like disgust and uneasiness. I have no fear of blood, injections, or the pain associated with them. In fact, I have always been clumsy and prone to wounds, to the point that I often times ignore them and sort of unconcerned with my own bleeding.

The real trigger comes when I remember that I have tubes running across my body. Much less triggering seeing other people’s veins, mostly myself. So naturally, I hate palpitations, checking my pulse, or seeing my veins clearly. Which absolutely sucks because I have hypertension and am about to proceed to medschool (doubly important that I get over this). Because of this specific trigger, I have no fear of muscular injections but absolutely abhor the thought of intravenous injection or blood drawing. It’s only blood vessels though, as when I see a persons hand cut off in shows, it doesn’t faze me as much as if I see a carotid artery cut.

My symptoms include mild trembling, an inability to closed my grasp/grip, and a sinking feeling in my core. How do I get over this and does anyone relate??

2 Comments
2024/11/19
09:18 UTC

1

fear of antennas…?

i highly doubt this phobia has a term bc i’ve done my deep research to no avail… but when i was much younger i suddenly developed a fear of antennas. the weird spiky ones on houses. i believe they’re radio antennas? some could be bearable to me, like if they were smaller and had a less threatening appearance (more circular shapes rather than spikes). i never had a problem with car antennas, dishes, towers etc., just these specific ones. it has nothing to do with their purpose, its purely just their appearance. it is 100%, entirely, without a doubt, irrational. i broke into tears when i saw a loose antenna leaning against my uncles shed, and it made my fear stronger when i truly noticed the size. now that i’m older the phobia has mostly left me, although i still get a disturbing feeling whenever i look at them. i don’t notice them much anymore and haven’t for some years, i just wanna know more about it and if anyone else has anything remotely similar.

0 Comments
2024/11/19
05:50 UTC

3

Idk what phobia this is

I think this is some type of phobia but i tried looking it up but i still dont know. This is hard to explain so please bare with me.

So when people have injuries that are like shaped in a certain way, like circle shaped or anything like it, i get an intense fear and disgust response but idk if its a phobia or not.

For example, the cookie cutter shark makes circular shaped holes in its victims and when i looked at that i had to immediately click off and even thinking about it now gives me the chills. This is not trypophobia because i have that too and its a major part of this newfound fear i have. Its not just circles though, i get the same response when i look at a gecko tail drop(its kinda specific but this is what i have found triggered it) and other wide open deep wounds like that(mostly circular deep wounds though). No pics attached just look it up to see, i dont wanna trigger anyone.

Its not the injury part that gets me, because i can handle blood and guts and stuff, its just those particular instances where i just cant handle it.

Does anyone have any idea?? Is there a better place to ask? I just posted on here but i thought it would make the most sense. Please give any input on this.

1 Comment
2024/11/19
04:17 UTC

2

Is there a phobia of sex with strangers?

So, the title is weird but let me explain. I am married and our sex life is good (between 10 and 12 times a month since we both work). I am very comfortable with her and have no issues in the bedroom. However, the thought of having sex with other people makes me anxious and I'm starting to think it's pathological. I start to curl in on myself, my heart rate goes up, and I've even dissociated. For context: I am a survivor of childhood SA. I am not, nor have I ever been promiscuous. I watch porn and am not put off by sexual innuendos in conversation. Is there a phobia of sex with strangers? Or do I just have a fear of sex but I'm comfortable with my wife so I'm okay with it with her.

0 Comments
2024/11/19
01:53 UTC

1

trypanophobia (maybe?)

I'm struggling with something and I'm not sure if you can call it a phobia but maybe it is and that's why I'm making this post before talking to a therapist. Some insight would be helpful.

Everytime a needle pierces my skin, for example when I get an injection or give blood samples or even when a sharp needle-like tool pierces my fingertip, after about one or two minutes of the needle getting removed I start to feel dizzy, nauseous, cold. Then I start to hyperventilate while my blood pressure drops drastically and eventually I pass out. Not completely, I'm always to some extent aware of my surroundings but my body is useless.

The way to counter this is to lie down immediately after getting injection, better to put my feet up and drink something overly sweet. I try to always be prepared. But sometimes I'm not prepared enough and 4 or 5 times this has happened without me being able to manage the symptoms. I recently went to the dentist and didn't know I might need an injection in the gum for some quick fix so I wasn't prepared. From my experience with different medical staff most seem to dismiss my warning about this thing I have with needles so they assure me it's gonna be ok but after I get the injection and pass out in front of them they realize I was serious and even then I mostly have to smile through them making fun of me. Which is super annoying.

Not only this thing I have can be dangerous, I get called weak and made fun of a lot by family, friends, even doctors and nurses every time. So it's more than an inconvenience to me and I would like to overcome it. The only person who doesn't make fun of me and always tells off people who do is my sister but I can't always rely on her to have my back.

I'm not afraid of needles or getting an injection. At least not consciencely. The first two times this happened to me I didn't even know what was happening. I volunteered both times for blood donation. That's why I'm not sure what to call it. Is it phobia? Shouldn't phobia be something I'm aware of rather than something that shocks me after I do something normal? Does anybody have a similar experience?

0 Comments
2024/11/18
22:48 UTC

1

Don't know if it's phobia or just me getting anxious

I have a mild fear of heights but it's gone now since I moved to a tall building and I'm on the 15th floor I would get anxious about walking from the elevator to my door But now the feeling is gone after a few months so much that I can peek a view down but it has also made me discover something new. If I'm holding something I get a feeling that thing will leave my hand and will fall down 15 floors I have trouble carrying stuff in my hands onto my room I cannot carry my phone in my hand while going in the gallery Once my sister handed her toddler to me and I clenched the baby imagining scenario that the baby will get restless, flail and fall down 15 floors It caused my heart beat to raise and feel butterflies in stomach

0 Comments
2024/11/18
13:56 UTC

1

What the fear of close ones dying and how can I treat it?

I want to know how I treat this fear, I want to sleep at night 😢

1 Comment
2024/11/18
04:42 UTC

4

phobia of wide open spaces

NOT agoraphobia. i have no problem going outside, but i'm very scared of large, flat, wide-open terrains/spaces, like oceans and deserts and plains. does anyone know what this might be called?

5 Comments
2024/11/18
00:24 UTC

1

Phobia of Sea Urchins

Like the title says, I probably have a phobia of sea urchins, everytime I swim past these small spiky balls chilling on stones, I just fear of stepping on one of them by accident. First time I saw one of these, It looked like it had eyes and was staring at me. It's really creepy for me and even looking at colonies of them creeps the heck out of me.

0 Comments
2024/11/17
23:49 UTC

4

phobia of not being able to control object movement?

i have this phobia which stems from childhood where i get incredibly upset/aggravated if objects move on their own such as wind chimes moving, kites, things dangling off car mirrors etc. i hyperfocus on the movement and i get really bothered by it. i've had nightmares as a kid where i can't turn televisions off even if they aren't plugged in. i've been trying to find something similar but as far as im concerned theres not really anything? any help would be great thank you :3

2 Comments
2024/11/17
20:48 UTC

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