[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by saket77

But I have a fear of heights to some degree. No, I have no problems traveling in an airplane, etc. Just that I feel little uneasy when looking down straight from the roof of a multistoreyed building. And other one which I cannot miss, is I have a fear of being enclosed somewhere. Technically, you can call that I am claustrophobic.

I have both of these phobias. Acrophobia being very acute (no issue with flying though), but claustrophobia at a manageable level.

Originally Posted by thoma

OMG, ophidiophobia! This thing is really debilitating when I think that there is not much way out with a face to face with this reptile. Add to it that these things can keep quite unnoticed till someone accidentally steps/get near to it. I tread very carefully around my house where these reptiles are aplenty.

I don't have a fear of snakes (just healthy respect), but used to get nightmares of them being on my bed and used to jump out of bed (in reality, not in the dream).
Thankfully have not had this for a long time now, which Mom attributes to her visiting the St.George church at Edathua (KL) and making an offering there.

[autonarr]

True story: in my school and college days I had a definite case of bibliophobia

Now that I'm a little "older" I think gerascophobia is setting in

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by latentpotential

I am scared of people who think they are Stigs Indian cousins. I see a few dozen daily in several avatars. Starting from Two wheels, going up to 8 wheels.

+1 i just have to put some distance between them and me, even if it means having to pull over.

@Those with claustrophobia: doesn't it affect you when you're in your cars? Or does the petrol head in you overcome it?

[ad3952n]

Well, In my case I am phobic about deep sea(s) and beaches. It's called hydrophobia I guess. I can't stand the sight of Juhu beach at night and the loud noises that waves make. Where as my fiancee is phobic of lifts and escalators and it actually takes me a lot of time to convince her on using a lift if not an escalator.

Thanks.

[luvDriving]

Flying cockroaches it is for me. I just run out of the room the moment I spot one. Lizards dont scare me. In fact I am called upon to deal with them and I have caught small and big lizards and thrown them out in the garden from the basin / bathroom.

But cockroaches - only the flying variety - scare the hell out of me. Many years ago one summer our house was besieged by flying cockroaches. God what a horrible time that was and I get shivers just thinking about it.

[jinojohnt]

The only phobia I have is about people talking to me about scary things. e.g. I am not afraid of heights, but get scared like hell when someone talks about the scary height when I am looking down from the roof of a high building.

[mb_jg]

I am sh#$ scared of LIZARDS.
I usually am the first one running out of the room or house with my hands waving all over & screaming like my pants are on fire.
Utterly disgusted by lizards, but funnily I can stand snakes, infact I have also killed a cobra in my childhood. I get creeped out by those bulging eyes & constant tongue flickering.

[JASMEET MATTOO]

Claustrophobia - Not a phobia as of now, but I guess it may develop into one because I get extremely uncomfortable in closed spaces. For e.g. when travelling in a lift full of people, I either avoid it, or maybe take stairs or maybe get down before my actual stop to avoid the rush. Also, I get uncomfortable in crowded gatherings, like marriage functions where too many people are clogged in a small hall. If its 100 people in a large hall, thats okay with me, but if its 100 people in a small hall, I will probably excuse myself.

[pratyush6]

I fear snakes. Anything creeping like that I am absolutely terrified of it. Add rats and cats. They make me nervous.

I am fearful of looking down a tall building but in general I am okay with heights.

[jayded]

Here are my phobias:

Acrophobia: I get really uncomfortable leaning against the rail from a 2nd floor itself, forget higher up the building. No problems with flying though. And more interestingly, I do not have much of a problem getting on to the high-thrill rides in an amusement park, or those silly parasailing that we do in Goa. In fact I'll be the first to sign up for those stuff. I guess my fear is when I feel I am unrestrained and will free fall.

P.S: I can never see myself doing a bungee jump.

Another phobia is flying cockroaches. The "Krrrrrrr" sound of their flapping wings make me go numb.

[SmartCat]

I have a huge, almost unreasonable fear of rats - making me the only cat in the world that is scared of rats.

Head & body of rats are fine actually, its the weird tail that sends chills down my spine. And what's worse is that they suddenly seem to jump out of nowhere.

[swiftnfurious]

I think I am scared of snakes and spiders. But I do kill spiders; just that I try to keep a distance till I have a broom or so to kill it.

Very rare encounters with snakes, but I see that I keep a distance and NOT harm those (unlike spiders).

[theexperthand]

I am afraid of big ugly spiders - those big black ones. Though I am trying to manage it, my heart rate increases and I have a strong tendency to flee if I see one of them on the wall.

--Anoop

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by mandhir.s.bajwa

Even looking down from my 3rd floor balcony makes me feel that I'm going to fall. I even get way too uncomfortable with a thought of being at a height and nothing to save me from a fall.

I used to think I had acrophobia, since I get the familiar palpitation when near unsecured high places. Then I read doctors consider this normal, healthy fear, that exists to keep us safe. A phobia is an 'irrational' fear, that manifests even when there is absence of elevated risk/threat , that hinders normal behavior. Anyway, acrophobia is the closest I have to a phobia.

I have no problem looking down directly from my 4th floor balcony which has a stomach-height wall with steel pipe guard rail, but high places without much safety such as under-construction buildings (no vertical wall built) , I tend to avoid going near the last 2 feet (especially when other people are around - subconscious distrust of people, who will push you when you least expect it ? ). No fear of flying, quite happy to do that! But in a transparent walled elevator my heart rate does bump up a bit !

Originally Posted by arnabchak

A kabootarkhana with hundreds of pigeons and I am a dead man!!
Somehow, avoid even going near them.

No fear of pigeons, I just despise them, they are filthy (where they nest especially) and their groaning sound annoys me a lot. We had let a pair nest in our balcony, they kept having chicks like they were endangered species - so finally, cleaned up after their 3rd or 4th set. I did handle one of the young fledglings after they seemed to have been abandoned, they'd try to peck me with their beak, so I put on a leather glove and they'd peck but not discourage me. Tried feeding them, but they wouldn't ..eventually flew away after a few days - I guess the parents may have come back to feed them until they could fly.

Bottomline, they can peck at you, so handle with care.

Originally Posted by Pratzgh1

I don't fear this, but was once spat on! Yuk! A guy spat a awful amount of pan right out of a bus and i was riding on my bike just behind it. I throttled next to him and abused the hell out of him!

Had that happen to me, not directly, but stray drops stained by jacket. Wish I could thrash such inconsiderate morons, the law should allow some spot vigilante justice for inconsiderate nuisance makers.

Originally Posted by mb_jg

I am sh#$ scared of LIZARDS.
I get creeped out by those bulging eyes & constant tongue flickering.

Again, not phobic of lizards, some of them like the green iguana or such I would even keep as a pet, but I hate common geckos - they usually have a dirty yellow or mottled brown color ; I never touched any when I disposed of a few, always used paper to avoid touching their cold , icky skins.

I wouldn't do it now, but I used to catch frogs with my bare hands as a kid !

Originally Posted by smartcat

I have a huge, almost unreasonable fear of rats - making me the only cat in the world that is scared of rats.

Hahaha, you really think you're a cat !?
I've seen youtube videos of cats being intimidated by huge rats. Do google up for the largest rat, few months ago, there was a news piece about a huge , two foot long rat in Sweden. You'd need a Rottweiler rather than a cat to handle those.

For all those afraid of spiders and insects, be thankful all those critters are tiny and those as in Starship Trooper and Alien movies are pure fiction - if those insect-like aliens were as huge in real life, mammals and reptiles would probably never get the chance to evolve. The alien from "Alien" is the creepiest of all, imagine of they were real!

[mallumowgli]

@pratzgh1 : Interesting thread you've started

Two fears : Caves and centipedes. Not sure whether they can be called phobias

Iam not generally claustrophobic, but I have a fear of caves. I find it difficult to watch NG or Discovery channel programs showing exploration of caves. The one time I went to Valli cave in Tiruchendur, when I was a kid is still clear in my mind!! Highly suffocating. So may be I've fear of extremely closed spaces - but have not come across such situations. So I don't know for sure!!

Originally Posted by raksrules

From the many, one is fear of lizards. It is not a problem to find lizard on my bed, it is a problem when it disappears.

Haha, I had faced a similar predicament. A centipede entered the room where I was staying as a bachelor and disappeared somewhere in the innumerable things scattered around the room. I almost turned the room upside down but couldn't find it. I was hardly able to sleep for the next few days