I've always known I've had a mild-to-moderate form of claustophobia.

But I have learned I have a moderate form of trypophobia.

Though this won't send me running from the room, I do get that mild skin-crawlly sensation simply looking at a picture like this...

i kind of like that pattern^. i have a slight fear of heights

I have an extreme fear of heights, it's so extreme that I can't even get on a ladder. Or when I'm standing on the balcony and look up I feel dizzy.

And you really shouldn't be by my side when I have to use a spiral staricase it gets embarrassing.

i have a fear of bein confused...

XxAxX said:

i kind of like that pattern^. i have a slight fear of heights

That only triggers a mild reaction with me hardly terrifying but I've heard of some people having the same reaction to things like suds. Heights on a solid surface don't bother me even if it's a see-through surface but riding on a swaying sky trams can tramatize me or stepping out on the edge of a cliff at the grand canyon isn't happening.

I have a great fear of heights. I won't even climb on a small step ladder to retrieve something, unless it's REALLY necessary. I'm 6', so I normally don't have to do that. The fear of falling is just too great sometimes. I sort of know where it comes from, but I've yet to find a reason to get over it. So I never have.

I used to have great anxiety about seeing back to school stuff. I was bullied pretty bad from 6th grade through high school, then in the military (including sexual assault). The idea every year of going back to school made me so anxious and all I wanted was another option. My father wasn't around and my mother always said, "just talk it out with them". Not easy when you're being punched in the face. It wasn't until a few short years ago (I was around 46) I made myself walk into the Back To School section at Target. I purposely avoided it like the plague for years (or whatever store). I heart raced, I started to weep, I had that prickly sweat happening. It was overwhelming, but somehow I worked through it and I'm relatively okay with it now.

Still not climbing anything anytime soon.

TrivialPursuit said:

Heights...When i was around 8 i witnessed a baby fall out of a 7 story window...Anything higher than 1 or 2 stories and i get freaked out. Especially when i see someone near a window, an opening etc...


I'm also starting to realize that i get freaked out by certain patterns of holes or clusters of insects.

JoeyC said:

I can relate to the fear of heights; that's one reason why Vertigo is one of my favorite movies, I suppose... My sister arranged for family to go ziplining a few years ago. I told her, "Thanks but no thanks!" I could barely get through a sky glider ride which has a seat and a guard rail; there's no way I could survive ziplining. And I was proud of myself for doing that... The key was to look straight at the horizon in the distance and not down when the nausea and panic started to hit. And forget about those rides that go all around and upside-down!

[Edited 12/3/17 16:40pm]

JoeyC said:

I have rat-phobia and fear-of-driving-over-freeway-flyways phobia.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not have bullfrog phobia. I only hate bullfrogs when they are croaking in my pond and then, I kill them with no fright whatsoever. Only anger.

Thinking about this thread reminds me that sometimes it is good to confront your phobias even if you never totally get over them. Regarding my fear of heights and the vertigo that comes along with it, I'm reminded of a trip to Yellowstone Park I took with my stepmother, dad and grandmother back in '81. They were napping in the RV so I went off by myself down "Tom Sawyer's" trail which consisted of a metal staircase on the side of a cliff going to the bottom of an awesome waterfall. The staircase had see-through grated landings periodically; when I was about half way down the cliff I came upon a landing that literally had a huge hole in the center of it! I stared at it and then up at the boulders above my head, realizing that one of them had dislodged during the spring thaw and caused the huge gaping hole. Instead of going back up the staircase, I stealed myself because I wanted to get to the waterfall. So, even though my knees had literally turned to rubber at that point, my hands were shaking, and I felt nauseated--I slowly white-knuckled my way down the remaining stairs... My reward was watching one of the most beautiful waterfalls I had ever seen at the base of the cliff, feeling the spray of water on my face, watching the changing rainbow colors in the spray of mist, and realizing a sense of victory that I had overcome my fear to have that one-of-a-kind experience...

I fear fear.

2freaky4church1 said: