Do You Have Any Phobias?

[Markku]

I'm not claustrophobic, nor acrophobic, but I am arachnophobic and ophidiophobic (the former is fear of spiders and the latter fear of snakes).

It's not just being in live contact with them or the possibility of live contact, but also watching eg. documentaries on tv about snakes or spiders makes me very uneasy. And I've been like this since I was born/remember, nothing special has triggered them.

Then again I don't have the motivation to try and get rid of these phobias since it's not that often I encounter this problem.

My dear mother is badly claustrophobic, all small and closed spaces are a no go. For some reason I am not. I also like heights, call me crazy.

Edit/addition: Now that I think about it, I do have some fear of my tinnitus getting worse. Thus I can appear as overly cautious when an unpredictable loud noise comes from somewhere and I quickly try and plug my ears. But I don't mind, I like to make sure and protect my ears.

 

[mock turtle]

i have a fear of large crowds where i am surrounded, or like, "hemmed in" , so i couldnt get out right away because of all the people crowded around me, which makes departure long and slow...like in a stadium or a big mob in the streets

i like wide open spaces...except , ive been out on the water in a small (small) boat at night alone...on one of the great lakes between canada and the usa, called lake ontario, (it is huge lake, like an inland sea)...and that was a very spooky experience but on the other hand, ive crewed on a 30 foot sail boat with 3 other people, in the ocean...no problem

 

[jazz]

Markku--I'm also afraid of spiders, but mainly the brown and black ones. While in grad school, I did many all nighters, and I'd brew coffee into the wee hours of the morning. Once or twice a month, I'd encounter those brown wolf spiders in my kitchen, just sitting on the floor. Yuck! Though terrified (racing pulse, etc.), I still managed to crush them with my slipper. You figure it's either you or the bug!

On second thought, those all nighters don't seem so bad. At least then I could drink coffee. Now, I'm lucky if I drink 3 cups of tea in eight hours without my head paying for it!

 

[Louise]

I'm claustrophobic. Cant do the underground trains because of it. Once had to make a submarine ride I was on in the Caribean return to the surface to let me off. I also dont like being hemmed in by crowds at all.

And of course, the fear of tinnitus. When I found out about it in my youth I had a fear of it. Not something I thought about, but just whenever I'd see the word. I am really, really frightened of it now.

 

[Karl]

I'm not sure if I have many fears, except the fear of dying. I think that most of have an instinctive fear of dying, which is one of the driving forces of mankind. (There's a great book, "Denial of Death", by Ernest Becker about how the fear of death has caused man to invent mythologies meant to overcome the issue of death.)

I have had pretty bad acid reflux and alergies which can cause me to choke when I fall asleep, causing panic attacks. I am so use to choking when I fall asleep, it's become a routine. I suppose that's my biggest fear, choking to death when I sleep.

I also don't like being in crowds, but by no means would I call this a fear, just an annoyance.

 

[Fish]

I guess I will be original here... What I am afraid of is... elevators. If only I have a chance, I pick the stairs. Good for health and doesn't take that much longer if it's <10 floors.

When I was 6 years old I got stuck in an elevator for several hours, my neighbour forced the door open. The elevator was stopped between two floors and I had to jump out from it. I saw the dark abyss down below and it was really a terrifying experience.

And yes, like some of you I am afraid of tinnitus. I feel I don't have much control over it and I worry sometimes what will I do if it becomes worse one day.

 

[jazz]

Thanks everyone for mentioning tinnitus. That is now my number one fear because tinnitus is unpredictable and can get very, very bad.

 

[Louise]

That's the worst part of it

 

[Karen]

I'm petite (5' 1 1/2"), and I am fearful of being in large crowds, mainly because everyone seems to tower over me. It makes me feel like everyone is closing in on me, and I become claustrophobic.

I'm also afraid of tinnitus. Like the rest of you, I feel that it's kind of a fear of the unknown --- not knowing how much worse it will become, or if it's ever going to end. Hurry up, tinnitus researchers, and find us a cure!!

 

[click]

Heights and enclosed spaces (sever claustrophobia) for me... but now I'd rather have either and no hisssssssing.

I'm scared of not being able to cope with T rather than the T itself.

 

[calin]

Interesting topic. Ya know, I get the sense and that those of us that have T, are a bit "sensitive". Meaning that we can develop things like phobias.

Yes, I have been trying to desensitize myself of an acquired sense of "panic" in the last 8 or so years. I don't go on the freeway anymore as a driver. Being a passenger I am just fine. I did have a few driving scares, but I expect it is something deeper. I have not found a way of "clearing" that "disorder"..... but still trying. It's crazy as I drove 40 minutes a day on freeways to work for years and years.

I too can get the sense of "panic" in shopping malls and certain stores which I guess is a form of crowds, etc. It's like I have to escape. If I am stuck waiting in a line or on the road at certain times, I get that sense too.... like I have to leave and want to get away. Weird.

I think there may be a link to T and this "disorder" in some way. I will find it if there is. I think the T for me may be a hypertension thing maybe.... still thinking about it.

Thanks Markku for bringing this rather sensitive topic up. Oh and hey, my "title" under my avatar changed. I liked what you put for me!

I disagree with those of us being "mere mortals"!!!! We are ALL unique and special!!!

 

[mick]

My greatest fear is of being disabled - mentally or physically. Tinnitus kind of falls in that category. Losing the ability to walk or to see would be the worst. I don't really have a fear of dying, just a fear of not completing my life - in particular of not living up to the implicit promise that I made when I decided to have children - i.e., to be there for them and help prepare them for life on their own. The sadness that I would experience in not being able to complete that task would be much worse than dying itself. That is at the core of the anxiety I've experienced with the health problems I've had over the past 2 years. I feel a good deal of sadness as it is because I have not been able to be the father that I want to be because of medical issues taking up so much of my time.

 

[Louise]

I find your attitude really laudable Mick, you sound like a great father.

 

[sharon]

I don't think I have any really, but I have to admit I hate slugs worms and things like that.

 

[Ankie]

I hate flying on airplanes. With a passion. It absolutely terrifies me, and since I do not like sedatives, plane trips are pretty much torture.

 

[David O]

Heights, and roller coster type rides
Dave

 

[PingoJack]

I have a phobia towards loud noise and I have had it as long as I can remember, long before I knew about T or any other hearing disorders. Eastern and New Years fire works was a nightmare to me as a kid, as a well as playing "cowboys and indians" with cap guns. In a weird sense, I may be thankful of my phobia for postponing my T (because I avoided all those things mentioned). It wasn't until my military service I came to terms with the phobia. Though I was not in a combat unit we still had to take basic weapon and explosives training (alway wearing double ear protection however). I have never heard anyone having phobia towards loud noise, though I believe after onset of T, we all fear it to some degree today.

 

[Hudson]

Anything that looks like a lotus seed pod, those crazy frogs with the holes in their backs that their young live in... it's horrible. Destroy it all.
Of course T sufferers have a phobia of it getting worse. I think to some degree that is the cause of the "mild" hypercausis that some people have when first afflicted with T. The more I think about it, a lot of this condition has a large psychological element to it. Not to say there isn't some physical pathology causing the noise, because there is.

I guess my fear with T isn't about the T itself... it's just a fear that no woman would want me because I have it, or because I have to wear ear plugs if we go dancing or something. I hate the weird stares I get if I wear ear plugs in a place others would deem as "not that loud". I remember asking that question on reddit once and the response I got was:
"These people are not your friends." To me, that spoke volumes. I'd rather deal with 30 seconds of an awkward stare now than a worsened case of T.

 

[Markku]

I wouldn't like to hang out with people who'd actually dare to give a stare if you wear ear plugs. So narrow-minded...

Try not to worry about that. In my experience, people rarely comment or give stares for wearing ear plugs. And your true friends don't give a cra* if you had toilet paper in your ears. Also, I really can't see your future girlfriend minding you have tinnitus. Fears don't always make sense... I know, but I'm just saying

I advise all tinnitus sufferers to invest in quality custom-moulded ear plugs, e.g. Elacin ER25. There are other brands too, but these musician type custom plugs have the advantage of flat attenuation.

• Flat attenuation: optimal music experience, maintains the natural timbre
• Good speech intelligibility

http://www.elacin.com/fi/en/product/85/Elacin-Music-ER25

They are expensive, but last a long while and once you get a pair of custom plugs, there's really no going back to the generic foamy ear plugs.

A middle ground would be Alpine's musician plugs, they are not custom, but still way better than the EARs: http://www.earplugstore.com/alnasoearpl.html

Ups, that was a little off-topic.

 

[Tom Barry]

Spiders for sure.

 

[Ivan]

I have a fear of loud noise ever since I got tinnitus. For example, a few minutes ago I played bass guitar really loud while wearing foamy earplugs and left one just somehow got out of my ear, I was exposed to loud noise and thought my tinnitus has worsened, but it didn't.

 

[Makoto Deguchi]

To Ivan,
Nice to meet you. I have similar symptoms of your problem.

 

[James]

As I've gotten older, it's heights for me. Like being afraid of a high ledge, or a shear cliff, high mountains. I even hate high freeway overpasses. I feel like my car is going to slide off. I freeze up. A plane window is cool. Perhaps it's a type of vertigo, which I don't really understand the term very much.

And now I'm thinking it's all tied into my ear issues, with the T, we all know.

 

[Piper]

My phobia is this tinnitus. quote John Lennon" mamma told me they'd be days like these, most peculiar mamma"

 

[Luca]

Heights, spiders, snakes.

Call me crazy but I hate that feeling of writing with a pencil. There is some sort of rough sandpapery friction to it, ugh...

But nothing too serious. I refuse to see any of these as real phobias.

 

[Danny]

reading about other persons phobias

 

[Mario]

I don't have any life wrecking phobia's or any that I'd cry over but I am scared of heights and my face becomes squeamish when I see spiders. My most uncommon fear is lifts, especially if it's in a big building; again I think this relates to highest but also the concept of being squeezed in scares me too.

 

[Erlend]

i already had misophonia before tinnitus. my dad chewing and my mom closing doors really hard (she is very heavy handed, rough with everything, breaks stuff...) makes me cringe.

misophonia=fear of certain sounds.

it triggers the fight or flight instinct. if i myself chew aggressively, that kind of masks the emotion though. so i can eat with my dad, but it sounds like when the simpsons eat lol

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Tax authorities.

 

[Amelia]

Apart from T my phobia is not being around for my kids. Terminal illness petrifies me in that I wouldn't be around to see my babies growup.

I do have lots of fears tho - cockroaches, enclosed places, being confined and ... chalk lol