Bizarre Phobias
Tom wrote to ask about the reality of a site called The Phobia Clinic. At first glance, the site definitely looks like it represents a real business that's selling a program to help people overcome their fears. The strangeness comes when you dig into some of the fears that they claim they can cure, and you have to wonder... do such fears or anxieties really exist? For example, they can cure you of Arachibutyrophobia (that's a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth), Ballistophobia (a fear of bullets... but why would anyone want to overcome their fear of bullets? Isn't that a good thing to be afraid of?), Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (fear of long words... the name of the anxiety alone probably sends sufferers into convulsions), and the list goes on and on. Despite all the weird anxieties, I think that the Phobia Clinic is real enough, in the sense that they'll take your money and offer some kind of 'cure.' But I'm skeptical about whether their cure actually works.
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Categories: Psychology Posted by Alex on Fri Nov 21, 2003 |
Comments (449) |
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i don't know why but i have a fear of roofs and other roofers, i just can't explain it but when i look at roofers i get the shakes.
Posted by south-london roofers on Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 03:36 AM
I am doing a grade 6 report on phobias. If anyone has any information on them please post because there seems to be a lack of useful info on them. 😖 Did you know that there is a phobia called Phobophobia. That is the fear of phobia(s)
Posted by GogoGirl on Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 08:28 AM
I have a phobia - almost - of people biting down on cotton, cardboard, fabric, or napkins... or things like that - ack. It just makes me tremble to even think about it. I also can't stand styrofoam, or hearing about human anatomy - how your body works or people describing problems with muscles, etc. I feel really weak and frail. I almost passed out when we were discussing tendons in class. Anyone else who has problems like that? D:
And my dad has a fear of wet feet. Whenever the floor is mopped he won't cross it unless he's wearing shoes and he just squeals (it's actually kind of funny.)
Posted by Brooksong on Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 05:50 PM
And my dad has a fear of wet feet. Whenever the floor is mopped he won't cross it unless he's wearing shoes and he just squeals (it's actually kind of funny.)
I have a phobia of standing on a wet floor in socks or bare feet! When i turn the shower off, i have to get out of the shower and dry my feet before anything else! I cannot stand on a floor that is wet, mostly hard flooring, but sometimes carpets. If something is spilled on the floor, i will not walk on the floor until it is fully dry, because i begin to shake and feel sick...
Not normal. Not normal at all :(
Posted by Leah on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 03:24 AM
Not normal. Not normal at all :(
i cant stand eyelashes they creap me out i be thinking they bug legs growing out of my face they give me goose bumps everytime i think or so eyelashes i pull atleast 10-15 eye lashes out a day im scard they wont grow back but i cant stand them if i could pull other people eyelashes out i would whats wrong with me
Posted by Alexis Taylor on Fri Feb 11, 2011 at 01:38 AM
I have a huge fear of... marijuana? :/ I dunno why! I think because it has caused alot of problems with my friends and stuff... but whenever people talk about it around me I start like hyperventilating.
and when someone asks me to try it, I have a mini panic attack!
I know that's odd... But If anyone else has that problem, you should notify me...
Posted by Erin on Thu Feb 24, 2011 at 09:40 PM
and when someone asks me to try it, I have a mini panic attack!
I know that's odd... But If anyone else has that problem, you should notify me...
I can't stand to hear bathroom fans they are so annoying. I also can't stand touching just about anything without having lotion on my hands and feet and my lip always have to have chap-stick. Another thing about feet, I always have to wear shocks even to bed because of that I don't wear sandals or flip-flops. What is wrong with me? I'm I normal? My parents siblings think I act like a baby for when mention this stuff to them. Find out please!
Posted by VM on Fri Mar 04, 2011 at 12:00 PM
My friend is standidng right next to me and she has a fear of Dora the Explorer. I think its crazy. But, is there a way to cure it and what is this phobia called. She runs away if she hears it!!!!!!!! PLEASE HELPPPPPPP!!!!!!! 😊
Posted by URA FREAK on Fri Mar 11, 2011 at 07:46 PM
Well i have 2 really bad ones.. i cannot touch food!!!!!!! the oils gross me out so bad i start to cry and almost blackout. i always have to use forks/spoons for even hand held foods. and my 2nd one is more odd.. im deathly afraid of fish out of water? i have no idea why but i cant even be around fish out of the fear that they will end up out of there tanks im not afraid of them just them dieing from no water. please tell me why i have these weird phobias!! and how to get rid of them if possible!
Posted by Alishia on Tue Mar 22, 2011 at 06:07 PM
okayy soo im thirteen and i think i have a wierd phobia. i have a fear of dead skin or dead skin cells. i start to freak out if someone is picking at dead skin and i just hate it. but hey we're all human, right?
Posted by shayy on Tue Mar 22, 2011 at 06:35 PM
I have a phobia of wooden spoons and wooden lollipop sticks, i cant touch them or worse, put them in my mouth, even watching others put a lollipop stick or a wooden spoon in their mouths makes me cringe and tense.
Posted by Danielle on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 08:20 AM
Please answer me!!! I woul like the name of my phobia, I am afraid of rubbing my fingertips together. Even when I think about it, or when it accidentally happens, I freak out and have to have my hands in a fist. Usually for at least 10 minutes. Again, please tell me my phobia!!!!
Posted by Cass on Wed Apr 20, 2011 at 10:25 PM
I have a fear of people rubbing the skin around their eyes, like when they are tired for example, not their eye ball, just the skin around it. It makes me feel really woozy and I have to look away. Just thinking about it now is making me feel a bit sick. I nearly fainted once and this was when I was just imagining it, now that if crazy. I would love to know if anyone else has this phobia and if it has a name. My boyfriend does it all the time, and he has to let me know so that I can look away.
Posted by Kathryn Gibbons on Fri May 20, 2011 at 09:23 AM
I am afraid of posting my fears on the internet.
Posted by Joe Bayer on Sat May 21, 2011 at 07:32 AM
Stop taking the mick Joe Bayer, if that is all your gonna put, then don't bother.
Posted by Kathryn Gibbons on Mon May 23, 2011 at 01:25 PM
I'm terrified of clowns. :( I used to love themes a kid but now when I see them I start hyperventilating and cry. I also have a fear of whispering. Every time someone whispers to me I shake all over. One time my mom was whispering to my sister and I freaked out!
Posted by Lauren on Mon May 30, 2011 at 10:21 PM
I am 18 and I have this horrible fear of sticking my arm or my leg off of my bed when I'm sleeping. Does anyone know what it's called....this would be barreble if I knew what it was called.
Thanks
Posted by Adam on Wed Jun 01, 2011 at 01:40 PM
Thanks
It's me again! And I have more phobias to add.
Fear of: under my bed (I'm a little too old for that)
Dying (who isn't? Most people. :,(
Midgets
Sleeping by closets
The ocean
3d movies
Sad, I know. :d
Posted by Lauren on Wed Jun 01, 2011 at 10:02 PM
Fear of: under my bed (I'm a little too old for that)
Dying (who isn't? Most people. :,(
Midgets
Sleeping by closets
The ocean
3d movies
Sad, I know. :d
im DEATHLY scared of raccoons, im scared they look at me when im changing and they go on my laptop and look at my history and check if i've been looking at any porn, and tell my dad so he bends me over and hits me with the belt. HELP!
p.s i saw a picture of a raccoon with an eye patch and a turd popped out of my shorts
Posted by Mike Rotch on Fri Jun 10, 2011 at 03:19 AM
p.s i saw a picture of a raccoon with an eye patch and a turd popped out of my shorts
Does anyone know the name of my phobia? My phobia is touching wet rags, the ones to wipe down tables. I CAN'T EVEN TOUCH 'EM FOR ANY REASON! :gulp:
I barely look at them. Does anyone know the name?
I can touch rags in the shower, but, YUCK!!!!!
Thanks~
Posted by Sara on Mon Jul 04, 2011 at 10:29 PM
I barely look at them. Does anyone know the name?
I can touch rags in the shower, but, YUCK!!!!!
Thanks~
Ya, I know, more phobias. Here:
Sleeping by closets
CLOWNS. OH MY GOD. :zip:
Midgets
@ Adam : I totally agree. Sticking my leg or arm off my bed. :\
@ Lauren : I don't know about dying. It's not scary. We'll all got to heaven.
Name of phobias? THANKS~
P.S. I'm 15. -_-
Posted by Sara on Mon Jul 04, 2011 at 10:39 PM
Sleeping by closets
CLOWNS. OH MY GOD. :zip:
Midgets
@ Adam : I totally agree. Sticking my leg or arm off my bed. :\
@ Lauren : I don't know about dying. It's not scary. We'll all got to heaven.
Name of phobias? THANKS~
P.S. I'm 15. -_-
okay, so I have a severe phobia of waffles. it's really bad. I can't see, think about, or smell a waffle or I'll cringe and shake uncontrolably. Pancakes are FINE can anyone identify my fear of waffles? I'd appreciate it. email me if you can tell me the name of my disease, or if you are a fellow waffle phobiac.
Posted by Anna Leslie on Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Hello , 😊
just a couple of questions i was wondering about phobia's... i don't really have any other then the fear of walking outside alone in the dark & the fear of death and being alone , but i would like to know if anyone has any of these if they could let me know 😊
does anyone know what the fear of crayons , pencils , sticks , fans , tv's , love , relationships , being single forever , sleeping , washers , dryers , bbq's , grass , rodents, toes, death , toungs , underwear , skin, glass , paint , dogs , cats , electronics, pokemon , old people , dolpins , sharks , hockey , soccer , sports , & water called?
thanks alot 😊
Posted by anonomus on Tue Jul 12, 2011 at 08:15 PM
just a couple of questions i was wondering about phobia's... i don't really have any other then the fear of walking outside alone in the dark & the fear of death and being alone , but i would like to know if anyone has any of these if they could let me know 😊
does anyone know what the fear of crayons , pencils , sticks , fans , tv's , love , relationships , being single forever , sleeping , washers , dryers , bbq's , grass , rodents, toes, death , toungs , underwear , skin, glass , paint , dogs , cats , electronics, pokemon , old people , dolpins , sharks , hockey , soccer , sports , & water called?
thanks alot 😊
Hi i'm Maddy and im 12.
For the past few years I have been deathly afraid of scratching anything, even my skin. I have to scratch backwards, and sideways only on my skin. I clean out my fingernails a few times a day, and always have nail clippers by my side. I also have some kind of OCD that whenever I scratch something I have to scratch backwards on it and whenever I rub against something I have to rub against it in the other direction, twice, five, ten or twenty times. I am obsessed with those numbers and I hate it...
If I touch something I have to touch it again or else I think I am going to "Die".
Posted by Maddy on Fri Jul 15, 2011 at 10:17 PM
For the past few years I have been deathly afraid of scratching anything, even my skin. I have to scratch backwards, and sideways only on my skin. I clean out my fingernails a few times a day, and always have nail clippers by my side. I also have some kind of OCD that whenever I scratch something I have to scratch backwards on it and whenever I rub against something I have to rub against it in the other direction, twice, five, ten or twenty times. I am obsessed with those numbers and I hate it...
If I touch something I have to touch it again or else I think I am going to "Die".
Also, I am afraid of barnacles.
They make me cringe and get goosebumps.
My other phobias do the same. I am also really afraid of towels touching my teeth. The vibrations and noises it makes freak me out!!. Also, as you can see, I have to have periods at the end of every sentence or I think I am going to die. And if I write an a or d they have to be completely closed, no gaps, or I am going to die.
Posted by Maddy on Fri Jul 15, 2011 at 10:20 PM
They make me cringe and get goosebumps.
My other phobias do the same. I am also really afraid of towels touching my teeth. The vibrations and noises it makes freak me out!!. Also, as you can see, I have to have periods at the end of every sentence or I think I am going to die. And if I write an a or d they have to be completely closed, no gaps, or I am going to die.
Glad to see I am not the only one with a paper fear. I hate when someone rubbs their fingers along paper. It gives chills up my back and down to my toes.
Its that feeling of dry paper rubbing against skin. Ahhh! I have to lick my fingers constantly when trying to read a book. Wet paper is fine with me. lol
Posted by Amber on Mon Jul 18, 2011 at 01:01 PM
Its that feeling of dry paper rubbing against skin. Ahhh! I have to lick my fingers constantly when trying to read a book. Wet paper is fine with me. lol
I have a very bad fear of napkins. I'm 16 years old and I have always been distant from them but during this year I have developed a strange phobia. If they're wet napkins, I don't mind. But I won't touch them if they're dry. When I even think about them or see my family using them at the dinner table, I freak out. I get goosebumps, my teeth start grating, I get cold, and shake. I can't stand the feeling or the sound. I also hate the feeling of towels, clothes, etc, right after I wash my hands and dry them. And the sound of the material of napkins or towels rubbing on my fingernails aggravates me alot. Sometimes it's hard just to take a shower because I hate the feeling towels, clothes, etc, so much... I don't know why i'm so scared though.
Posted by Caitlyn on Mon Jul 18, 2011 at 01:07 PM
My names McKenna. I'm 15 years old and I have a type of water phobia. I love swimming and taking showers...but I hate getting my clothes wet. My friends tease me about going on water rides at amusement parks and dancing in the rain. I just wont get wet. It's not because I care about what I look like, it's because I have anxiety when my clothes are wet. Ever since I was little I've hated getting my clothes wet. My mom would splash a little bit of water on my from doing the dishes and I'd immediately change clothes. Or I'd spill a drop of food on my clothes and my mom would get a wet rag to get the spot off, and I'd go change. I just cant stand getting wet and I don't even know what the phobia is called. I'm tired of telling people that "I have a type of water phobia" cuz no one believes me!!! Please help me out!!! I have to end this madness!
Posted by McKenna Silvester on Thu Jul 21, 2011 at 11:36 AM
I have a few phobias that included thunder and lightning, the flash and noise freaks me out, I always plug my ear phones in, I can't watch anything that involves clowns, the painted smiles freak me out and shouting, I can't be near someone shouting or have someone shout at me, I start feeling uncomfortable and my heart rate speeds up, I was never afraid of shouting up until 1/2 a year ago when I started arguing with my ex and he would shout at me a lot also there has been an increased amount of arguements in my family recently which has involved a lot of shouting.
Posted by Becki on Sun Jul 31, 2011 at 07:42 AM
I have a fear my rubbing my fingertips together, ESPECIALLY when they get pruny after a shower/bath, or anyone elses pruny hands or feet, and I also have a fear of touching cotton, or Q-tips, and touching my jeans whenever my hands are dry, touching wet wood, (wooden spoons when washed), cotton, tissue, or any cloth being in my mouth, I have a big fear of my jaw getting stuck open, (Had nightmares of this), razor tops, and spiders or any other crawly bug.
Posted by Heaven on Sun Jul 31, 2011 at 02:33 PM
{stupid336x280}
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