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From Wikipedia: “A phobia is an irrational, persistent fear of certain situations, objects, activities, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one’s control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made.” Here are the top 10 Bizarre phobias!
1. Ithyphallophobia – Fear of Erections [Answers.com]
Defined as “a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of an erect penis”, each year this surprisingly common phobia causes countless people needless distress. To add insult to an already distressing condition, most fear of erection therapies take months or years and sometimes even require the patient to be exposed repeatedly to their fear. Known by a number of names – Medorthophobia, Phallophobia, Ithyphallophobia, and Fear of an Erect Penis being the most common – the problem often significantly impacts the quality of life. It can cause panic attacks and keep people apart from loved ones and business associates.
2. Ephebophobia – Fear of Youths [Wikipedia]
The psychological and social fear of youth. The effects of ephebiphobia appear to cause damage throughout society. At least one major economist has proposed that the fear of youth can have grave effects on the economic health of nations. Coinage is attributed to a 1994 article by Kirk Astroth published in Phi Delta Kappan. Today, common usage occurs internationally by sociologists, government agencies, and youth advocacy organizations that define ephebiphobia as an abnormal or irrational and persistent fear and/or loathing of teenagers or adolescence.
3. Coulrophobia – Fear of Clowns [Wikipedia]
Coulrophobia is an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. It is not uncommon among children, but is also sometimes found in teenagers and adults as well. Sufferers sometimes acquire a fear of clowns after having a bad experience with one personally, or seeing a sinister portrayal of one in the media. The weird appearance of the clowns, swollen red noses and unnatural hair colors makes these persons look so mysterious and treacherous. Adults who are victims of coulrophobia know what they fear is completely irrational and illogical, but they can’t escape the circumstance.
4. Ergasiophobia – Fear of Work [Wikipedia]
Ergasiophobia can be a persistent and debilitating disorder in some people, causing significant psychological disability and dysfunction. These individuals may actually be suffering from an underlying mental health problem such as depression or Attention Deficit Disorder.
5. Gymnophobia – Fear of Nudity [Wikipedia]
Gymnophobia is a fear or anxiety about being seen naked, and/or about seeing others naked, even in situations where it is socially acceptable. Gymnophobes may experience their fear of nudity before all people, or only certain people, and may regard their fear as irrational. This phobia often arises from a feeling of inadequacy that their bodies are physically inferior, particularly due to comparison with idealized images portrayed in the media. The fear may also stem from anxiety about sexuality in general, or from a persistent feeling of vulnerability associated with the thought that those who have seen the gymnophobe naked will continue to imagine the gymnophobe nude.
6. Neophobia – Fear of Newness [Wikipedia]
Neophobia is the fear of new things or experiences. It is also called cainotophobia. In psychology, neophobia is defined as the persistent and abnormal fear of anything new. In its milder form, it can manifest as the unwillingness to try new things or break from routine. The term is also used to describe anger, frustration or trepidation toward new things and toward change in general. Some conservative and reactionary groups are often described as neophobic, in their attempts to preserve traditions or revert society to a perceived past form. Technophobia can be seen as a specialized form of neophobia, by fearing new technology.
7. Paraskavedekatriaphobia – Fear of Friday the 13th [Wikipedia]
A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German, Polish, Bulgarian and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word that is derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Παρασκευή, δεκατρείς, and φοβία, meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively; alternative spellings include paskevodekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia, and is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen.
8. Panphobia – Fear of Everything [Wikipedia]
Panphobia, also called omniphobia, Pantophobia or Panophobia, is a medical condition known as a “non-specific fear”; the sufferer finds themselves in a state of fear but with no known target, and therefore no easy remedy. It has been described as “a vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil”. This fear is often seen as a secondary condition to schizophrenia.
9. Taphophobia – Fear of being Buried Alive [Wikipedia]
Fear of being buried alive is the fear of being placed in a grave while still alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. The abnormal, psychopathological version of this fear is referred to as taphophobia. Before the advent of modern medicine the fear was not entirely irrational. Throughout history there have been numerous cases of people being accidentally buried alive.
10. Pteronophobia – Fear of being Tickled by Feathers [Wikipedia]
Pteronophobia is the irrational fear of being tickled by feathers. Certain childhood events, such as tickling a baby, can lead to this fear as the child may feel trapped. It is related to the fear of tickling.
Bonus: Luposlipaphobia
The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly-waxed floor. This is actually a fictional phobia which was created by Gary Larson – author of the Far Side comics.
August 20th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I think a lot of people have a case of Panphobia. You know – that feeling that something bad is going to happen but you don’t know what. And then nothing happens … and then go on to the next thing that can go wrong.
August 20th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Andre: I would agree with you on that – I have that feeling from time to time though I normally relate it to a hangover
August 20th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Actually hangovers would lead to some Ergasiophobia, in my experience
August 20th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Andre: A common experience I believe – one I can definitely verify in fact
August 20th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I think a lot of people have mild Gymnophobia. I mean, a lot of people wouldn’t want to get naked anywhere or with anyone unless they’re alone or planning on having sex (among other things). It’s understandable both ways; someone that doesn’t mind being with someone while they’re naked is fine, and the other doesn’t like it, fearing that they are overweight, just aren’t attractive, etc. is normal.
August 20th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Dan: that is true – we are all phobic in many ways – though thankfully not to the extend requiring therapy for the most part.
August 20th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
some of these phobias are weird but the one about timber wolves and wax floor how can someone be afraid of that i mean the chances of something like that occurring is like one in a billion so how could they be scared
August 20th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
mix- Did you read who the phobia was credited to?
August 20th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Legolaphobia: Fear of Wood elves, If you don’t get it I’m not going to explain it. It’s fictional, No help groups please.
My favorite and most Ironic phobia:
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: Fear of Long words. HA HA.
Autophhobia: fear of yourself.
I could do this all day.
My phobia is almost too perverse to put on here: As it is still unamed, ill just tell you what it is. fear of animal STDs: I don’t lik it when an animal comes up and sits on my arm, I have cats and have to deal with this all of the time. I’m not “one of those people” I just dont want certain parts of an animals anatomy on me. My hands are actually shaking right now.
August 20th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
flagpolsittaphobia: fear if impailing yourself while skydiving???
August 20th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Morphy: yea just read the whole thing my bad
August 21st, 2007 at 1:16 am
mix2323: that one is a joke – but funnily enough, the though of running around a table on a newly waxed floor whilst wearing socks makes me tingle all over with horror – Larson may have been joking but I think there is some reality in his joke
August 21st, 2007 at 1:18 am
crimanon: I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at those comments
oh – and I was so tempted to put the long words one on because I love Irony – but I managed to restrain myself.
August 21st, 2007 at 4:29 am
I dont know the proper phobia name, but..Nikola Tesla’s “fear of pearls”. That one always struck me as an oddity, allthough, for such an odd individual, any odd fear only adds to one’s mysterious nature.
The fear probably is closer to that of being with round orbs..not so strange…anyway I’m just commenting.
August 21st, 2007 at 4:49 am
p.s. top ten serial killers…. a clown! AAAGGHHH!
August 21st, 2007 at 7:50 am
christian: I have been working on a top 10 serial killers list but it is taking quite some time. Did you realise the clown picture I used is the one drawn by John Wayne Gacy? I used it for a bit of irony
August 21st, 2007 at 7:26 pm
I did know, that was my joke.
August 21st, 2007 at 8:00 pm
christian: ah – I did wonder
Glad someone got it 
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:03 am
I had never heard of ithyphallophobia before xD I LOL’d.
These ones are pretty bizarre too:
Anablephobia: fear of looking up
Lalophobia: fear of speaking
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:20 am
ImplosiveFire: thanks for adding those – I can kinda understand anablephobia as sometimes I get a bit nervous looking up if I am standing on something very high – though I think that is more a fear of losing balance and falling.
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:22 pm
I suffer from selachophobia, which is developing into ichthyophobia, which could be a big problem for me. I think that perhaps when people say that they have a ‘phobia’ they don’t realize that they’re just really scared of it and its not a phobia, just a fear. For example, when my phobia is triggered it is a completely different kind of fear than seeing a spider 2″ away from me or a paranoia of showers after seeing Psycho. I just wish more people would understand that before spouting off that they have arachnaphobia or something like that. Good list though.
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:53 pm
I don’t see how lalophobia can be considered funny. As a child I was excruciatingly shy, to the point that several of my teachers thought I was mute because they had never heard me speak!
I’m agoraphobic, which is defined as a fear of open spaces or crowds. Agoraphobes are those people who lock themselves in their homes – or even one room in their homes – because they are unable to leave their safe place without experiencing panic attacks or fugues.
I think it’s rather a narrow definition since most agoraphobes are afraid of the panic attacks that crowds or other situation can trigger, rather than the situation itself. I can handle crowds…as long as I know where the exits are in case I start feeling cornered.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:33 pm
kelsi: does it effect you in every day life?
Fe: Have you recovered as an adult from those problems? I think my sister had a mild form of agoraphobia as a child – it was very debilitating for her.
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Another interesting phobia is arachibutyrophobia. It’s the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. It actually exists!
August 24th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Monkey: I read about that while I was researching the list – I wonder what causes that phobia to occur in a person.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:59 am
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..i fear top 10 lists of phobias… but i also have ad/hd and a short memory span… so umm huh?.. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH a phobia list!!!!! look a bunny what was that? a phobia list? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH……
*spins around in chair*
lol.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Gr8flDdFn: hehe – very amusing
August 29th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Jamie, as the mother of a son who eats only peanut butter sandwiches, I can tell you what causes arachibutyrophobia …the sheer panic when trying to remove the bread and Peanut Butter that is stuck to the roof of his mouth when he is gagging on it! (I’m sure you know which son we are talking about.)
August 30th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Catriona: Seen in that light I can completely understand the fear
Before you described it like that I could really only imagine Mr Ed with his peanut-butter-induced chatting.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:58 pm
somniphobia: fear of sleep
September 1st, 2007 at 12:35 am
Fruckert: that would be awful! I love sleeping! I wonder what would bring that fear on.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:46 am
another wierd one is elektrophobia…fear of chickens…at least i think thats it
September 1st, 2007 at 1:11 am
Fruckert: elektrophobia is fear of electricity – you mean Alektorophobia
September 1st, 2007 at 1:14 am
ah well…they sound the same…im sound and word dyslexic
September 1st, 2007 at 1:20 am
Fruckert: they do sound the same. Mind you – Alektorophobia has one extra syllable.
September 1st, 2007 at 1:25 am
ah touche
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:33 am
if anyone wants some more odd ones go to phobialist.com
such as:
Russophobia- Fear of Russians
Ranidaphobia- Fear of Frogs
Pogonophobia- Fear of beards
Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking
Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love
Parthenophobia- Fear of virgins or young girls
and lastly
Optophobia- Fear of opening one’s eyes
September 5th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Ok, two questions:
1)How does a fear of erections “keep people apart from…business associates?”
2)Why is the guy afraid of work black?
September 5th, 2007 at 11:44 am
You should make a top ten weirdest myths/urban legends.. that would be fun.
I love urban legends, they’re so entertaining!
September 5th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
How about Helenologophobia – having a fear of lengthy, latin based scientific terms.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I’m scared of people walking behind me… and scared of door knobs.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
If you watch the Maury show, there’s some people who are afraid of cotton balls, pickles, mustard, & they just go screaming & run away. I always thought those are weird but i HATE when the audience laughs at the people who are scared, it’s just rude!
September 5th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
what about hippotomontroseousquippedelaphobia…the fear of long words?
September 5th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
why isnt Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
the fear of long words up there?
September 6th, 2007 at 1:32 am
crabtree and brett: That is a made up phobia – I only put authentic phobias on the list.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:54 am
my friend had a fear of ketchup. is their a phobia for that
September 9th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Hippipoto…phobia, is actually not a fake phobia. It’s recognized as the longest word in the english language by whatever Webster’s association determines these things. And yes, it beats out antidisestablishmentarianism.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:09 am
I have Agoraphobia, which can be very close to Panphobia in the worst cases. I deffinitely know the feeling of fearing everything. Its not something anyone should experience.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Ryan – from Wikipedia under Jocular or Fictional phobias:
September 10th, 2007 at 7:52 am
Jen – I can imagine that it would be similar.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:35 am
I have Telephonophobia. Guess what that is.
Oh and wasps. Childhood trauma thingy.
Apart from that my fears are rational. I fear anyone in a uniform, just like the next guy.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Che: I am guessing it is a fear of answering or using the telephone. I don’t like wasps either but I don’t mind bees.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Correct,Jamie.
Funnily enough, I have never had a problem with bees either.
September 17th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
What about a phobia for impossible things or things that doesn’t exist? I have always had big fear just imaging a giant walking the streets or seeing a large bird soaring the sky.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I was wodering if anybody else suffers from fear of taxidermy. I can deal with small birds, maybe a squirrel, but any bigger than that I just have to cover my eyes and be led out of the room. Bears are the worst, especially if standing on to legs. The natural history museum would be my worst nightmare.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Maria: wow – that is fascinating! I love stuffed animals – I just can’t imagine being afraid of them. What do you think brought that on?
September 19th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Well, there are no childhood traumas that I can think of, but I have wondered myself why this is, many times, since my reaction is so severe, not just thinking stuffed animals are gross. I simply cannot enter a room if there is one of those things there.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Maria: I sympathise. Though I don’t have a fear of stuffed animals (such as teddy bears, plushes, whatever), I am uncomfortable around taxidermied animals. I haven’t a clue why, but I get away from them as fast as I can (I refuse to enter a furniture store at the local mall because it’s covered in taxidermied elk heads.) Just thought that was noteworthy.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
No exactly! I don´t have a problem with toy stuffed animals, of course, but taxidermy just like you Wowzer. If I suspect that there are any in a store or a house I usually have someone check it out for me. Like in the local Viking restaurant, were I totally panicked and the people there probably thought I was completely crazy…! I am glad I am not the only one!!!
September 24th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I have monophobia. That is the fear of being alone. Not as in life-long loneliness (not getting married etc.) but being alone with no one else around. Growing up I used to turn my radio up really loud and turn on all the tvs just to similate the presence of another person. I would also spend my alone time in chatrooms just to have a sense of someone there. In my car again with the radio turn up loud and singing along. I get real panicky and constantly have to look out the windows and go from room to room not knowing what to do. Not fun, not in the least bit.
September 25th, 2007 at 12:33 am
Maria and Wowzer: that is really fascinating. I wonder if there is a name for it.
Ravyn: that is a very weird phobia – it is like the opposite of agoraphobia in a way.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:42 am
Maria and Wowzer, does your phobia extend to articulated animal , at the Fskeletons? I was thinking about Sue, the T. Rex at the Field in Chicago.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Maria and wowzer: I have a phobia of taxidermied animals and everyone seems to think i’m crazy! i was actually searching it on the internet to see if I could find a name for it. I think it would be interesting to find out why exactly I am phobic of them, also. And I agree, fish and birds don’t scare me, but other larger animals do. yuck!
September 27th, 2007 at 11:26 am
oh, and i’m not afriad of skeletons. just taxidermied animals.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:31 am
I am amazed at how many people suffer from a fear of taxidermy! Even weirder is the fact that I cannot find a proper name. Let’s coin our own! Taxidermiphobia – it is now official and shall go down in the annals of history as having come from the List Universe taxidermiphobics! Maybe I should do a taxidermy list (with a warning of course)!
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 am
I have macrophobia. In particular, a fear of really big marine creatures, although big flags and ships freak me out too.I still can’t watch the scene in ‘Finding Nemo’ where Dory and Marlin get swallowed by the whale. And I get anxious and sweaty if a whale shark comes on the TV. I also have a fear of getting trapped in too-tight clothing, although I’m not claustrophobic, but I don’t like multi-storey carparks, because of the low ceilings.
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:17 am
Barb: it is quite interesting that the fear effects you even via the TV when there is no chance of you being close to them. I guess you don’t have a subscription to the discovery channel then?
October 4th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Im scared of dolls…
my dad made me watch chucky when i was 4
and 8 years later im still scared :p
my other fear is worms
5 years ago i was helping clean out a pool and then i picked something up in the net and lifted it up dropped it and it landed on foot…it was a HUGE worm like scary huge gigantic! gugh…
anyone else scared of those?
October 4th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
To#68. sara
I know that theres gotta be a fear of manikins or ventriloquist dummies, which are like dolls in a larger form. Do those also affect you Sarah? Because Chucky is like a combination of what looks life-like (but with a fixed expression as a toy) and then becomes terrifyingly real (but still somewhat like the toy). It’s called “the uncanny” and although I dont fear it, I do find things human-like that are close to being something else in reality (but something is definatley not right about the “substitute” or “copy”) to be weird and sometimes unnerving.
To me it’s like a badly made halloween mask that does something to my sences, but only if its on a person that “brings it to life”.
October 4th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
Taxidermy people- I also have a severe phobia of it. I’ve never heard of anyone else with the same problem until now. I literally have panic attacks if i see it. My whole body tenses up, I start hyperventilating, and it’s almost like I black out until I can get it out of sight. It can be pretty embarrassing. I can’t even be in the same room- even if it’s small, but the bigger it is, the worse my reaction. Even just fur and antlers or bones bother me (any part of a dead thing). Have you guys ever tried to get treatment?
October 5th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
*** My thoughts for Katie and the others connected to the same— regarding the taxidermied animals of different forms and size , ..this sort of thing that you (katie) describe as a “severe phobia” . I mentioned “the Uncanny” in my comment to Sarah, because of my own connection to what had been within simmiliar reflections …but I realized that giving a name to a fear does not always lead to calming the nerves reaction to “IT” —which IS the phobia.
I am not a professional in any field that’s anywhere close to giving trusted advise..It is just within my sympathies that I am trying to voice my own.
A balanced discourse should probably occure between you folks…either here among this site’s populous or somewhere private among yourselves. Discuss the simmiliarities of affliction and challenge one another with what affects this “Taxidermiphobia”.
I dont know. You guys can take it or leave it. Who am I ? and what do I know?
I just know that phobias are real and that they still exist within places of uncharted realms , which the 21st centurary doesnt have full “answers” to.
October 10th, 2007 at 10:22 am
hey i thought i was the only weirdo with fear of taxidermy… i actually start crying like crazy, i get all shaky and cold and really really startled when i see one of those animals, specially if they catch me by surprise… when i went to the ripleys museum i totally freaked out on my mom when we reached the scary animals part… she had to dragged me out of there while i walked as fast as i could staring at the floor!
People always think im super weird because of this!!!
October 11th, 2007 at 3:45 am
Hey Sharon CR!!
Yes I am exactly the same as you!! Do you remember anything that could explain your phobia? Like when you were a kid?
October 11th, 2007 at 9:12 am
yes i have always wondered where exactly did this fear started.. i think it was because one of my mom’s friends had a head trophy hanging on the wall of their living room and i always had to seat beneath it.. i hated it! i always imagined it would start moving, or that it was going to attack me, or fall on me, so i had to pretend it wasn’t there wich made me even more anxious and concious about it….it was a calf’s head so i thought it was really gross and creepy!!! yuck! guess i never got over that…je
October 17th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Ya i agree with u Andre i think ive obssed so much about what i thought was going to happen a couple of time and it drove my parents NUTS!i mean who isent afraid that ur day to parish is near ………. Write???
{ u people have good points}
October 20th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
You want a weird fear that’s not even on this list?
I have a fear of music boxes. Those little ones with the ballerina dancing in a circle or those ones with the married couple’s picture under the lid, or the ones from snow globes?
I fear the music they make. Being a person who loves music, I find a music box’s version of “Moonlight Sonata” to be creepier or scarier than the actual song.
October 20th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
arent there fears of looking in mirrors and clocks?
October 20th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Logan – that is so wrong! Those things are great gifts for young girls. How you hate those lovely ballerinas? They may be plastic but they have mastered their art!
Ben: I have an occasion feeling of discomfort it I pass a mirror late at night.
October 28th, 2007 at 11:18 am
I also have a fear of taxidermy. I don’t mind if the animals are behind glass, but I hate it when they’re mounted in a room with no display cases and they’re all over the place. I went to a restaurant one time that was chock full of stuffed animals and at one point you had to inch your way past the snout of a full sized buffalo that was standing in the middle of a room. A photo that was taken there shows my face like this O_O
October 29th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
what about hippopotusmonstrosusquipdalliophobia?-the fear of long words, I’m serious, nvm i should read the above comments =D
October 29th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
My friend suffers from a fear of computer keyboards. So I am typing this message for him
October 30th, 2007 at 1:06 am
Techie: hehe – you should post a link so we can all see
addmyster: You aren’t the first to do that
Senor Shutter: Such the comedian
October 31st, 2007 at 9:26 am
I also have a severe fear of taxidermy. I have finally gotten to a point where I’m okay around stuffed fish and some really small animals. But I have a horrible panic attack when I am around them. Natural history museums are a nightmare for me also. I hate being surprised by them in restaurants and other places. I’m pretty sure my fear started with a trauma as a small child. A friend of my mom’s said he had something to show us and led us to his office closet where he opened the door and there was an enormous deer head. I just froze. I’m glad to know I’m not the only person with this paralyzing fear.
November 6th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Wow. Again, I am terrified of Taxidermy. I have a set of rules for the place of biggest concern: restaurants. If it a) Has anything nature-like in the title, like Bugaboo Creek, The Muddy Moose, etc. b) Looks like a log cabin outside c) is a steak house in Maine, New Hampshire, or the south in general.
I’m 20, and I’ve been afraid of dead stuffed things since I was probably 8 or 9. I’m not sure why, but it is embarassing. I have horrible stories of going to dinner with new friends and freezing (my chair was three feet from a deer head WITH neck that was mounted at eye level!) and beng led about a natural history museum by some amazing friends while on a school trip.
Gah. It’s good to know I’m not alone in the madness, but now how do I fix it??
November 7th, 2007 at 6:16 am
Same here, Becky. I’d love to get over this fear or at least be able to tolerate taxidermy. It is embarrassing being with people who don’t understand when I literally have to run out of a room filled with them. Does anyone have any ideas how we can overcome this or who can help?
November 18th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
im afraid of mirrors…i cant stand the damn things
November 26th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Maria and all else who are afraid of taxidermy—I have the same problem.Mine is a bit funny because I truly love animals. I work with them all of the time. All sorts, but for some reason, a mounted head gives me the heebie bageebies.We have a museum jam packed with all sorts of animal artifacts, but I can’t get past the front door. I am starting to get used to the white tail deer heads,they’re not that bad, but then BAM there’s a giant moose head.To make things worse, all of the heads are mounted to the actual height of the animal.Ohhh this sucks.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:36 am
i am afraid of animals like dog before i dont know what my phobia but in this research that i’ve made now i know.thanks.
December 20th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Taxidermy people:
Thank you for letting me know I’m not the only one! I suffer from a very severe phobia of anything and everything in Natural History museums. My mom and boyfriend are the only ones who get it and don’t think I’m crazy because they’ve seen how I react. Like many of you, it’s a physical respone: cold sweats, light headedness, anxiety atack, crying.
I’ve had it since I was little and it’s never gone away.
I am also terrified of most animals that swim. Whales scare me almost as much as those taxidermied animals.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:11 am
I wonder if there is a name for my phobia…
I am rather reluctant to describe it, as no one believes me when I say it. Well, maybe someone here can relate.
I am afriad of the dark tiles that guide swimmers on the bottom of a pool. I am not kidding. A terrible sense of dread fills my mind if I accidentally open my eyes while swimming. (I will admit, I’ve gotten better- I can at least swim in a lap pool now, as long as I close my eyes.)
December 21st, 2007 at 10:15 am
SuperLyndsey – There’s a phobia for almost anything. I don’t know if there’s a specific name for it, but I bet someone else in the world has the same fear.
December 21st, 2007 at 10:58 am
Well, that would be nice.
December 26th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
another gary Larson phobia is antidaephobia: the fear that somehow, somewhere, a duck is watching you… Creepy, isn’t it?
December 27th, 2007 at 11:12 am
taxidermy people-
does anybody kno thhe technical term for the phobia?? i have always been creeped out by these things, i can’t even be near the cheack out at Abercrombie cuz of that stupid moose head. once when i was in the third grade i was on a field trip at a natural history museum and there was all of that stuff there. my crush happened to be in my group and i started crying when i saw the things. everyone thought i was so weird but it is actually my phobia.
January 4th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I have a true phobia or taxidermed animals too! It’s not like I think it’s awful or anything, I just have panic attacks when I get too close! I didn’t think anybody else had it!
January 4th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
There was a mounted buffalo’s head in the basement of a resale shop I used to go to. That thing so so huge and still real looking, that I refused to walk past it.
January 5th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Taxiderm fears: I have had mine since I was 3. I used to be afraid of every type of taxidermy animal. But over the years I have learned to accept small animals, fish, deers, and moose. However no matter how hard I try I can not get over my fear of Buffalo heads, and mounted buffalos. When I go out west I see these mounted animals everywhere, and I am not as afraid anymore. Uncomfortable yes, but not paralyzing fear. You just assume that every store in the west has a buffalo head and after a while you get used to it. Here is my problem, when I come back home I am not exposed to them on a daily basis and my fear always returns. So to go out west again I have to mentally prepare myself for almost a year to be able to go. I won’t to get rid of this irrational fear for good.
January 6th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
to all who are scared of taxidermy… i looked it up its called NECROPHOBIA.. the fear of dead things. its funny reading all these stories because i am TOTALLY afraid of dead animals mounted also! it started for me when i went to the natural history museum in san fransisco, ca OMG it was room after room of all these different animals. it was themed.. like african animals in one room, south america in the next and so on. it was so scary! i ran through it! and it seemed like it was never going to end. ever since then i’ve been petrified and i too have ran out of restuarants, tensed up freaked out and cried at wedding receptions, had to be walked out of places becuase i didnt want to look up… oh and i absolutely REFUSE to go into Outdoor world the store, and anywhere that i think might have a “trophy”. im just glad im not the only one.. because up until tonight i definetly thought i was!
January 11th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
re: Dawn
Yes but it’s ok to laugh because none of those people have actual phobias, they’re just white trash doing the show for more Wal-Mart money.
I’m pretty sure I suffer from Metamfiezomaiophobia. Clowns don’t bother me much but mimes…forget about it!
January 11th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I love clowns, and mimes. As long as they are not in a room of taxidermy animals I am fine.
January 12th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
A fear of erections can: “…keep people apart from loved ones and business associates.” Excuse me, business associates? What, is this some office where the men just keep threatening to whip it out on a regular basis?
January 14th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
i used to have a recurring dream when i was a child, being chased by a gorilla thru our kitchen (slippery linoleum floor) and grabbing the doorknob while wearing thick woolen mittens…
January 16th, 2008 at 10:19 am
My biggest phobi is a phobilist
January 17th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I have a taxidermy phobia too! Until today, I thought I was the only one! It’s so great to learn I’m not alone! I tried hypnosis to overcome it, but was unsuccessful, so I just live with it.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I really am not truly scared to death, run out of the room, afraid anymore. But I however and very uncomfortable if there is a buffalo head in the mix. With smaller animals, fish, birds, and deer, elk, moose I am fine. With a larger ugly animal such as a buffalo and I am momentarily startled and take a few minutes to recover. If I thought that hypnosis would work I wuld give it a try.
January 19th, 2008 at 5:40 am
I have a fear of lightning. I have to be indoors and away from any window/door if there is an electrical storm outside. I don’t even touch sink taps or light switches or use the shower/phone/computer if I see lightning!!
January 19th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
i fear pantophobbia
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 am
i don’t think neophobia is all that bizarre
January 25th, 2008 at 5:41 am
7 is rubbish
January 25th, 2008 at 5:43 am
really, paraskavedektriaphobia is a fake
January 25th, 2008 at 5:46 am
avi: not according to National Geographic it isn’t: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0212_040212_friday13.html
January 27th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
what about fear o holidays? it is not real but still
January 27th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
what about fear of holidays? it is not real but still
January 30th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I might have that fear of work thing, lol.
January 31st, 2008 at 10:17 am
school too…i have that fear
January 31st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
There should be a PhobiaPhobia. Fear of phobias.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:08 am
I have heard of a woman (aparently made an appearance on the Maury Show, talkshow) who was afraid of MUSTARD.
February 4th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
polly odyssey:there already is
February 4th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
jfrater:actually there are people scared of long words
February 11th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I think I have W-phobia
Fear of George W Bush never leaving office.
February 11th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Grant–We all have that phobia.
February 17th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
i always thought i was the only person scared of dead mounted animals. when i was like 3 or 4 i went to an outdoors store and there was a big stuffed bear, i was so freaked out so i grabbed on to my dad and told him to tell me when we were passed it. well him thinking he was funny told me we had past it when we were right nest to it. so i openend my eyes and i was right next to it. ive been TERIFIED ever since. i cry, scream and havent panic attacks if i ever see any kind of mounted animal except for fish and birds ect. just the big ones. exspecailly bears.
it nice to know im not the only one !
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
I know where my fear of Taxidermy came from…a mounted deer head in my step grandfathers hunting camp.
I can deal with small animals and even bears-no fear at all. I CAN NOT deal with anything with antlers or horns. I can somewhat deal with non antlered deer. Even Rhino and Elephant heads bother me.
I am getting better. Constant exposure to some deer and moose and elk have helped. But while driving thru Michigan I went to Pinconning for cheese. In a shop was a full sized Elk up on a high display. I was glad no one was behind me. I hesitated and kept telling myself it was ok. I made it to the cheese spot and left without passing out. Unlike the Ye Olde Curiousity Shop in Seattle. I was 12. I walked in looked to the right and saw a huge moose head, turned left and saw a huge elk head. Next thing I knew I was in an ambulance.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:56 am
If anyone is on Facebook and wants to join a support group for Taxidermiphobia just search for it or use this link:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8334714222
March 6th, 2008 at 5:58 am
i hate leavin my mum, i miss school and 6th form because i dont want to leave her?
is there a phobia for this ?
March 8th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Kelsi -
i agree with that so much.
its like when people claim their OCD when they just dont like things a certain way. they dont stree over it and have anxiety attacks over it. they just like things orderly. *rolls eyes*
i get so angry when i try to explain my emetophobia (fear of vomit) to people and they dont take it seriously because they also “dont like throw up”. i feel like yelling “i dont just ‘not like it’! it keeps me awake a night, makes me freak out in a group of people, makes me have anxiety attacks whenever i eat or drink ANYTHING other than gingerale and crackers, and i feel sick ALL THE TIME.”
but yeah this list was pretty cool.
i feel bad for anyone who has them :[
March 12th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Why do people like taxidermy at restaurants its gross!! sheesh i went to this rib place by my house of these days and there they were (of course…) a stuffed pig at the entrance and a HUGE bull’s mounted head on the wall… what the hell! people eat there… you dont want people to run away from your restaurant, like I did….., don’t ‘cha?
March 14th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
okay. the fear of being seen naked isn’t so wierd. I mean i feel uncomfortable at the thought of people, even family members seeing me that way. okay. maybe not afraid, but still.
March 14th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I had a fear that took me a few years to overcome. i went to a camp for a month in canada when i was 10 (i’m from viirginia) i felt so trapped at the camp because i couldnt go home and i couldn’t sleep anymore and i was miserable. when i came back home i couldn’t sleep at other people’s houses. at times i wouldn’t even sleep at my dad’s house (my parents are divorced) it was the wierdest thing since i had actually lived there longer than at my mom’s. so anyway everytime i tried to have a sleepover or something i would get scared and couldn’t sleep and wanted to go home so bad. i mean i was literally TERRIFIED. even though i knew it was unreasonable. but i have to brag here about one thing. slowly i forced myself to overcome my fear. and when i was 13 i forced myself to go back to the camp just to banish the fear forever. i’m completely fine now ( :
March 25th, 2008 at 2:24 am
Hi guys,
I’m a film and tv student from swinburne university, making a documentary about bizarre phobias, and am looking for subjects who would be willing to talk about their phobias or share some interesting stories that you may have. Nothing serious or dramatic, just a light hearted short giving an insight into the bizarre phobias that are out there. If there is anyone who would be willing to be involved in any way, i’d love to hear from you. Email me at:
jblawton@hotmail.com
Cheers,
Jess
March 31st, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Taxidermy. I am completely shocked to find out that other people have this same phobia. As long as I can remember, I have had issues with this, and have deep down always thought I was sort of crazy because of it, despite all of the other successes and such I have had in life.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I have a fear of taxidermy too! Everytime I go a museum I have to look on the internet first at the museum plan to make sure that there are no ‘natural history’ sections. I have to avoid HUGE parts of museums because of my fear. I didn’t have this when I was little, but the older I get (Im 26 now) the worse it gets.
I tried to confront my fear- I got my boyfriend to take me into my local museum and take me to the natural history section, but I took one look at a stuffed deer and I ran out crying!
The closest exhisting term Ive found for us lot who cant look at poor, dead animals is automatonophobia- which seems to be a fear of things that are made to look real. That is a weak link though because I like museum displays, even fake animals, but just not real, stuffed ones.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I am writing this for my son who is 9 and terrified of taxidermy. We were looking online to see if we could find any info about this and were happy to find this site. He has felt a little reassured hearing that he is not alone. He asked me to type a message for him,
“I can get passed the small animals and a few larger animals if they are spaced out, but I am afraid if there are lots of them. The bigger they are, the more scared I get. I get even more scared if it has the full body because it has the eyes and everything else. I know it’s not real, but it freaks me out. I am okay with alive animals, just not dead ones.”
April 6th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I’m afraid of escalators.
My mom left me at the top of one before and an old lady had to bring me down.
I’ve been traumatized ever since.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
When I’m min my room trying to pray or making any noise i have a fear that the person next dor is listening to me.
It’s like everything I do is showing off even when I don’t want to.
I also fear being in the room with my mum I don’t know why.
sometimes girls can have a fear of each other just like someone had a fear of an errected penis.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Jolly: I used to have a similar fear about people watching me, scrutinizing me, laughing at me when I wasn’t looking. Sometimes I’d be eating in the cafeteria at school and a group of people nearby would laugh and I would think they were laughing at me. (This is was many years ago.) The best way to get over that is ask yourself: When someone walks into the room, do *I* look at that person, scrutinize them? Maybe sometimes…but not when there are people all over the place. I’m far more concerned with my own problems or conversation to watch everyone who is walking into and sitting down in the cafeteria. Most people *arn’t* looking at you, the same way you arn’t looking at most people.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I am 31 years old and I have never encountered another person with a fear of taxidermy. I can’t even describe what I’m feeling right now finally discovering that I’m not alone. This fear controls my life. The first thing I do when I walk into any building is check the walls. My mom talked to her therapist about it and she said the cure was desensitization. She said just expose yourself to them little by little. It does work, but only for that particular animal. It doesn’t work for the rest. There have been a few deerheads that I had to see on a regular basis (like classroom at school, best friend’s house, etc) and I just really tried to look at them a little more each time. It was a very difficult process but I finally got to where I could look at them without having a complete panic attack. I’m pretty sure it started when I was 3 yrs old and my Dad took me to a museum and then put me on his shoulders when we got to the animal room for a closer look I guess. I’ve wondered many times why on earth he would think I needed a closer look at the severed heads of huge scary looking animals. When I was nose-to-nose with a huge deerhead, I realized I was surrounded by them and also a huge crocodile that looked like it was going to eat me. I started freaking out and I’ve had this phobia since that day. I have a phobia of all animals that have been stuffed but I can tolerate some whole bodies. But I’m terrified of any mounted head. I’m so relieved to know I’m not the only one.
April 13th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Exposure does help but not completely. My fear is mainly with antlered heads so I went to great lengths to – at a distance – look st them and then slowly approach. MUST be slow and at my own pace.
Recently while travelling I entered a gift shop that I frequent and know to be taxidermy free. As I walked in I immediately saw a deer head…a head type I hav over exposed myself to and felt I could handle. I was temp startled since I didn’t expect to see it.
Then it moved…..
It was one of those dumb talking heads that came out a few years ago. And I know they are far from real. But it scared me enough that I was on edge the rest of the day.
Facebook Support Group for Taxidermy Fear:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8334714222
April 13th, 2008 at 8:27 am
It is a relief to know I am not the only one who suffers from a terrible fear of taxidermy. I used to be afraid to tell people, but now I am completely honest. I am 33 yrs. old and have had the fear since I was a small child and had a similar experience to Erin–(I came nose to nose with an enormous deer head that an adult thought I would love to see). I have also tried slow exposure to animal heads and stuffed whole bodies. I also do okay briefly if I take it slow and approach slowly. It only works for that time, though, and for only one animal or head at a time. Then, I’m back to square one if I encounter anything by surprise. Forget natural history museums or anywhere where there are many stuffed animals/heads. So, does anyone have any advice on how to deal with situations where you’re taken by surprise by them or you have to go to a place where there are many, like museums? I wish there was a way to be able to live with this fear and tolerate stuffed animals and heads when I see them. I also find myself looking for them and checking the walls when I go to new places.
April 13th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
lhorn, the surprise factor will always set you back no matter how much exposure or progress you make.
Best advise I can give is NEVER go into a new place on your own. All my close friends know my fear and will actually scout out any place new including banks and stores. Once I am informed there is a head and approx location I can slowly enter.
I rarely enter museums…just not ready for it yet. I am hoping to enter Cabelas this summer and see if I can handle even a portion of it.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Im scared of worms.
There like wiggling creatures from hell.
Sometimes I get so scared that I like, cant even go outside because you know, there underground.
I’m not really sure why I hate them so much…there just…
Gaghhh.
It’s not just worms…its anything shaped like a worm too. Or anything that moves like a worm.
bla.
April 13th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Anyone know if there is a fear of roosters… I might have that.
April 13th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Denise, thanks for the advice. My family and friends usually scout out places, too, before I go in if we think there may be taxidermy inside. I would love to avoid natural history museums altogether, but my son is about to enter kindergarten, and I know he will be taking field trips in school as we did. I just want to be able to go with him into a museum without freaking out completely. The sad fact is that I have tried to even look at taxidermy on the internet to desensitize, but I get panicked even looking at it on a computer screen. I wish I didn’t have this fear. Does anyone know if hypnosis works for this particular fear of taxidermy and has anyone tried it? Hypnosis seems to work for other phobias. Please let me know. Thanks.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I can’t open the front door to anyone that I dont know. Even if I have looked out the window and that person sees me I run up the stairs to my bedroom and wait there till they have gone. I’m ok if it’s prearranged, like a delivery from a shop and I know they are coming but if its just cold call I get so tense and hot and my heart starts to beat fast. I just cannot go to the door.
Is there anyone else like me?
April 17th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
haha there is a fear of buttons, i think it’s called kumponophobia. It’s more common than you think.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
“I am afriad of the dark tiles that guide swimmers on the bottom of a pool. I am not kidding. A terrible sense of dread fills my mind if I accidentally open my eyes while swimming. (I will admit, I’ve gotten better- I can at least swim in a lap pool now, as long as I close my eyes.”
You’re not alone, I’ve had that since I was a kid. That and deep water.(I don’t think falling in the side of a lake and getting pushed into a pool when i was younger helped though)
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Im 18 and I have never heard of, or met anyone who as heard of, someone else with my phobia of taxidermy. I’m almost in tears just reading these comments. After coming across one of those lists of “wacky phobias” I unsuccessfully tried to find the technical name for it a few years ago and Ive searched online for any cases that were similar since. Just to know that Im not the only one is really comforting. I feel like I just wrote all of those comments and then forgot about them.
I wouldnt say it was “necrophobia” because its not a fear of all dead things. Road kill, for example, doesnt have a similar effect. On me atleast.
I always have to check walls when I enter new places too! I live in Texas though so the problem is like 10 fold. There is this one BBQ place that my family goes to often and my mom wanted me to pick something up for her there. I knew that it had 2 medium sized deer heads along the walls of the dining area and a giant buffalo head in the back of it. Since I was just picking up food from the front I wasnt that concerned. I walked into the front door and went in to pay and pick up the food and then I turned around to find that they had moved the buffalo head right next to the door. I felt like my heart stopped. Cold sweats, freezing in place, the whole shibang. I was stuck in crazy person limbo for like an hour before I finally shielded my eyes and ran out. I havent been back since, which is really sad because I like that restaurant.
Someone mentioned being afraid of dinosaurs in museums? I never expected that being included in my phobia but I went to this one museum with the fossils and what not set up and I could not walk past it. I had to turn around and retrace my way out of the exhibit.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:47 am
taxidermy people:
I as well suffer from this same fear and it is so great to know that I am not the only one who is affected by this. I have never met anyone with this fear yet, and people constantly bother me about it, or tease me, or get fed up with having to deal with it.
Like many of you, I constantly have to have someone check new places for animal heads and most of the time they get annoyed and don’t understand why I have the fear in the first place.
I am unaffected by small birds, although some large ones scare me, fish, dinosaurs and most reptiles. I remember being better with some taxidermied corcodiles and hippos and other things but they still creep me out. But when it comes to things like deer, moose, or bear (things with fur and stuff) I hyperventalate. Its gotten to the point where even wooden carved heads and small toy sculptures or pictures of mounted heads freaks me out. I always feel like such an idiot having to run out of stores when they appear unexpectedly.
Most of the time, if I know there is a head in a store I will not enter, and if I must I do so with a friend. Once I know there will be taxidermy in a place I can begin to enter slowly. The worst is when friends try to have me “conquor” the fear by dragging me up to them. Then I scream and everyone in the store looks at me. I also try to find picture or maps of places I am going to see if I should stay clear. Many times I have called resturants in advance.
I don’t know what triggered the fear for me. When I was younger I remeber going to natural history museams and bug-a-boo creek and having a great time. A year later I went back as a class feild trip and had to wait for hours as the rest of my group looked at all the animals.
These are all suprise encounters I have faced but they have all happened after my fear had developed.
- At Canobie Lake Park, there was an elk in such a random place, at the top of a water slide. At that point I was at the top with no way down and had to have the person working there escort me into the slide.
- At the same park, there was a jaguar head that had to be passed under to exit the ride.
- At my doctors office, there was a mobile of swinging birds.
- Forget shopping at Abercrombie.
- At Old Town in San Diego, many stores had sheep heads and I would catch them by surprise and run out. I felt like I was offending the culture there though and refused to go into any other stores.
- My brothers purchased a fake bear head and stuck it above my door, so when I closed the door to my room and sat down I was shocked.
Also, roadkill, live animals, bones, and toys don’t bother me.
I have never heard a cure for this phobia – has anyone overcome it?
I’m sorry this was such a long post!
Thank you
April 26th, 2008 at 6:24 am
I have conquered my fear of stuffed toy animals which I had for many years , but have not conquered my fear of giant statues. I can’t even look at a picture of mount rushmore. Does anyone else have this fear ?
April 26th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
theres much wierder ones. fear of peanut butter sticking to the top of your mouth. cant remember the name
May 6th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
fear of giant statues? lolz i live under the statue of liberty! xD it’d suk to have that fear eh?
May 7th, 2008 at 5:35 am
for thos of you with panphobia… wise up, get off the drugs or stop being such a pussy.
P.S: BOOO!!
May 7th, 2008 at 6:29 am
gee, 2e, I hope you don’t ever have a dreaded fear of something bizarre or hard to explain. It really sucks when you do have fears. So, stop making fun of people who do have any of these fears. If you’re not here to share different types of fears, then go find another message board to screw around on!
May 7th, 2008 at 11:03 am
right yer, bad form. true. sorry to anyone with panophobia, sounds like the worst one, doesn’t much like a phobia, more like a severe psychological condition. But really, some of these phobias are surely just people taking the piss, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Really? there are people scared of long words? BALLS! How does that work? That surely is FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION!!! And a fear of buttons? These aren’t phobias, there eccentricities.
May 11th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I’ve had arachnofobia (the fear of spiders, as you propably know) for a long time. Thankfully I’m slowly starting to get over it, because it has been a pain in the ass.
I haven’t been able to go to woodsheds or other similiar buildings, and even though I’ve never seen a spider in a toilet, using one always feels uncomfortable, especially in the summer. Once I accidently opened a picture of a harvestman and started crying.
I also think I have another fobia, but I really don’t even know how to describe it. I think I’ll check the fobia list, just to be sure..
June 4th, 2008 at 3:22 am
How can one not have Taphophobia? I can’t imagine someone saying “Oh, you could bury me alive and I wouldn’t be afraid because I don’t suffer from Taphophobia”!!
A phobia is an irrational fear, like fearing clowns etc. I don’t think being afraid of being buried alive is an irrational fear. It dun’ qualify.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:54 am
When I’m near tall skinny structures, like radio transmitters, I get a weird feeling. As if I’m subconsciously(sp?) afraid it’s going to fall on me.(haha)
I get a funny feeling when I’m near a window in tall building, but yet I love roller coasters, and the higher they are the better.
I have a buddy who must have Ephebophobia. One day I suggested we go to the new coffee shop, but he didn’t like the teenagers that were “hanging out in front.” They were nonthreatening looking kids, just sitting at a table with their drinks.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:57 am
p.s. I should probably stay away from Yao Ming, the basketball player.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
i have a fear of being single…
June 16th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I have/had a very strong fear of driving…I didn’t like bumper cars as a child, go carts, I hated drivers ed and for not one minute did I ever want to get my license. People would ask how I could manage, and I said that I did not miss what I never had, which was true. NO ONE could even get me to put the keys in the ignition, or sit in a driver’s seat. Ever! I would make great elaborate plans to avoid this issue. I’m now 37, and moved to a new town last summer. I lost out on a great job at the last second when they found out I did not have a license…I managed to get another similar job, and within 3 months a promotion IF IF IF IF I would get my license. They told me what my raise would be. HUGE. I bought a little red moped scooter off of craigslist (the giant properties of not being able to control a huge iron hunk of car was a lot of the problem) but the scooter got dusty. A few months after calculating all the money I had “thrown away”, I put an ad on craigslist for someone patient and anonymous (who would never judge me again if I chickened out) to teach me. It was awful, but I did luck out because the lady used to work at the DMV. She took me on many terrible lessons, which I dreaded and hated, and then, crying, I went to the DMV and I think the lady just gave me my license so she wouldn’t have to see me again…but it’s been six months, and I drive to work now…I had no idea how my life would change after facing this awful phobia! Whatever your phobia is, if I can face this hideously silly phobia, you can face yours!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:18 am
i blame the movie it for number 3
June 26th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I actually used to be an emetophobic when I was younger (fear of vomiting). I would sometimes lay awake all night or refrain from eating, cause I was so afraid that I would vomit. It’s better now though, I have actually vomited since then which helped in overcoming it.
Oh, and another hilarious Gary Larson phobia:
anatidaephobia: The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.
lol
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:37 am
none of these are really that weird…
i actually have a phobia of most condiments (mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, etc..)
there is no name for this irrational fear, but i know that i am not the only one.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
#51 Che I love a man in uniform!!
#144 Daddybear, Yes, I’m like that, too. I simply cannot open the door, either. I’m afraid.
I have a HUGE fear of all creepy-crawly things. Debilitating, really. So I stay in and check out ListVerse
July 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am
i have a severe case of taphophobia.
i have tried everything to overcome my fear, but i can’t.
it’s just a terrifying thought.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Taxidermy. It sucks. I live in Texas and have had many mortifying moments due to my paralyzing fear. I get made fun of and laughed at when someone new finds out about it. Just something I have to live with I guess. I am really glad that there are so many other people just like me and with very similar experiences.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Im terrified of Balloons and im 19!! how ridiculous is that HA i cant go to parties with them, clubs or anywhere where they will be! i hate the way they move – that scares me the most and i hate the way they feel. funilly enough its not even the pop im scared of. anyone else as wierd as me???? i dnt kno wat its called cant find the name for it.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Naomi: “Globophobia” … You can find info on any of the usual coping with your phobia sites.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Every documented Phobia: http://phobialist.com/
July 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Taphophobia is what my late grandfather had, probably related to witnessing his grandmother ‘return from the dead’ at her funeral when he was a young child. She had incorrectly been pronounced dead (why do we always say ‘pronounced dead’?) and didn’t regain consciousness until the funeral ceremony. I’m not sure but I think she went on to live for another five years before passing away. This was in the early 1920s in Switzerland, so not all that long ago!
July 26th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I have a arachnophobia, but also have an even stronger fear that really messes with everything from sleeping to outside activities and work on occasion- I have a fear of bugs crawling on me- to the point that at night I’ll feel “tickles” when a sheet moves and settles, and I’ll think its a bug or spider- when I’m around people that talk about bugs like lice I feel like the skin on my head is crawling with them- it really wierds me out- and I’ve never lived in an unusually infested home nor have I ever had lice. It might sound dumb, maybe it is- but I can’t sleep at all when it happens, and broken sleep cycle seems to be one of the triggers I have for migraines, so it is a real problem.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I fear taxidermy too. Any part of the animal and I fear it. The stranger it is, the more I fear it. I’ve tried to foce myself near them, doesn’work. At a friends house they had two dear heads in two rooms. I finally was able to PET one.. and still ran from the other deer. So desensitizing doesn’t work. If I know the animals are there in advanced (favorite resturant has like 25 heads…) I can just refuse to look up and deal with it. But if I walk into a new friends house and a crocadile head is on the coffee table, I freak and run out of the room.
I remember going to a new resturant once, and there were animals mounted in a room I wasnt seated in, so I calmed down and started crawling into a booth seat, looked up, saw a full wing spread quall, fell backwards and caused 2 tables to move in my retreat. I got everyones attention.. Birds and fish scare me too.
I’m 20 now and I can deal with running past them better, and I managed to go to the Washington, D.C. Natural history museum, but it was not fun!
As a side part of this fear, I hate big wooden boats out of water… and trees under water (what the hell?!) Parts of planes indoors is also creepy. I’m not an OCD freak, but things in places they dont belong freaks me out somehow. I fear old things, not new. Museums in general scare me.
July 26th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Morgan, don’t be surprised at trees underwater and such. For me as much as the mounted heads make me tremble, I am worse with ANY antlered head. I think dim lighting enhances the fear. I am not as bad in well lit areas.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Taxidermy. guys i looked this up when i got home and WOW finally there are other ppl with this fear. I cannot figuire out why i have this fear. I have no previous memory to as why i have this phobia. Probably the worst incident i can remember was a restraunt in new port rhode island where we were waiting an hour to sit down and finally when we were to be seated they brought us to a room way in the back and BAM huge buffalo head i yelled oh no, no way. I run out of the restraunt and i became so upset and disoriented to where the exit was. SO i burst on some random guy who is sitting down and i accidently put my hand right in his meal and yell where the hell is the exit. And of course the guy is scared out of his mind because he has no idea to what is going on, so he is like right there and he points right in front of me. But while doing so i look to his left and see a giant moose head across in the room facing me, and i just yelled like hell and ran. I can still remeber my mom trying to plead with me to go back into the restraunt. The nerve of her. Anyway the rest of the night i was just shocken up. Its surprisingly not to bad in Canada, but whenever im go to the states it is usually an issue on every visit literally. But anywho the reason i looked my phobia up today was because ay my boxing club there is some moose antlers ontop of some boxes above a stair case right when i walk in. It hasnt really boothered me because ive become use to i being there and you cant see the whole glamour of it since its tucked away. So today i come back from a huge run and im ust pumped so i run up there and just grab the antlers and kiss it. oh yeah see but if i expleained this to anyone else they;d think im crazy but now finding ppl like yourselves you can understand the satisfying accomplishment of kissing moose antlers. well it was nice reading all these amazing posts and i hope one day like all of us we shall be cured of this phobia.
ps sorry for the spelling i was in a hurry
August 8th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Okay, I looked through all the comments… None on my phobia.
Mottephobia: Fear of moths &/or butterflies.
I’m *terrified* of moths, I can’t look at them for too long (even pictures – if they’re realistic) or be near them when they’re fluttering around. They’re nasty looking and their erratic movements make me scream. Then I think about them going in my mouth and close it quickly, close my eyes and cover my head with my hands. I get through the area where they are (usually flying around the light outside my door). Once I even saw one on the door of my apt complex – probably 2-3″ long – big sucker. I backed off and stared at it for a minute and then went in the back way. Now I walk with my head down and focused on the doorknob.
It’s even been where if I’m driving and there is a moth flying in my path, I will duck sharply as I arrive on it. I started playing World of Warcraft recently and the Draeni’s first mission was killing non-realistic giant moths… Took me a minute, then the payback was fun!
I do have a fear of butterflies, too – but not as severe. I can look at the pictures of them and appreciate them flying about 20′ or more away from me… Any closer and I keep my eyes on it or run (yes, I’ve run from butterflies). Also, sychlids (sp?)(look a crapload like moths) – found that out while eating on a restaurant patio one summer, amid a group of 10+ friends… Fun.
I have known 1 other person with this fear and found http://www.ihatebutterflies.com – which was a HUGE help. I get laughed at a lot from my family with this one.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
i am absolutely HORRIFIED of throwing up. Emetophobia is what it’s called. i am 19 and in college so you can only imagine how many parties i’ve been to that i have to exit because of this irrational fear. it’s derived from my childhood when my sister had a horrible stomach condition and would throw up almost every single night. it makes me so mad that i can’t just get over it. the thing that sucks most about this fear is that throwing up or spitting is in almost every single movie ever made… and i LOVE movies. it really sucks being in a theater when someone on screen is throwing up and i have to cover my ears and hum to myself and try to rationalize my breathing. i can’t go to parties with tons of drinking, live with people that get sick a lot, i cover my eyes while i throw up… it’s horrible.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
taxidermy people-
ya! i have probably been afraid of “stuffed animals” since i was 8ish, and when i was little on school field trips my teachers would have to go in ahead of me to see if there were any “heads” on the walls. like some of you it is a physical response, i freeze, head straight for the exit with my head down walking as fast as i possibly can and making little screaming noises until i am at least a yard away! i cannot bare to be in the same room with them unless they are really tiny, like LITTLE birds, fish, squirrels, but anything bigger and i go NUTS! i always make a friend go into any restaurant or shop that looks suspicious before me, and give me a report! people think i am absolutely insane, and i’m really, really happy to know i am not the only person with this phobia because i thought i was going crazy for a while! i also can’t stand walking into a room, and looking up seeing the neck of a moose or deer or whatever, it creeps me out!
August 19th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I commented before about my fear of taxidermy but I failed to elaborate on what it physically does to me.
I was in an antique store in Ft. Worth, Texas (very, very, very bad idea.) I had a bad feeling, as most of you probably can relate to, you just know something is lurking around the corner. There was a huge stuffed turkey when I walked in. I was with my husband so I got past it. When we walked in the main entrance there were huge shelves with anitiques and this place was enormouse. I was very cautious walking around these shelves. Every once in while a mink stole would catch me off gaurd, but for the most part it was “safe”. We finally were almost done with the place, the I turned the corner to where the registers were and there were three huge heads with antlers! I don’t even know what the species of the animals were, but they were ALL bigger than a freaking car!!! I took off to run, but caught myself from acting like an idiot and decided to stay with my husband where I couldn’t see the heads. I was having a very hard time and apparently it showed, because I kept getting strange looks from people. I walked down another isle, as I was looking over my shoulder to make sure I couldn’t see the heads, I turned around and I was confronted with a detached bear head! That was it. I took off with my head down, and smashed numerous people into these shelves. I think you can describe it as tunnel vision. I was almost out the door when I looked up and saw the turkey, (that was only a foot shorter than me by the way.)
I trucked it out of there and went to my car. I started feel physically ill. I got shakey and nauscious. I felt exhausted. I wonder if any one else has ever felt just overcome so much that it took a toll on them physically and mentally?
August 19th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
luxx81,
My fear of taxidermy totally affects me physically and mentally, too. Just reading your story, I started to panic. Even when I just read about taxidermy or look at pictures on the internet, I panic and become paranoid thinking they’re in the room, and I have to look around me. When I see them or get ’surprised’ by them, I panic. I get an adrenaline rush and start breathing faster. I get needles in my head and freeze, then I become nauseous. I can’t shake the feeling for a while. My husband and I went on a long-awaited dinner date to Lone Star steak house when we were first married. He had wanted to eat there for a while. He went in to put our name in while I waited and suddenly looked up and panicked because there was a huge bull’s head right in front of me. There was some other stuff further back, too. I panicked as people stared and I said loudly to my embarrassed husband that we couldn’t stay there, so we left. He is very understanding about my fear, which I appreciate. I just wish there was some way I could get over this because my son is starting kindergarten this year, and I know there will be museum field trips eventually! In fact, we have a museum in our town that has tons of stuffed animals in it. In fact, funny story–my husband and I stayed at a little hotel once in Galena, IL. called Stony Creek Inn, I think. Well, when we checked in, I found out there was a huge moose head over the front desk. The stairs to go up to the rooms were right next to the desk, so I had to cover my eyes and let out a little scream each time we went up the stairs. Anyway, I can totally relate to everything you’re feeling. I feel the exact same way when I encounter taxidermy also.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
i commented earlier on my fear of taxidermy, but when i read luxx81’s story about the antique store, a story of my own came to mind. i was coming back from a friend’s cottage when i spotted this cute little country antique store. So i wandered around for a bit marvelling at the antiques, and i was obviously so absorbed in them, because when i looked up for a moment, i realised that i was looking eye to (glass)eye with a full stuffed deer with antlers and all sitting on an antique washing machine!?! i started sweating and i turned around to walk out and i came face to face with a pair of MOOSE ANTLERS! i was starting to panic and i was getting weird looks from people so i started walking as fast as i possibly could out of the store. from now on i am sending a friend in to those darned antique stores before i step foot inside one again!
August 19th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
hey i know what people are talking about when they say even pictures bother them. I was checking out some furniture the other day online and some of the pcitures were at a museum so the first one had a big elephant next to some fancy chairs; it caught me by surprise but i went on and then some other chairs had this huge crocodile behind them. That feaked me out like crazy…and had a total panick attack I started crying, breathing heavily, shaking, checking all around me cause i felt the animals were here with me… It was the worst..!!!!
August 20th, 2008 at 9:42 am
ya! when i was looking online the other day i ran across this picture of a mounted deer head, and i started panicking and shaking etc. and i felt like it was right above my head! so horrible!
August 20th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
could anybody tell me if there is a phobia of burps like a real name for it? is there anywhere that i could find out even? any help is much appreciated
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly-waxed floor. This is actually a fictional phobia which was created by Gary Larson – author of the Far Side comics.
Gary Larson is a genius. Cow tools. heh heh.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I’m afraid of apples. I hate the sound of them being cut or eaten.
August 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
zombies…yes i know tgey don’t exsist (or do they?)
it all started with the michael jackson thriller video…still can’t watch it.
every flat i live move into, i scope out if it’s ‘zombie proof’ or not.
i also have recurring zombie nightmres…not fun!
clowns, thunder, using the stairs on a double decker bus when the bus is moving (don’t want to fall and break my teath)
August 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Taxidermidophobists, (hey there’s a name)
Holy Cow!! I always knew there was probably someone else out there with this taxidermy phobia but never thought I’d find someone. Until now!! My sister sent me this link because she has been a support for me over the years. My husband and kids are also a support, but have not yet told my youngest for fear she will be afraid also. I have suffered with this for 25+ years now. What you have all said I can certainly relate to. I can actually look at them from a distance (sometimes), i.e., from the hall of a mall into a store, but absolutely CANNOT walk into the store. Even looking at them from a long distance away, the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up. Think of how much is missed out on. I wonder what causes this? I so want to get over this embarrassing phobia – more than words can say. Yet, I just don’t know how. I don’t exactly want to go on panic attack meds.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
im 14 and i Have an EXTREME phobia of clowns.. the last memory i have that could have led to this was the fact that wen i was 2 a girl much older than me mate me watch stephen kings ‘It’ with her.. and i had a clown in my bedroom. i was so scared.. at school all my friends that are boys seem to love clowns.. but the type you would see in a horror movie.. we had to make a horror movie type thing in art and literacy and i ran out of the room screaming and cryin. i was so traumatized almost i got sent home. i love horror movies though. just not clown ones
August 29th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
im also terrified of breaks in things.. and tiny little patterns.. like on flowers and stuff. i hate fireworks.. but thats not exactly a phobia.. i have a fear of being alone and i cannot ask for things in shops.. i cant talk to anyone at the counter
September 8th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
heheheheheheh…erection
September 11th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Leigh, I’m afraid of giant statues too! I can’t even look at pictures of them without completely FREAKING OUT! I know on some level that my fear is completely irrational but that doesn’t lessen it one bit.
September 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I also have a fear of taxidermy. It really came to a head when I had a major panic attack in a small museum in Kitimat, British Columbia. I really don’t have a problem with deer heads or fish, but whole stuffed animals are extremely unnerving. Dolls, too.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:09 am
i know this sound whack, but i have basiphobia – the fear of falling over. people laugh at me a lot when i tell them i have basiphobia and they think im just being stupid but i swear that falling over is just insanely scary. just thought i should share that in case there is anyone out there with this phobia as i have never met anyone else with it as well
September 20th, 2008 at 4:25 am
#193 hauitian
Gee, I’m not sure, but I might have Basiphobia. I have been afraid of falling down(falling over) but I say “I’m not sure” because I have a nervous system disorder that makes me….Um?…. clumsy. I’m a pro when it comes to falling down (haha). I learned that if I felt myself losing balance I could bend my legs, like crouch down, to lower my center of gravity and avoid falling because I would regaining my balance.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Okay, I have a fear of loud sudden noises. This really sucks because I can’t see fireworks up close (I hate the 4th of July and it’s not because I’m unpatiotic) and I hate when people in my neighborhood celebrate the 4th of July for an entire month! Along with this I also can’t be around any, like, war reinactment events that involve guns and cannons. Balloons are tolerable only if nobody is messing with them or they are not brushing up against anything that could make them pop. This is such a weird phobia to have but I don’t know how to get around it. My ears are very sensitive to these kinds of noises. Oh yeah, and I hate thunderstorms too.
There are several people who commented on how they have a phobia of throwing up. I do too!!! I don’t worry too much about getting a cold, sore throat or whatever but boy don’t come around me if you’ve been puking. I realize it’s necessary but if I had my drothers I’d rather have the diarrhea any day. Unless, of course, I’m in a public place where it would be more socially acceptable to throw up. It’s happened to me before…lol.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Got to say, like everyone else am happy to hear others understand fear of taxidermied animals and skeletons. I’ve had this fear since i was about 17. I went on a science field trip to the zoo where several skulls were present. I froze, burst into tears and had to be escorted out by a friend with my hands covering my eyes… I was 17 and did this in front of classes from two local schools. The weird thing is, if i see a dead animal, or part of a dead animal, I’m totally fine, its only when its made to look alive again i freak.
I’ve been to a psychologist to try and ‘cure’ this thing but will live with it the rest of my life. I tried desensitization and my husband still takes me to the museum to help. At least i can get into the museum now, at my worst i couldn’t even walk past our cities museum, let alone go in it.
You’re right though – the worst is being taken by surprise – i just freeze up and try not to cry. Even when i know there is something there – i walk very slowly, sometimes talking to myself for encouragement, a loud noise will frighten me and I’ll freak out again. Also i have to be able to see my exit, if i can’t it gets much worse.
Afterward, i feel totally exhausted and am not much use for the next few hours. I guess my plan for the future is more desensitization and remembering the mantra ‘flight or fright’ if i just hold still till my heart rate decreases and try and stay calm I’m winning !
October 14th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Haha I have a phobia of sharks, but it seems to only really be great white sharks. I have Jaws to thank for that!
I also have OCD which presents itself in a lot of different weird ways.
And weirdest of all, I don’t really know how this started, but I have a fear of that thing on a persons stomach which starts with B and rhymes with ’smelly glutton’. Sometimes people call it a N****. LOL. It’s so bad I can’t bear to type it or write it by hand… and nobody knows because I can’t say it out loud, and haven’t for years. Can’t find the scientific word for it. How funny is that??
October 15th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Okay, how intense does a fear have to be to count as a phobia? I know how 41. Sarah feels, because I’ve recently been avoiding a person just because he once walked behind me while I was sitting. I used to write it off as a heightened animal instinct, but now I’m wondering if this fear is irrational. If I feel someone walking or standing behind me, my mind drops whatever it was on and immediately goes into a flight-or-fight mindset. I feel like I have to be aware of people behind me, and tend to react moreso if I lose sight of a person and they show up again, having stepped out from behind into my range of vision. I’ll position myself either to a wall so I can see everyone and guarentee no one goes behind me, or in the middle, so I have more time to notice and react if someone does approach from behind. When walking alone, I’m careful to be quiet or keep a rhythym so I can catch the footsteps or other sounds of someone coming up behind me. If someone does come toward me from behind or stand behind me, I internally panic and then appraise the threat to me. If I think they don’t see me as anything other than an item/obstacle in their path, I can calm my heart and convince my mind that I was just acting paranoid and move on with whatever I was doing. But if someone specifically approaches me from behind, I don’t trust that person, I can’t speak, I can’t react, despite the building feeling that I must either defensively confront or run-for-the-hills-and-don’t-look-back, I try not to show my fear, try to be invisible, don’t look at the person directly, etc.
This fear would be great if it was a good judge of character, like a rabbit sensing the fox, but it doesn’t discriminate (unfortunately).
The person I’m now avoiding like the plague is actually a guy I know and have hung out with, and he’s only ever been nice or apathetic, so it is kinda awkward that my inner rabbit has criminalized him for walking behind me and sitting down next to someone he knows in a very crowded dining hall.
If this fear has become a phobia, it would be great to know. The name for this phobia would be good to know, too. I’m not asking for a diagnosis, just a common sense, your personal opinion answer.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:17 am
i think i have the weirdest phobia!
i have a fear of depth – bathophobia.
never encountered anyone who has the same phobia as me yet..
basically i get really really scared when im faced with things that have depth – a swimming pool(its got nothing to do with being afraid of the water.. unrelated to hydrophobia), an unending corridor.. im even afraid of drinking out of a really tall glass!
anybody else experienced this?
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
i have the fear of bras. i’m afriad that i will lose my breath because it’s too tight around my body. i normally dont wear them, so therefore; i sag.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
i freak out when wind chimers r making the noise and when they move slow, im also scared of stuff hanging from the ceiling and it moves slow, also when u turn off the fan and it moves slow i cant watch is stop.
Does someone know what this phobia is called
October 30th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I love the bonus
October 31st, 2008 at 11:02 am
I have a couple of weird phobias I didn’t see on the list, hard to explain but I have a fear of breathing in when I walk past someone in the street :S Also a fear of moths and butterflies I’m scared they’re gonna go in my mouth or in my eyes. Also a fear of old paintings that look realistic I get so scared of them, and I’m an artist myself so that’s really weird I’m guessing lol, I just get scared that they are looking right at me!
November 8th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I don’t know what the name for it is, or even if there is one, but I have a phobia of factories. It’s hard to explain, but there is something about the dark, gloomy, industrial feeling and how there is no-one there just creeps me out. When I walk past one, I get all shakey and want to walk another way. I worked it out as being called Officinaphobia, but I am more than likely wrong.
November 8th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I am writing this in sympathy to all you taxidermy sufferers.
But especially to the subscriber listed as mama, i am 30 and have as far back as i can remember been immobilised with the fear of all things stuffed, i can’t reccommend a cure as i have tried them all. I have even stayed overnight in a bed and breakfast full of them.
But what i will say is this, If your son is going on a field trip or a museum, let the teachers know (without him listenning) that he gets panicky around them and ask them to enquire at the museum or store if it is free from taxidermy, and if its not, tell them to ask exactly where they are and if they are avoidable at all.
Don’t ever make him go up to them and touch them if he doesn’t want to. and don’t allow anyone else to do that either, also never ever go up to it and touch it infront of him as his phobia will probably make him not want to touch you or be near you. On many occassions my friends who just do not understand, have gone up and thrown their arms around mounts and then said to me -see its not so bad, and then i can’t even manage to sit next to my friends on the way home without screaming everytime one of them goes to touch me.
My fear really does affect my life, its so bad that after seeing a stuffed animal, heads in particular, i can’t even get into the shower later that night because the shower head is sticking out of the wall above me and everytime i turn my back to wash my hair i feel that the water is coming out of a mounted head. I know that sounds really really bizarre but its unfortunately true.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Taxidermy-sufferer,
You are note alone–I feel the exact same way you do about the shower head thing. There are sometimes after I’ve had a panic attack about them that I can picture them everywhere. I wish there was a way to get over this fear.
November 9th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Hello lhorn, for a phobia that has no name, there is no cure. But perhaps there is a way to help calm it down?
I have never met anyone with this phobia, so i’m wondering if getting a group of fellow sufferers together to go through the motions might help? Friends and family take the piss and make things 10 times worse. And by the time they realise that its not a joke and your in the corner of the room shaking, its too late.
My fear seems to have gotten worse as ive grown older, As well as the shower thing if footage of a mount comes up on the TV all i can manage to do is run out of my flat and and stay there for a long time. Then when i do manage to pluck up the courage to go back in again i can’t even look at the tv and certainly can’t touch it for a long while.
I am from Ireland, and i really wish i could meet up with someone who is as petrified of these ugly horrible things as i am.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 am
going back to the Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia…it makes you wonder if the first doctor to diagnose this purposely made the name that length in order to get the patients to treat themselves…you know kinda like how they use placebos…in a sense…
November 30th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Taxidermiphobics-
So glad I am not the only one. This has been a problem for me for a long time. I know something must have happened to have brought this fear on for me- when i was very young, I had no problem with it. My dad thinks it was due to the movie “Harry and the Hendersons”. Whenever I go out to eat at a new place, my parents/boyfriend have to run in ahead of me to see if there are any mounted animals. I worry if I ever have kids about bringing them to museums…now I completely avoid them.
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
OMG!! I am so afraid of taxidermy animals too!! im 18 and i hate this fear! i live in texas so you can imagine the “trophies” people think they need to display around here! I had no idea there were others with this fear too! wow i dont feel so stupid now but what is this phobia called? i too cannot walk into museums without breaking down and rustic restaurants and buildings? not happening. I have to send people in front to check for me and I’m rooted in place if im caught off guard by one. it awful and embarrassing and i hate it. I have way to many stories related to this phobia.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:08 am
For all the people laughing at peolpe who have a fear of clowns I have only one word; IT.
Also my mum and me have a fear of going in somewhere and not being able to find a way out. Like when you go through a really long tunnel and can’t see any exit’s.
Also heard of lady who was terrified of Ballons and a another lady who was scared of making right hand turns.
December 6th, 2008 at 4:43 am
i have a rather strange phobia, i am terrified of going into foreign shops
(for example i live in australia and ALDI is a german supermarket that is getting bigger here and i wont go in there because i find it scary not knowing the names of things or what they are as i dont understand them becuse they’re in another language!)
does anyone know what this phobia is called!!
cheers
December 8th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I love this discussion board. I know it’s about phobias in general, but it feels like a support group for taxidermy phobia sufferers! Someone should set up a website or something so we can help each other out. I came back to see if anyone knows if “Texas Roadhouse” is a safe place for me to go with my family. It doesn’t sound like it.
I might call them….
Bah. I feel so high-maintenance…
December 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
213. Becky – I have been to Texas Roadhouse in South Carolina and I don’t recall seeing anything. Of course I’m probably not nearly as attuned to them as you would be since I don’t suffer from that phobia.
I can understand how easy it would be to develop a fear of taxidermy. I don’t have that phobia but there are some “stuffed animals” that freak even me out even. I’ve always thought it’s a sick display of so called “trophies” anyway.
I do have a phobia of locusts. The bugs that make all the noise during Texas summers. Even the shell that remains when they hatch. I’m pretty sure I developed the fear around 11 or 12 when my younger sister stuck one of the shells on my bare skin. I had already told my mom and her that I didn’t like them but the contact intensified the fear. It’s gotten worse as I’ve gotten older.
I have two stories that are the worst and still make me panicky when I think about them. The first story involved a locust getting into the house and my boyfriend thinking it was a silly fear scooping it up and cornering me with a live one while shaking it to make the noise. It wasn’t until I was cowered in the living room floor shaking uncontrollably and crying to the point of hyperventilating that he realized how truly paralyzing the phobia really is. Needless to say he now understands and helps me out with it as best he can.
The second story wasn’t so bad for me although it was much more embarrassing. We had an above ground pool about chest deep and me and a friend were just sitting around in it talking one summer. My younger sister gets out and finds a locust and decides to tease me and my friend. (My friend is also frightened of them but not nearly to the extent I am.) She runs around the pool and ducks down repeatedly so we don’t know where she is. I again started to panic, knowing I couldn’t get out of the pool and into the house because she would intercept me. I started crying and would try to hide under the water as long as I could hold my breath until finally my friend forced her to stop. I got out and ran in my room as quickly as I could, locked the door a cried for about 20 minutes before I could calm down. I don’t think I could even be around my sister the rest of the night.
I think any experience is worse when there are people around who don’t believe you or take you seriously. Not only does it make you feel pathetic because you know your fear is irrational but it also makes you feel incredibly alone. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone as far as irrational fears go but also a little sad that so many people should have to suffer from something such as this.
I’m not sure how well the desensitizing method would work for me. The shells I can stand to be around now (which is wonderful since in Texas during the summer they are everywhere) but I have to be at least a couple feet away and touching them is absolutely out of the question. As for the bug itself luckily they stay pretty hidden except around swimming pools and things like that which I always have someone check before I go jump in. The noises I’m okay with unless it sounds too close then I head for the nearest enclosed space as quickly as I can and even thing still get panicky that one could be in there with me. I don’t think that I could make myself get used to the site of the bug though. Pictures don’t bother me but even dead ones on the sidewalk freak me out pretty bad. I think my best method is just to avoid them at all costs. >.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
ack the end of my post got cut off so here it is
——————————————————
Sorry for the super long post. It’s actually kind of nice to talk about it at such length. Even though my boyfriend understands the fear I still feel silly talking to him about it sometimes.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all you others with your phobias and overcoming them. =D
December 24th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
The fear of pearls may be related to low self-esteem and the fear that your dirt will become entombed in a beautiful hardening mucus which is then drilled and made into something hung around a giant woman’s neck…or not.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Great list, but no mention of the pioneering work of Dr. Lucille Van Pelt? Good grief.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Becky – NO! Don’t go to Texas Roadhouse. Ours here locally has at least 2 huge heads. Never trust someone who doesn’t have taxidermiphobia when they tell you they “didn’t see one” when they were there. They just don’t notice them. I have found this out the hard way SO many times. How in the world can they MISS them?!! It’s the SEVERED HEAD of a DEAD ANIMAL used as decoration. It has EYES!!! I realize that I’m the weird one it’s just that I can’t understand why EVERYONE doesn’t feel the same way.
January 10th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Hello, gymnophobia! Another one to add to the list. -tsk-
January 16th, 2009 at 9:19 am
i think its really interesting HOW people get their phobias… im scared of hights.. i get really dizzy when im up to high. but i dont think anything ever happened to me when i was little. SPIDERS. i hate hate hate them. i had dreams about them when i was little and still have them now and i HATE spiders. are they mostly based on childhood trauma?
January 21st, 2009 at 10:49 am
Hello Becky!
I think Erin is right although im sure jenny meant no harm in her post.
Texas roadhouse – the name suggests it will have trophies hanging from every picture hook!
I watched a programme about a hypnotist getting rid of peoples fears through his work. I am just wondering as i have tried every other conceiveable idea, does anyone know if this actually works?
January 27th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Dutchfobi: fear of people and things from the Netherlands! poor dutch people, what have they ever done to anybody…
January 27th, 2009 at 7:57 am
omg i totally didn’t know this many people had a fear of taxidermy animals
i’ve had this fear since i was like 9 ish
i live in australia so its not really a big problem since they arnt commonly used for decoration
but i literally have never been able to go on school museum trips
because my local museum has it set up so you have to go through the animal display to get to the elevator
i cant believe there isnt like a scientific name for considering how many people seem to suffer from it
January 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Hi Dominica.
We call it Taxidermiphobia. Most people group the fear with being afriad of death or dead objects which is inaccurate. Personally I am not afraid of dead humans nor am I afriad or mounted birds or fish. Bears do not frighten me at all. So far ONLY anything with antlers or horns including deer, elephants, moose and such.
Go figure…..
January 27th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
i completely agree with dominica, although bears do frighten me, as well as dead humans, but that’s a different thing altogether.
January 29th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Hello, i have had a phobia all my life it has run mu life and i would like to know what it may be called. I am terrified of tarmacked areas (around the size of a small playground and anything bigger!). If you know how to help me, can you email me at this one please? (its a new email i have set up for this reason alone) tightasanything@live.co.uk
Thanks everyone
February 1st, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Taxidermy people, as I sit here reading all of these, I start to laugh to myself…because I thought I was the only one with that fear. Oh its horrible, I cry and shake and hypervenhilate. Its really bad. The worst part is, my parents dont understand why I am terrfied of it, so they always call me a baby and if they go into a place that has the heads, i have to go. Most of the time I will refuse and just wait outside. I think my fear started when I was in school and I had to go to a Natural history museum. It made me uncomfortable, but it was okay. Then my dad hunted and so did many of my relatives…so now i cant stand it. I cant see it in movies, pictures, on the internet and especially in life. I wish they had a cure for this because more and more places are getting heads. When people who arenot afraid of them tell you they didnt see them, dont believe it…they dont notice them like we do. I always have poeple go in and check if there are any heads in any place…and if there is, i wont go in. Its horrible and I wish I was afraid of something like spiders or something normal. But oh well i guess.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Ah!!!! Luposlipophobia!! that has always been my favorite quote! I have it on my siginature to most everything. Its great! Gary Larson lives on!
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
My boyfriend has a fear of buttons… i have to be careful with what i wear! haha.. he will wear a shirt for me for a nice occassion (i dont make him but he wants to look nice.) and he has to wear a singlet or top underneath so the buttons dont touch his skin!
February 4th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Does anyone know the name of a phobia for opened doors or exposed windows? Or, perhaps, riding in cars?
I’m scared to death of riding in cars. When I do, I tense up and grip the handle on the side door or something and stare at the window until I arrive at my destination. Not the one that opens the door, but the one that’s there for support. haha
At night I have to go around the house and close every single opened door I see. I won’t be able to sleep at all, because I keep thinking something will come around the corner. As for the windows, I feel like someone’s watching me so I HAVE to cover them with curtains. Even then, I sometimes still feel like I’m being watched. haha
February 4th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Defenstraphobia is fear of windows; amaxophobia is riding in a car. Your fear of doors doesn’t seem to be a fear of the actual DOOR though–seems to me you’re actually afraid of the dark (lygophobia, though that’s general; there are other words for more specific fears, like the night, specific dark places like the cellar or a forest) or afraid of open spaces/safe places (agoraphobia). Maybe both.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:13 am
And by “afraid of open spaces/safe places” I mean “afraid of open spaces/LEAVING safe places.” Oops.
February 8th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
i have a very odd phobia…idk what it is called and ive looked everywhere for the name, but i cant find it. i have a phobia of windows…i get really ill if im in a room at night (and sometimes during the day) with a window that is open or not covered or both. my teachers cant even sit me by the window at school which is kinda embarassing haha
February 8th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Ashley R – I think that would be a form of agoraphobia. I’m not sure but I know that some agoraphobes can’t be around windows and if it’s very severe they can’t go outdoors. Seems like you’ve got a mild form of agoraphobia. I think a lot of phobias are kinda generally classified so that they encompass all the specific things under one big catagory.
February 10th, 2009 at 1:30 am
I have a bit of Phallophobia. Or simply the fear of sex in general. About a year ago, I went out with this guy (he was my first boyfriend) and he asked me to have sex with him. I immediately said no and told him to leave my house and never come back. Ever since I have thought about the idea and concept of sex and I am absolutely horrified. I was scared before that guy asked me, but not like I am now. I’m scared of being abused sexually. I cringe at the very sight of male parts. Another thing that gets me is the there is such a thing as “anti-fungal jock itch cream.” In my mind all I can see is this huge thing that is very hairy and demanding with fungi and other nasty imagery. I am thankful I am a virgin and I plan to stay that way. My best bet of ever having another boyfriend is to find a guy that has the same phobia so then the relationship will never be about/lead to sex.
February 10th, 2009 at 2:34 am
Barbra – but what about having a family? Children? Or is it something you don’t want. I think a fear like that could be worked out when you find a partner you truly love and that is willing to help you confront the fear. Though I think it would take just that: true love. I was afraid of sex and even kissing for a long time (though not to the point you are) but when I found my boyfriend now we discussed my fears and I eventually overcame them. I think that much could be said for pretty much all of these fears… with enough time and the right kind of support and determination anyone can overcome any fear.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
jennyeBrooke – thanks! that helps alot. ive never really met anyone else with the same phobia, so its really nice to hear someone know a bit about it ya know? =]
February 10th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
snap lol sounds stupid but hey. i am not a virgin but thats due to drugs and drink sounds bad but it was just once. but i have regretted it since i guees i dont fell ready and anything sexualy realated makes me embaresed. but one day i will fell ready. I now see that it is very common and like ashley r i thought it was just me.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
i am also really scared of taxidermy animals.. and just dead animals all together. i was walking to the shops a few weeks ago and there was a dead fox laid across the pavement. i just ran across the road without even checking for traffic. i felt like i was gonna be sick. i dont think its necrophobia because dead people dont scare me, its only dead or taxidermy animals. but i think mine stems from the fact that my primary school had taxidermy animals everywhere and we were forced to draw them in art as still life. only i couldnt and i ended up sitting outside drawing pictures of corridoors every still-life art lesson. my family think im crazy because i act so irrationally, sometimes putting my life in danger as with the fox but i just cant stand them!! even fur coats/scarves make me feel quite sick. i do find the fear strange though because ive always loved animals and have always had cats! maybe its got something to do with them being dead too?? at least now i know im not the only one!!!
February 10th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
First I want to say that I appreciate your comments and advice, no matter how silly I may sound. If I ever choose to start a family, I will adopt. There are so many children in this world already, why make more when we haven’t taken care of them yet? I would like to get married and live a normal life, but why does married life have to revolve around sex? Doesn’t sex ruin most relationships anyway? Putting my phobia aside; why must a married couple have sex? Is it required? I understand that it symbolizes the consummation of the marriage but, why can’t you just live together and love each other without sex? Most people say that love and sex are so separate, that they can’t exist together. I understand that I should try and find someone that can understand my point of view but, what guy would agree to marry me and also agree to no sex? In the end, it comes strait down to that. Guys can’t imagine life without sex and would eventually turn me down. I’m not a lesbian, I’m not attracted to women what so ever. I find men attractive, from the waist up that is. I’m so confused. Until I figure out what to do, I certain won’t be having sex. My good friend said to me that once you start having sex, you can’t stop. It’s like an addiction, I don’t want a perverted addiction. I rather hit my bong all day XD
February 10th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Barbra I never meant to sex relationships should be based on sex. You’re quite right that it does ruin a lot… just that when you’re truely deeply in love sex is more about the passion and love then the physical feelings (although they’re a great perk =P). There are couples that never have sex, disabled people that aren’t able to have sex have long and loving relationships just like the rest of us can. I’m not saying that you can’t have a relationship without sex but that in the right relationship you can overcome your fear. Sex is not a bad thing unless you’re doing it with lots of people all the time. Sex is healthy in a relationship and can actually fix a lot of things. I find it to be one of the best stress relievers around… better than the bong. =D
And as for you friend… well sex is fun… and when I was younger when I first started having sex I did have a lot… but I think that’s more of the newfound fascination with it and discovering your body and self than an addiction to sex. I don’t know how old your friend is but I’m was very young, 15, when I first had sex (much too young I realize now) and of course full of hormones that pumped up that appetite for sex. Now that I’m older, although still young in some people’s eyes (21) I’ve matured a lot and while I don’t have NEARLY as much sex as I did when I started it’s better. More passionate and natural and I’ll admit like so many others I love it. BUT that being said if I had to I COULD go the rest of my life without it.
And as for guys not being able to live without sex… to an extent that’s true… but that’s the immaturity in guys… Every now and then along comes a mature guy… you just gotta grab one of those lol.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:30 am
My friend just turned 18 a week ago, and she’s a mom. The first time she had sex, she got pregnant. Her little boy is really cute and she really loves him. I could never be a mom at my age of 17. Hell no! lol Whenever I start thinking about what comes after high school, (not career wise but relationship wise) I start panicking. That’s the main reason why I smoke. I’m very awkward when it comes to relationship stuff. I’ve never had a *real* boyfriend before. Part of the reason why I told that guy to leave my sight was because I found out that he was a neo-nazi. The combination of the sexual expectations and the awful fascist racism was a little more than I could bare. I’m still trying to overcome the nazi trauma. I may be Catholic, but I’m also Jewish. He wanted to use me and most likely kill me afterwards. I’m sure this has influenced my perception of sex, I wouldn’t deny that at all. Where the hell are these supposed “mature guys”? I’ve never met one lol. I get what you mean, but this also means I wont be finding one anytime soon. Maybe when I’m 30.
February 11th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I don’t actually have a particular phobia, just general paranoia, but a good friend of mine who’s 16 has a phobia of clowns, which I can totally understand – they can be really freaky. And she screams and cries if she sees a clown or anyone with heavy makeup, and even a picture! or if someone mentions one.
February 11th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
You’re 17! You have soooo much time ahead of you. You should be focusing on high school and college before sex anyway. Precautions can always be made against getting pregnant until you’re ready to it’s just a matter of actually preparing yourself instead of just getting caught up in the moment.
As for finding a mature guy… I got lucky and found mine in high school… granted he wasn’t as mature as he is now because we were young but we worked through things. Most young marriages don’t last and that’s just a fact, a sad but true one. Most people don’t get into their first real relationship until their mid to late 20s anyway. And even then a lot of those relationships don’t last. It takes a really mature and dedicated couple to make it. And even then any couple will tell you it’s tough there’s TONS of problems that arise and you have to overcome them somehow. Your problem will be just that something that the two of you will overcome together one way or another. Whether it means getting you past the fear or compromising around it.
As for the neo-nazi guy… wow. That’s pretty scary… I’m confused on the Catholic AND Jewish part since I was raised Catholic… but I guess anything is possible nowadays lol. If you start dating take plenty of time to find out about that person and his personality, hopes and dreams, and everything in between. The more you know about a person the less likely you are to be unpleasantly surprised again. Take your time with dating a person before anything about sex is even thought of. Consider yourself extremely old fashioned. If a guy doesn’t like that you won’t have sex and in any way tries to make you then he’s not the guy for you simple as that. Anyone that truly loves you while respect your decision… granted he may not really like it but he will respect it.
February 11th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Awhile ago, I sat down to really think about marriage. I decided that I’m not going to get married before age 27. If I ever do have sex, I would have to be married. And yeah, the whole nazi thing was really bad. I told the school what him and his other nazi friends were doing. Apparently they had a huge school assembly about diversity. I heard they found swastikas on the football field. I’m just thankful I was able to move and switch schools so I could escape nazi tyranny and harassment.
About the Catholic and Jewish thing… my heritage is Irish, Cherokee and Jewish. Judaism is a religion, but you can also be Jewish by blood. Most Jews that don’t live in Israel don’t call themselves Israeli. If you’re Jewish by faith and by blood, but not an Israeli citizen, you’re just Jewish. Besides, Christianity came from Judaism anyway. My family celebrates both Jewish and Christian holidays, we always have. Jesus made me kosher.
It’s quite alarming how much they hated me after they knew I was Jewish. I remember him saying this to my face: “your people killed Christ”. That’s not true. The Pharisees were shouting crucify him, not all Jewish people. If they hate Jews so bad, they should hate Jesus equally. (Jesus is a Jew duh) What makes it worse is that his dad is a priest in a Russian Orthodox Church; what they were saying isn’t very Christian the last time I checked. I also know, that the nazi stuff came from his dad. In fact, most of the nazi stuff came from all of their parents. Hell, they said that “all Asians look the same”. Which isn’t true at all. They disliked African-Americans too. To this day, people with blond hair and blue eyes irritate me. He thought that he was so damn superior than the rest of us. What makes it more confusing, is that he isn’t German. He’s a brit. His dad used to serve in the british army. This would explain why he hated the Irish in me.
I know that there is no reason to think about sex right now, but I just feel that time will fly by and I won’t know what to do. I feel like I shouldn’t have to give myself away. Why can’t I keep me for myself? Is that so selfish?
February 12th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
spillteaonyournanophobia- the irrational fear of spilling tea (hot or cold) on your grandmother
February 13th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Has anyone ever seen a stuffed yak?
February 13th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Only thing I like seeong stuffed is a Thanksgivibg Turkey…..
February 17th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Wow, I also have the taxidermy phobia. I’m scared of road kill, but the taxidermia thing is worse. The strange thing is, I’m interested in cryptozoology and read a lot about it on the web. I look at photos of stuffed/dead animals no problem but not the real thing.
My other phobia is being decapitated or having any kind of head injury.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Thanks to this article, I now know that I have Ephebophobia and Neophobia.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Wow. Like most people here, I always thought I was the only person with the completely irrational phobia of taxidermy. It’s comforting to know how many more people are out there.
My reaction is the same as most, especially if “surprised” by a sighting: I immediately feel a cold chill and I stop dead in my tracks (no pun intended). I have to shield my eyes right away and I always keep my head down because there is no danger of seeing another animal if I’m looking at the floor. Then I have to slowly retrace my steps back to the safety of wherever I had come from. It stays with me for a while after seeing something unexpectedly too.
The most annoying thing is people who just don’t understand how paralyzing this thing is for me. Or, people who want to know why. Do I think the animal is looking at me? No. Do I think it’s going to fall on me? No. Is it because I’m an animal activist who feels badly for the animal. No. Does it help if I imagine the rest of the animal is on the other side of the wall? No. No. No. I have no explanation for why this affects me the way it does, nor do my parents remember anything happening to me as a small child, but I do know how utterly embarrassing it is.
There is definitely a hierarchy for this fear. Buffalo are the worst – whether it’s just the head mounted or the whole stuffed animal. Then moose and then any other antlered or horned animal, including deer, elk or big horn sheep. It’s true that other people don’t really SEE them the way we do because oftentimes I’ll ask someone to check inside somewhere suspicious and they’ll come back saying it’s all fine. Then I’ll discover a huge head over the door that they “didn’t notice” and I’ll end up leaving in such a frenzied, upset state that I feel so childish.
I was once flipping pages in a magazine and there was a small ad with a deer in the grass that had been grazing. It was looking up, as if startled by the photographer. I looked at the photo of the deer for a few seconds and was completely fine and then a thought crossed my mind that the animal could be stuffed and I had to turn the page really quickly because I couldn’t look at at the deer anymore. It freaked me out.
I do have another phobia – of needles. This one is even more unsettling because I feel like I can avoid taxidermied animals more easily than I can avoid having a needle. I didn’t know I had a problem with needles until the sixth grade when we had to have one at school. The nurse came into the class to discuss what is was for and I couldn’t sit still in my chair. I felt like all the blood had left my body and I was going to be sick. It was decided I should have counseling for the week prior, which didn’t help at all. I was first in my class to have the needle, and was crying and shaking uncontrollably. I fainted immediately after it was over. Since then, I have encountered the same problem every time. When I was going to have my wisdom teeth out, the doctor went out to the waiting room to ask my mother if I was epileptic because I was shaking from the fear so badly he thought I was having a seizure! Another time I was told that I was required to have a flu shot and I got so worked up that my nose started to bleed.
I usually faint after having a needle. Whether the needle is putting something in or taking something out doesn’t seem to make any difference. The feeling I get before I faint is always the same. It’s like I’m standing in a room that’s starting to fill with water. I can feel it rising from my feet upwards and every time without fail, I faint when that feeling reaches my chest level. It’s so strange and I only ever feel this way with needles. I can’t even watch someone get a needle on TV and it really bothers me when there’s a needle in a movie or on the news with no prior warning.
Sorry for the long post, everyone, but reading all your stories has been unbelievably helpful and comforting.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Emma – My cousin and boyfriend have the same fear of needles. My cousin used to have to be put in a straight-jacket (sp?) as a child and hasn’t had shots in years because of it. My boyfriend gets so worked up that he DOES have a seizure. He’s kinda weird though… he doesn’t like doctor’s needles or other people around him with needles but he pierced his lip and ears himself… of course he did end up having a seizure in my lap after he pierced his ear and saw the blood… mixed with the pain I guess it was too much for him.
He used to get a lot of shit for it being a guy. Guys picking on him for being weak and lame. He’s okay with watching other people get shots or anything like that though. My cousin gets squimish but it’s not nearly as bad if it’s happening to her.
I think a lot of the fear of needles is the fear of pain… you get worked up over it and it messes with your head. I like piercings… not actually getting something pierced but having them afterwards… but I’ll work myself up so much over it before I get it because I’m scared it’ll hurt… I almost end up talking myself out of it each time but I always have my boyfriend or a friend there that convinces me that hours ago I really did want to do this lol. Of course I don’t have an actual phobia just a fear so I can’t relate completely. But my boyfriend and cousin can definitely relate so I have a little bit of insight on it.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Hi JennyeBrooke.
Thanks for your message. It’s not the pain in my case because I know it only pinches a little, but I can’t even watch someone else have a needle. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. I always have to avert my eyes at the movies and my sister will tell me when the scene is over.
I got my ears pierced when I was eight, but nothing since then. In fact, after the lady did the left ear, it took my Mother 45 minutes to convince me to let the woman pierce the other ear.
My sister had looked into hypnotherapy for me to get rid of my phobias, but I’m really skeptical that it would work. Plus I’m too scared to go see someone in case they decide I need to go with the desensitization route. I just don’t want to be in a room with mounted heads or see a needle. Period. I avoid both at all cost.
February 24th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
omphalophobia – fear of belly buttons
February 28th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Does anybody know if there are irrational fears for road kill or just seeing dead animals?
March 1st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
anamatidae phobia is the phobia that somewhere…somehow…a duck is watching you….:S
March 1st, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Anatidaephobia. Curse my spelling. Anyway.
Anatidaephobia is the phobia that somewhere…somehow… a duck is watching you.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:38 pm
is there a fear of being afraid of something thats not real?
March 12th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I’ve always wondered if anyone else shared my fear/phobia….I hate it when the insides of my nostrils touch….
March 12th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
257. Topfy…I swear that is from far side.
And of course mine is Megalophobia-fear of large objects…I was getting ready for dinner and had the animal planet on. It was going on about the most extremes. The 3rd one on the list was Humback Whale. I had to look and see it come right out of the water. The camerman was on a boat up on the crow’s nest looking down when it came out of the water next to the boat. Almost lost a finger since I was cutting veggies at the time. what fun.
This was a very cool list. Love the bonus!
March 22nd, 2009 at 5:17 am
I have a phobia of being tickled.
D:
March 26th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. Lol i got this phobia from from phobia list.com almost has every phobia in existence
March 30th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I have a strange phobia…I have a fear and it makes me sick and gives me goosebumps….certain fabrics rubbing against each other…ie socks on carpet and cooton or wool glaves rubbing against eachother….ugh i hate it….i have to wear leather gloves and most often no socks people dont get it but its weird i know
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
its all hell of a truth
April 4th, 2009 at 1:27 am
#162. Ellen
i too have emetophobia (fear of vomit) and never understood why others think it’s so weird. my difference is, while i do everything in my power to keep myself from puking if i feel like i have to, myself puking isn’t as much of a problem as it’s pretty much unavoidable. i can’t be around OTHERS who puke for the life of me. others can be around it and think it’s kinda gross when someone pukes or even funny, but i cover my ears and run away and go ‘OH MY GOD OH MY GOD’ and hide somewhere if someone pukes or says they’re about to. can’t stand the sound, must MOST OF ALL can’t watch it…holy crap. i remember every incident in my life i’d been exposed to it. i hate going to amusement parks and when little kids spin in circles i yell at them to stop. i HATE movies nowadays because (even though it’s most likely fake) someone always seems to puke out of nowhere…if someone has seen a movie already i request they let me know ahead of time if there’s any puking in it.
my toddler had a stomach bug last year and i made his dad take care of him for the majority…i stayed awake all night in the other room with my ears plugged while they stayed in the bedroom. broke my heart for him to be in that state and there was nothing i could do about it. =(
baby spit up makes me jump but it’s not the same.
April 4th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
i have a fear of the inside of tomotoes yuck looks like a open wound *puke* seriously though really makes me feel ill
April 4th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
oh yeah and spiders but thats not weird
April 19th, 2009 at 6:26 am
hey wt bwt fear of getting old and having ageing skin??????
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:27 am
I knew ther was something wrong wthe me- Ergasiophobia!! how could i of been so stupid?
April 30th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Wow, I am so happy I came across this website. I too am afraid of stuffed animals. Moose heads are the worst. It is embarassing for me, because I thought nobody else would understand, and usually nobody does, until now! I refuse to let this phobia run my life, so if there is a deer or moose head somewhere, I pretend it isn’t there, look down, whatever to keep my mind off of it.
I think it started when I was about 3, I went to a wedding and we sat under this huge moose head, I didn’t notice it at the time but one of my brothers told me to look up. I looked up and saw the long.. i think its called a waddle.. of the moose hanging down and i FLIPPED.
Ever since then my brothers continously teased me about it, telling me that they will fall on me, or they are going to put one in my bed at night, they were just awful about it.
To this day I still feel the same way as I did when I was younger when I see moose heads. I just look down, and pretend it isn’t there, because I refuse to let something so insignificant affect me so much.
Dim rooms don’t help me either, its worse when there isn’t much light.
May 17th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Taxidermy: WEll! I can’t believe there are so many of us! i thought i was alone and VERY weird! After reading so many comments, I now think that i have Necrophobia: (fear of dead things) I fear corpses and road kill as well. But taxidermy is the worst. Small animals are fine, as long as i don’t stare at them too long, and start thinking too hard about what they are. I have desensitized myself to the homes of two family friends that only have deer heads as far as being relaxed in them. I could NEVER in a million years touch one. When i loose control my reaction is a sudden desire to flee, cold sweat, trembling, crying, and with the worst reactions i scream. Unfortunately i am a HUGE natural science buff & am in the medical field (respiratory therapist) I have successfully dissected a cat and a pig by hiding their faces with a paper towel; and have examined dessected human corpses by not getting too close and never being in the room alone. It got a little better after i found the Lord and was baptized at age 18 (i’m 27) but i am on constant look out when in suspect locations! I have gone to small exibits while holding my nephew or baby sister (i don’t know why it works! haha) and i am trying to convince my husband to hold me in his arms so i can visit the Natural Museum in SanFrancisco! i refuse to let this phobia prevent me from seeing God’s wonder! The best to you all!
May 20th, 2009 at 4:16 am
i have Ergasiophobia, yeah, that sounds about right.
May 31st, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I have a bad case of oclophobia (named differently on different places on the internet). A severe fear of owls. I am like those Maury Povich people when I see one, I burst out crying, panic, hide, freak out. One time I saw one fly overhead as I was waiting outside to get into a car, and I actually hid UNDER the car! How embarassing. They can turn their heads backwards! Does no one else see they were sent from the devil!? Even just talking about them makes me shake…ugh
June 7th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Mounted animals have been the bane of my existence since I was about five years old. My grandparents had a museum full of them, and somehow I developed a phobia while wandering around in the museum. I am amazed to know that I am not alone. I have developed a sixth sense that helps me out, and I frequently check over the door and on the walls before entering a suspect building. I’m over fifty, so my coping skills are well honed. I recently visited the Toledo zoo with my son and granddaughter. The bear exhibit included a polar bear mounted in a standing position, and the little cabin by the bear exhibit included a caribou head. Apparently even dead animals are fair game at a zoo! I don’t have a facebook page, but I intend to get one so that I can participate in the phobia group.
June 14th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Everyones saying the phobia of long words is the longest word…?
I thought antidisestablishmentarianism was the longest word in the English language?
Ah well. Great list!
June 15th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
What about Ablutophobia? The fear of bathing and being clean.
I know a few people like that :0)
June 19th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I don’t remember what my phobia’s called, but I’m afraid of fish…weird huh?
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Is there a fear of glitter. Not the herpes-like craft substance but the movie with Mariah Carey