Dealing with phobia

Just introduce yourself to them slowly and spend more time with them each time till you can eventually touch it for a while without getting sick :)
Best way to beat a phobia is confronting it.
 
My wife is a psychologist and NLP practitioner and has had great success helping people with spider phobias and such. Google NLP practitioners and give one a crack!

Good luck

Jules

Ps I have a 'thing' about certain organisms en masse!
 
Man i have a fear of people. Seriously......Im not afraid of going to the store or anything but when it comes to one on one or small crowds. I freak out inside. If im in a vehicle and i am not driving, ill freak out. If i feel im trapped in a room from being able to leave, ill freak out. I cant go to the bathroom at other peoples house cause well i literally cant go. It wont come out.....I feel like there out there making fun of me or somthing. I am just scared of people....I dont know why. Im scared of pissing people off. Now i know phobeas....Sorry you have one dude.
 
danielp said:
Hi there,
I have a caterpillar phobia for years, and it is limiting my desire to go to the outdoor whether it is hiking or even simply gardening, because I’m afraid I will see a caterpillar out there. I remember years ago when I’m doing a rock climbing, I spontaneously released my grip only because I saw a caterpillar on the rock, but luckily I had a good belay so I didn’t hit the ground, or else I wouldn’t be here..

This phobia thing is giving me a hard time, if I see a caterpillar in my garden, then I will not go there for about two weeks or so, until the mental image slowly disappear. I didn’t have this phobia when I was a kid, since I still remember picking out caterpillars from my mom’s rose garden back when I was a kid. I also remember one night I had a dream where my bed was full of caterpillar, they are all over me, it was very scary, maybe that was triggering this phobia, but I’m not sure.

I wonder if any of you have phobia, and how you handle it, especially the one that related with your outdoor activity like height, spider, snake, etc. I’m thinking about seeing a hypnotherapist to get it fixed. Any thought?
Click to expand...




I have the same fear of spiders.

I will literally scream and FREAK out if one crawls on me , embarrassing but I can't help it.

Get this though , if the spider is a certain species , like the small jumping ones , I'm not scared at all , I'll even try to catch them , if the spider is a Daddy Long Legs , I will not bother it and have even allowed them to live in my apartment.
But Black Widows or anything similiar , or Wolf / Wood Spiders , I will fricking lose my mind :eek: Especially Wood and Wolf Spiders ( I'm getting the heeby jebbies right now just typing this ), those suckers are fast.



Several years ago though ( this may help you ).......

I worked for a company out in Clovis by my city , the warehouse had buttloads of Black Widows , I mean in the summer they were everywhere , big ones , small ones , talk about being constantly creeped out ! I must have killed at least 10 a day.
Well my co-workers decided to help me out with my fear ( previously one of them tried to put one on me and I told him in no uncertain terms if anyone did it again I was going to beat them bloody , and I meant it , so that stopped )
but they trapped a huge Black Widow in a clear 5 gallon bucket , with some sticks and stuff and we named it Helga , we fed it other black widows and crickets and it got huge :eek: , slowly I lost some of my fear of them to where it did not creep me out to be close to them , I was still very wary but not freaking out.
One day we caught a big wood spider and stuck it in the bucket and man did that poor spider freak out when it noticed the black widow , the next day the wood spider was all wrapped up like an egg roll , it was a little funny I have to admit.

All in all , this helped me with my fear of black widows , but the big ground spiders still really give me the willies.
I know if I were climbing and I saw one where I was going to put my hand , I would fall and die or hurt myself , so I am not over it yet.

I hope you fear works out.

Remember , some folks think many phobias are unreasonable , for example I know a girl ( a hot girl :D ) who is totally scared of medium and big sized dogs , to the point where she does not really like dogs, I find this totally stupid and try to get her to realize how great dogs are but she wont.
I'm sure some people think my spider fear is silly too.
:D
 
Hello

Dani..

Although not a phobia,, I get panic attacks,, sometimes very serious ones..
I've had them since grade eight, although I've learned to control them somewhat..

With the help of drugs...

My suggestion would be to try and overcome it if you can, possibly with professional help...

Most catapillers are Very harmless, although there are a few around the world that are dangerous, so your fear is justified ..

My son found one from a Cecopia (SP?) moth that had little spikes all over it...
I didn't dare touch it..

I wish you luck with it..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
danielp,

I know people with phobias. You are lucky. There are people that are giving good advice. Many, like myself, have had panic attacks or a phobia. Some, like myself eventually managed to figure out that its not going to hurt me and got over it without help. For me it took a few months. But, there is a lot of help such as psychologists that can help immensely with this kind of problem. Use them.

Many people have fears of different things. IMHO it becomes a phobia when it affects the way you live your life. If it prevents you from doing what you want to do or you change the way you live your life then it is a phobia and professional help can make a big difference. Get help if you need it.

KR
 
I had a ladder fall out from under me one time and after that I had some fear of heights. I could still get up there, but I was super careful.

Then I had to paint my barn roof by myself and it is about 30' at the lowest place. It took me a week and by the end of the week being up there bothered me way less:thumbup:

Caterpillars. Isn't that something? Never thought of them as anything with any hazardous potential so I never thought of them being something to fear. The human mind is an amazing thing.

Like everyone else said. Find some professional who can help you overcome it. Caterpillars are too cool not to be able to look at them.
 
Man i have a fear of people. Seriously......Im not afraid of going to the store or anything but when it comes to one on one or small crowds. I freak out inside. If im in a vehicle and i am not driving, ill freak out. If i feel im trapped in a room from being able to leave, ill freak out. I cant go to the bathroom at other peoples house cause well i literally cant go. It wont come out.....I feel like there out there making fun of me or somthing. I am just scared of people....I dont know why. Im scared of pissing people off. Now i know phobeas....Sorry you have one dude.
Click to expand...


This is a serious medical condition but it is actually quite common and there has been a massive amount of research into treatment for this condition. It can now be treated very effectively with a combination of anti-depressant drugs and cognitive behaviour therapy. You should see your doctor and describe what's going on, and they'll prescribe the appropriate drugs and should be able to recommend a psychologist for cognitive behaviour therapy. Its crucial to recognise that the condition you have is an illness like any other, and just like other illnesses can be treated effectively but only if you tell your doctor about it.
 
hollowdweller said:
Caterpillars. Isn't that something? Never thought of them as anything with any hazardous potential so I never thought of them being something to fear. The human mind is an amazing thing.
Click to expand...

Just so you know. And this is from the I s**t you not file. When I was a kid, my brother and I decided to collect a bunch of caterpillars once. We were probably 4 and 5 and I remember to this day (45 years later) some species of a caterpillar that had spines or something on them they really hurt when we tried to pick them up.

Again, I am not making this up. I remember looking it up once but that was a long time ago. I should check again.

KR
 
Caterpillars. Isn't that something? Never thought of them as anything with any hazardous potential so I never thought of them being something to fear. The human mind is an amazing thing.
Click to expand...

The thing about phobias is that by definition they are irrational. They involve a subconcious attribution of negative/harmful qualities to things/people/circumstances that are in fact not at all negative or harmful. The cause of the phobia is not the thing which is feared but rather a condition inside the brain, usually a deficiency in the chemical Serotonin. Serotonin deficiency is responsible for related problems like depression and other anxiety disorders, and that's why the same class of drugs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs) are used to treat all these conditions.
 
For me, the easiest thing to do is let my Logic win out over my Fear. Caterpillars are slow, so they can't come after you. They can't jump on you. They can't fly. So if you are 6 inches away from a caterpillar, you're fine. If you're a foot away, they're harmless. A caterpillar can't get through your boots, so if you're not barefoot, you're perfectly safe. It might take you a while, and some therapy to be able to let a caterpillar touch you, but perhaps you can let logic rule the day and be able to walk out in your garden even knowing there are caterpillars out there.
 
kr1 said:
Just so you know. And this is from the I s**t you not file. When I was a kid, my brother and I decided to collect a bunch of caterpillars once. We were probably 4 and 5 and I remember to this day (45 years later) some species of a caterpillar that had spines or something on them they really hurt when we tried to pick them up.

Again, I am not making this up. I remember looking it up once but that was a long time ago. I should check again.

KR
Click to expand...


Yeah that's true some will sting you they have these little filaments coming off them that look like bristles but it stings about like stinging nettles, not real painful.
 
znode said:
danielp: Never ask the internet for mental help. If you can't even go outside, that stuff is serious. Get desensitization and behavioral therapy from a certified psychologist.
Click to expand...

Well said and good advice. If you have something that is seriously impacting your day to day life as well as what you would like to do for recreation, go seek the council of a professional.

I have recently made a few life changing decisions, and the only way I could have done it was through support!

Don't be complacent with your problem.... because the outcome will always be the same.

Good luck.:thumbup:
 
kr1 said:
Just so you know. And this is from the I s**t you not file. When I was a kid, my brother and I decided to collect a bunch of caterpillars once. We were probably 4 and 5 and I remember to this day (45 years later) some species of a caterpillar that had spines or something on them they really hurt when we tried to pick them up.
KR
Click to expand...

We have some species of caterpillars in Australia that have the hairs and squirt out a poisonous foul smelling liquid from their heads. There heads have these little soft rhino horn looking thingers.

If your afraid of creepy crawlies stay out of Australia, spiders of all types are a fact of life here. At the moment I have a huntsman in my toilet thats a good 6 cm's across the back :)
 
Good advice. My greatest fears are water and, for a while, spiders. The first was from a childhood encounter with the undertow at Jones Beach, LI - the lifeguard saved me. In 1969, in USN boot camp, I learned to float long enough to pass the swimming test. I owned a sailboat for years - sailed it on inland lakes by myself many times. I still have a great 'respect' for the water, but that USN CPO diver in boot camp gave me 'therapy' to at least come to grips with it.

The spider problem came after nearly losing my right foot from a brown recluse bite on the top of my right foot seventeen years ago. It got necrotic in two days - left an enlarging black circle around an open sore, doing permanent muscle damage. I found out - from a co-professor where I taught, who loved spiders, that they live in closets - above fluorescent ceiling fixtures - and are more common than most folks know. Understanding, identifying, and treating darn near every spider I find as a brown recluse - and flattening it with the heel of my hand or a shoe - helps, too.

Who needs butterflies? There are enough being used as tramp stamps.... or on Benchmades - stomp the beasties!

Stainz
 
Stainz, I too almost drowned when I was 10 or so, me and all 3 of my brothers! Imagine the grief for my parents. Since then I don't go in over my head in the ocean, but that's more common sense, I am not a good swimmer.
I am however, scared of sharks, enough that I don't like swimming in lakes even, or swimming pools at night, my twin brother is the same way!
I don't think a fear of caterpillars is too weird, they are one of the ugliest bugs. I squished one with my hand by accident once when I was a kid and now I have an aversion to them.
 
Hey Dan!

I am scared to death of spiders and much like fears friend hate, I simply chose to kill the ones who violate my space. Its crazy and simple, see a spider on my arm, scream like a 7 year old girl who just got mugged for her girl scout cookies and then KILL.

*the spider, not the girl scout.
 
Hey Guys..

Tarmix..

I read your other thread,, and not to distract from Dani's thread I just wanted to wish you luck.

I realized I had the same problem or potential problem when I was about 20..So I stopped on my own.. Now I can enjoy myself, however know where the line is, and never cross it..

Best of luck to you my friend..

A friend of a Friend.. a Guy tough as nails. Won't turn down a fight from anyone,, and competed in tough man contests in Detroit is Scared to death of the dark.

You can literally make him cry like a baby if you screw with him in the dark.

Everyone has something that bothers them,, even the toughest guys. Some deal with it better than others..

Some Great advice here by Caring people..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top