And I mean true phobia, not something like transphobia, homophobia, or anything like that where they truly use the term wrong.
I mean a true mess with your head phobia over something that all in all is not really a big deal.
I have one that I have dealt with since I was young. Throwing up, if I start to get nauseous, or get that pit of the stomach feeling, heck it’s so bad that anytime I get a bit of a stomach ache. My brain and body go into absolute panic mode. It’s awful and in the end my panic mode is usually 10 times worse than if I were to just throw up. I frequently have dreams where I throw up and I wake up all freaked out. It’s awful.
I have an idea where mine comes from. When I was in elementary school my good buddy’s mom was sick and throwing up for a couple days. Turns out her appendix had burst and she ended up dying. That was the first person I knew that died but was not old. I don’t have an appendix anymore so it really shouldn’t bother me.
Then to top it off I am an extremely violent puker. I am talking wake up the neighborhood loud, brings everything up from my toes, every muscle in my body hurts afterward.
Compared to my wife who just seems to open her mouth and all you hear is the splash.

I bring this up because my 6 year old just got done puking and he is in full panic mode. I see myself and my phobia in him and it saddens me.
He’s never seen me puke or be in one of my panic modes so it’s not a learned behavior from me.
My other two boys are much like my wife they just casually walk in the bathroom make the splash, rinse out the mouth, brush their teeth and just go curl up back in bed like nothing!
Man, do I wish I could do that. I probably don’t go three days in a row without worrying about puking. I see my little ones fear and it saddens me because I know what it’s like to live with and especially as we get older it really becomes less of a thing. I don’t think he worries about throwing up like I do but he after throwing up freak out session is quite similar.
It’s probably been at least 5 or 6 years since I have thrown up so I have no idea why my brain dwells on it so often.
Then the weird part is seeing other people throw up does not bother me in the slightest. I know many folks see some one throw up and they are not far behind. Not me, while I don’t really care to watch people throw up it really does not bother me.
But if I get even the tiniest feeling of getting sick my brain loses it!
I just start praying, praying, praying, and turn on some TV or music to get my mind off of it and I get through it.

Anyone ever overcome a phobia? Sure would like to kick this one but am afraid that is never going to happen.

I am terrified of needles. When I was five, it took my dad and four orderlies to hold me down for shots. As an adult, I could force myself to sit there and endure it, but I still hate it and can't watch them do it. I'd get shaky, sweaty, and sometimes almost pass out.

Then I got type 1 diabetes. I now have to give myself a shot every morning, and stick my finger all the time for blood tests when I'm not using a CGM. And naturally, I have to look at it to do it right. I still don't love it, but I can make myself do it and I don't get all panicky or want to pass out anymore.

So my answer was to just do the thing I didn't like a whole lot. It also helped that the consequences of not doing it is blindness and loss of extremities, followed by death, just to add some extra motivation. I'm not sure that's really a good technique for getting over your puking phobia...

For me, it's not shots. Those don't bother me at all, myself or watching someone else.
An IV or blood draw, and my BP tanks. No idea why, can't even watch my wife get one.
Not a phobia, just something I rarely have needed & have a new reaction to.

Similar to the OP, hate the pre-puke sensation.
Had a Rx bar when we were in CA a few weeks ago. Got the worst stomachache, assuming from the dates in it. 6 hrs of feeling like I needed to puke.
Wife said "just stick your finger down your throat & get it over with" but couldn't bring myself to do it.
Again, not a 'phobia' but hate it.

I can’t do public speaking. One time at a district work meeting (around 500 people), I had to stand up and tell my life story. I found myself hiding in the bathroom and when the coast was clear, sneaking out to my car and driving home. Put a microphone in my hand in front of more than 5 people and my throat closes up. Even if I wanted to say something, no words come out.

I’ve played guitar in front of about 2000 people and that doesn’t bother me. I’ve even “sang” some of our songs to a crowd. Makes no sense why I’ve never been able to get over simply speaking in public.

I dont seem to be able to lay under vehicles as I did many years back, to work on them. Changing my vans oil is doable because everything is right up front. My stomach turns and I get sick if I go under a jacked up car or truck. I no longer do it. My way of dealing with what is a problem for me. My Filipina lady friend is fast becoming a phobia... I think I need to create a little space between us. Spending too much time together.

I’m really really afraid of being smothered, choked or drowned. Anything where I suddenly cannot breathe.

A few years back I was waking up choking and feeling like I was asphyxiating and after my wife made me go get checked out, I found I had pretty severe sleep apnea. No more choking and suffocating now with a CPAP. That was a truly horrifying way to wake up most nights for a while, that feeling like I was going to suffocate and die was strong.

Don't know the name but although I can swim well, I'm scared of being in dark water where visibility is poor (say, less than 100 feet). Aggravated in the dark.

As I age, I'm acquiring a fear of driving or hiking near unprotected edges.

I'm with Mark123, any group of people of three or more, and I'd choke up. I think comes from being bullied from K-6th grades. Bullies always need a crowd to add to your humiliation. A public speaking class helped a lot.

Another fear is heights. That has changed to a healthy respect of the dangers instead.

Claustrophobia, been that way all my life.
Seeing pictures of the tunnels in Gaza gives me the shakes.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Don't know the name but although I can swim well, I'm scared of being in dark water where visibility is poor (say, less than 100 feet). Aggravated in the dark.

As I age, I'm acquiring a fear of driving or hiking near unprotected edges.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

I’m really really afraid of being smothered, choked or drowned. Anything where I suddenly cannot breathe.

A few years back I was waking up choking and feeling like I was asphyxiating and after my wife made me go get checked out, I found I had pretty severe sleep apnea.

I'm no Sigmund Frood, but neither of these fears strike me as being even unreasonable, let alone irrational.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Don't know the name but although I can swim well, I'm scared of being in dark water where visibility is poor (say, less than 100 feet). Aggravated in the dark.

As I age, I'm acquiring a fear of driving or hiking near unprotected edges.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

I’m really really afraid of being smothered, choked or drowned. Anything where I suddenly cannot breathe.

A few years back I was waking up choking and feeling like I was asphyxiating and after my wife made me go get checked out, I found I had pretty severe sleep apnea.

I'm no Sigmund Frood, but neither of these fears strike me as being even unreasonable, let alone irrational.

If you had one of those fears or a similar one you wouldn't think they were unreasonable or irrational.

I had a phobia, but I was scared to death to try and address it.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
I'm no Sigmund Frood, but neither of these fears strike me as being even unreasonable, let alone irrational.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
If you had one of those fears or a similar one you wouldn't think they were unreasonable or irrational.

He's saying he agrees that they're reasonable and rational.

quote:

If you had one of those fears or a similar one you wouldn't think they were unreasonable or irrational.

I see konata88's and PASig's examples as natural self-preservation instincts, with the latter having a (actually a number of) triggering event. Who wouldn't be at least a little apprehensive about those things?

Oh, God yes. Heights, claustrophobia, and suffocation/drowning.

This is a little weird for me, as I grew up on the water, swam, skin dived, climbed trees, worked up the mast on sailboats rocking on the water, worked as a roofer, climbed mountains and even did some cave exploring.

Heights went first, starting in my 20s, followed by increasing claustrophobia, and then suffocation, particularly after COVID.

Now that I am in my late 50s, I've simply given up on beating any of them. I fought it for a while, but no longer.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I’m really really afraid of being smothered, choked or drowned. Anything where I suddenly cannot breathe.

I have same and think back to things I’ve done in my past: getting completely into a 24’ boat chain locker, having to exhale to get under floor joists to work on my house, working inside of metal water tanks with one hatch, working under the bow of a 600’ ship with the ship lifted off of the bottom of the dry dock by 3’ square wood blocks. Oh, and the dry dock doors that were keeping the river out were built in 1912, by the lowest bidder. Gives me shivers now.

Check out gephyrophobia, then imagine that being a sudden and intense new thing discovered on a 20+ mile stretch of bridge with zero exits from Ponchatoula, LA to I-10. Hypothetically......

Dramatically better now, and believe this was in some weird way tied into some untreated a-fib and related issues, but DAMN!

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
Check out gephyrophobia, then imagine that being a sudden and intense new thing discovered on a 20+ mile stretch of bridge with zero exits from Ponchatoula, LA to I-10. Hypothetically......

Dramatically better now, and believe this was in some weird way tied into some untreated a-fib and related issues, but DAMN!

My wife gets a minor version of this, but only when the kids are in the car. Just her, or just the 2 of us, no problem.
Oddly, the 'swamp bridge' didn't have that effect on her.

No Phobias I've had to beat. But don't let your little one & panic on his face stick with you. I remember when mine was that age. Same thing.

We were traveling and as soon as we walked into the hotel room he puked. Look of sheer Panic on his face. First time he had ever really thrown up. Same with his first nose bleed ever. Look on his face was like he thought he was literally dying.

No one warns you as a small child: "Okay little Jimmy... sometimes your insides end up on the outside. But it's okay..."

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
Check out gephyrophobia, then imagine that being a sudden and intense new thing discovered on a 20+ mile stretch of bridge with zero exits from Ponchatoula, LA to I-10. Hypothetically......

Dramatically better now, and believe this was in some weird way tied into some untreated a-fib and related issues, but DAMN!

My MIL has a strong fear of bridges and not even really high ones like the Walt Whitman or Ben Franklin in Philadelphia, when we go on our annual vacation to a place near VA Beach, we have to go across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel which is like 18 miles long and can take a very long time when vacation traffic is high. She actually has to get out and lay down in the back seat and close her eyes to make it across.