Phobias

[P.C.]

I know there's a thread on here somewhere about phobias...but I'm too lazy to look for it.

  Plus...this one is a bit different.  I'm curious about a few things.

    How do you think phobias develop ?  Do you think you would notice that you were developing one ?  Can you do anything to stop it ?  [img height=20 src="vny!://www.pogo.com/images/chat/scared.gif" width=20 border=0]

[Lil Me]

I know that my bird phobia developed when I was a kid in North Van and birds used to fly down the chimney and get stuck in the house- leaving a trail of blood and feathers in every room until there was a bird corpse on the carpet.  There were times when I was startled by sudden bird movement from animals that I didn't realize were in the house.

  It got worse as an adult when I was attacked by a crow.

[P.C.]

Scary Lil Me.  That can be pretty traumatizing for a kid.

  I'm curious if a person would notice a 'phobia in the making'.  

  In the last year or so, I've been noticing that even in just seeing a pic of arial views, or people standing in a window of a highrise....etc.  my stomach lurches...and I get a brief sensation of falling.  It's a little disconcerting, plus it seems to be getting worse.  I wonder if I can do anything to stop it.

[Gopher]

Same thing (from the same cause) has been happening to me for years, PC; sometimes better, sometimes worse. I've no idea how to cure it.  

[P.C.]

    Really Gophie ?  Do you remember noticing it happening ?  I'm thinking that if it's not yet a phobia, then I should be able to do something.

  Maybe the creepiest part is that it feels like a premonition.

[blueskyblue]

 My phobia? It would be sleeping in the dark.  

[TehBorken]

 I've got you all beat- I'm afraid of phobias.
 

[Gopher]

 P.C. wrote:
 
 
Really Gophie ?  Do you remember noticing it happening ?

[span style="color: rgb(191, 0, 191);"]No, it just comes out of the blue - sweaty hands the lot.[/span]

 

[van_guy]

I wonder if I can do anything to stop it.

I used to be horrified of heights - I mean scared.

I started climbing mountains to get over it.  It was hard at first - but gradually I was able to do more and more and now I am very comfortable with heights.

[van_guy]

van_guy wrote:
I wonder if I can do anything to stop it.

To answer your other questions ... as far back as i can remember i was afraid of heights - as a kid i remember being horrified at the tops of gentle hills.  So mine did not develop - to the best of my recollection.  

Not sure why they develop - but ... a healthy fear of heights is a good thing ... we are afraid of what can kill / injure us. Sometimes the healthy fear grows into something unhealthy and limits us to carry on day to day stuff.

[Michel]