Feel so stupid and don’t know what it is 🙄no one else in family has and don’t understand what the problem ☹️either feel so jealous how they can just use their phones so easy!

This is going to be something that goes back to unconscious memories. It may not even be something that has anything to do with phones or phone calls, because the mind undergoes transference when confronted with things it finds unacceptable, and substitutes common things for whatever caused the trauma. But you’d need some therapy to uncover what it might be.

I have not found it helped me with confidence to drive long distances. I have done so when younger but I think it suddenly became stressful plus breaking down a few times. Now I a really worried about driving somewhere I don’t know . I tried hypnotherapy but it made no difference. I guess it depends who is giving the hypnotherapy of course

I think we must all get like this as we get older. Maybe we don’t feel that desperate need to get to something exciting any more. I also think our eyesight deteriorates. I remember coming back some years ago a motorway in the dark and thought some lights ahead were road works, my brain could not compute what was there . Very worrying

Don’t like driving by myself in case anything goes wrong 🙄🤔

I’ve always hated driving, my wife does 90% of ours. Both myself and my brother get very anxious over parking at the end of it, for whatever reason. Again, I’m not sure what it is but we really lack confidence. I also, like yourself, have a lot of trouble interpreting what I’m seeing at night, or even making out the line of the road on poorly lit motorways. And when it’s raining it’s an absolutely nightmare.

I remember a terrifying journey once when I had a friend from LA staying with me, and offered to drive him back to Gatwick. It was 3am, and torrential rain by the time I was driving back. Visibility almost zero, and I remember driving into what seemed like a lake on the motorway, and skidded all over the road. I hadn’t seen it at all and I think what saved me was the fact there was no other traffic. Hate it!

I had to give up driving at night many years ago, I just cannot see if a car comes towards me. I’m ok in the day.

Sure was Carol, I was shaking all over. It just sat in my hand, it was grey with pink knees and furry, quite pretty colours.

Haha, I know what you mean, Jo. I could not pick up a house spider though I have been known to name them in the past! 😜🕸️🕸️🕷️

Sounds about right, Carol!

I named one Harry. He lived in the bath in the Prefab at Avoncroft museum. I told him we would get on fine as long as he stayed in the bath. He really used to freak the visitors out.

😀 Add Potter on and he could have been called Aragog! (you have to know the HP films!)

🤣🤣🤣

Definitely Carol. It took a lot of study in psychology and useful courses to see this. I am loads better now but sadly it did affect my early life. Better to discover this later than never, though but I do have regrets . I know I could have had a better career . But it is all lessons and I should not regret it , it is the realisation that is the key

Thanks Carol 🙂

I’ve just started a new job Marica. The selection process took 7 months and involved some pretty intrusive vetting. I’d never been so stressed and would lie awake at night, anxious and worrying over completely irrational things, such as a parking ticket from years ago disqualifying me. Needless to say those fears were unfounded and I have now started and am loving the new chapter in my career. Interestingly, my mental health nosedived after I was seriously ill 6 years ago. It has taken all this time to come to terms with the resulting condition, but it is now manageable. A move to rural mid-Wales and the new role have done wonders for me, together with CBT. Much much happier and comfortable with who I am.
I’m glad things have improved, if belatedly, for you Marica. You have certainly had a rough ride and I feel for you.
Do you have a coping strategy for when things get bad?

You have done so well Simon for getting you where you are now. I am doing OK. I think takes a while for anyone to reach a good place and you have found yours, excellent .

Yup! I’m ok if the stuff is *in* something, like a cake (I just mentally block that out), but as for on bread, in sandwiches etc – nope, can’t be done. Had this phobia since I was 5 or 6.

According to the Internet (and consequently I see no reason to doubt this whatsoever) this phobia is known as Voutyrophobia.

How are you with Peanut Butter Phil – because apparently that’s a separate phobia altogether!

Good to know, thank you. There’s a couple of other people I know who have the same phobia, so it’s not entirely unknown. As for peanut butter that’s fine, love it!

Then you’ll be relieved to hear that you don’t suffer from arachibutyrophobia!

Is that the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth?

Yes I believe it is – I’m sure we must have imported that from across the Atlantic!

Yes, Carol, but I have found this year that putting conkers in every corner of the house has kept them out so far!

You can buy a spary that you spray round windows and doors that comes from horse chestnuts, conkers, that keeps them out too. I have conkers on my bedroom windows and have not, fingers crossed had any spiders in the bedroom yet.

I can say I don’t like small enclosures to many people around. There is many phobias that people have and we never understand why.

😱 I would need resuscitation! Can’t even stand cartoon snakes or play ones … just the shape the look of them turns me inside out.

When I first came to England I lived with my (ex) husband in a house owned by the company he worked for, in Ipswich. The house, along with all the houses along the canal had resident rats and when we left the kitchen to go into the living room, we could hear the rats scuttling around. One day my husband brought me some Belgian chocolates and I left the unopened box on the kitchen table. When I returned, there was a hole in the box and some chocolates eaten 😲.They had got onto the table 😨 We also found that they were able to go up the stairs 😱. So glad to leave that house 🙄

I hope I haven’t given you nightmares!

We had domesticated pet rats.They were adorable and intelligent.

Yes I’m a serial texter 😁

All of them. I was attacked as a child. I could have been mauled to death, but it just took a large piece out of my leg.

Thank you for that. Not many people understand. I actually had one man say he hated me.

I love to look at the birds in the garden, but only look! I even avoid stepping on a feather, so terrified of them. Birds would be lovely if they were bald!

I was probably fine, I don’t remember ever going near heights as a child, so it was more the large objects. But there are far more debilitating fears that people suffer from, so I count myself lucky.

Yes, I struggled for years to put a name to it until I came across a random internet post, and then googling ‘megalophobia’ takes you to all sorts of discussions (and terrifying pictures of enormous statues and ships). Just looking at the google images is enough to make me feel my breath increase.

Now…… I KNOW I shouldnt Google what you just described………. Should I??? Noooooooooooo! I cant!!!

Oh no! Sorry, I hope you didn’t!!!

I couldn’t help myself Colin…. I looked and some of the images made me palpitate an hold my phone at arms length….. Why do we do this to ourselves, knowing it terrifies us??? There was a MASSIVE Darth Vader hot air balloon that totally freaked me out! I also watched a short animation “You are on the Titanic and it sinks”!! My God! When half of the ship is upright in complete darkness in a vast Ocean, it made me feel extremely anxious!!! Well…. Its my own fault for being nosey!!! 😊

I do that Lel. I don’t know why. Something pulling us towards something we know we’ll hate, but we have to do it anyway?! It’s a bizarre call of the horrible.