Irrational Fears

starchild27

Just curious as it is something that I never can understand. How is it possible to feel afraid of inanimate objects like balloons or the colour pink ?? I can understand things like dogs or spiders as they have the potential to harm or startle or whatever.

What I dont understand is how a spoon or a colour or some other thing equally inable to move or crawl or think can cause such fear in some people? Is it some kind of glitch in the brain? Or always caused by some trigger like some bad experience in the past??

Crackerspray

I think the fear arises when you associate the object/colour/emotion etc. with a bad memory, maybe a fright you got as a child or something along those lines.

I have a fear of spiders that really annoys me as I know the day to day house spiders cant hurt me! Turns out that when I was a toddler, my brother and sister used to say there were spiders on anything they didnt want me to go near and frighten me off... seems like the fear has stuck with me

starchild27

Hmm I get that. You can feel afraid because of some bad thing that happened that your brain now associates with danger or fear of some kind.

I thought that some people just fear certain things for no apparant reason Is it always the case that at some stage (perhaps unbenownst to the person with the phobia) there was a bad past experience?

starchild27

Also I have a terrible fear of heights. Always have for as long as I can remember. I had terrible repetitive nightmares as a child. Does anyone know why people fear heights? Its illogical but yet seemingly impossible to control ??

Kareir

Fear of heights isn't illogical; in evolutionary terms you're bred to stay away from high drops, 'cos you'll die.
That's what makes bungy jumping a challenge - The fact your genes are saying "DROP BAD! HIGH PLACE!! STAY AWAY!!" while your mind knows you'll be fine.

_Kar

Noodleworm

I used to have a bad fear of a ragdoll my grandmother had up untill she gave it away when I was about 14. If my sister snuck up on me with it or threw it at me suddenly it was terrible, I had the most horrible feeling and would scream and run away.
If it was in a room and I had to get something I could kind of make myself stand it by putting my hand over the side of my face so I couldn't see it but it felt horrible... like when you stand really closed to a tall drop and your really uncomfortable about falling.

VinnyTGM

Noodleworm wrote: »

I used to have a bad fear of a ragdoll my grandmother had up untill she gave it away when I was about 14. If my sister snuck up on me with it or threw it at me suddenly it was terrible, I had the most horrible feeling and would scream and run away.
If it was in a room and I had to get something I could kind of make myself stand it by putting my hand over the side of my face so I couldn't see it but it felt horrible... like when you stand really closed to a tall drop and your really uncomfortable about falling.

Yeh, I used to have this clown thing that you could put your sleeping wear in( when I was young) and I always felt afraid of it, like it was looking at me.