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Irrational phobias

irrational phobia or not?


Hello everybody, very interesting subject.


I don't know if you can call this an irrational phobia, but I've always been afraid of the doorbell ringing in all the places I lived since I was a child.


I used to be afraid of being "found" and feel very anxious about it. I still hate when the doorbell rings (unless I'm expecting someone) and always try and avoid answering.


I know I may seem weird, but I always get a little shock when it rings!


I also don't like people knowing where I am all the time or letting them know wether I'll be home at a certain moment.


Due to my job I travel a lot and i don't have a fix schedule, so that helps a lot! Maybe that's why I picked such a job! :D


Same behaviour with the phone:I always let the answering machine go first!


I'm also afraid of closets: I can't stand leaving the doors open so that you can see the clothes hanging inside, especially men suites. I can't sleep if I see the closet is open especially in hotel rooms!


Any comments?
 
Hi Purple,


If you don't mind me suggesting a possibility, some of what you described is very similar to symptoms of PTSD. Bear in mind that I'm not qualified to make any prognostication, and my only desire is to lay something on the table for you to consider. I think people can be affected by abuse and trauma, whether it happens in this life, or a past life; and many behaviors and phobias can be a direct result.


Loud or abrupt sounds, fear of being seen and being hyper-vigilant about one's surroundings is not unusual behavior for someone who has been constantly criticized, and/or abused in any way. I might add that there are additional behaviors that are said to be symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.


If you go out after dark, do you prefer to trust your own night vision instead of using a flashlight? Do you carefully choose your seat in a restaurant in order to view who's coming and going? And, do you dress and act in a way that won't draw attention? I don't mean to pry or ask personal questions which require any kind of answer. These are merely rhetorical questions to give you some possible clues to your phobias.


If you have no traumatic experiences in this life, you may have evidence of such things from a past life; but I would want to direct you to the "BOOKS and LINKS about Reincarnation" section of the JUMP menu below.


Please forgive me, if I am out in left field. I sincerely hope that what you experience is only superficial and not so deep that you can't find a possible solution.


Best Wishes,


-Nightrain
 
Hello Nightrain1 and thank you for your reply.


The possibility you suggest is one I have indeed considered and since I haven't had any trauma in my current life I guess it could be past life related.


I'm not afraid of the dark at all, nor I care about where I seat in a restaurant, but I admit that I do act and dress in a way that wouldn't draw attention on me.


It's not about being afraid of an assault or a violent act, is more about letting people know about me, who I am or what I do.


I also dream of being invisible sometimes,infact in my dream I can suddendly "disappear" to avoid annoying situation!


Anyway I never let this thing stopping from having a normal life, and my job is definetely a public one.


I've been reading about reincarnation and past live for many years now and I've got some memories and visions I'd like to post, but in the right section.


Thank you again for your comment, I really appreciate your posts Nightrain1!


oh, and I liked your profile!:thumbsup:
 
I have an irrational phobia of alligators. I don't know where this comes from. With the exception of 6 years I lived in the western US, I have lived in the deep South all of my life and have never even seen an alligator in the wild. Yet I am terrified of them.


I also have a phobia about being in water if it's not clear and I can't see the bottom.


And I get nervous driving on bridges or under bridges.
 
As Karoliina mentioned in a previous post, some people can overcome their phobia once they remember where it came from; and one of many ways to overcome their phobia includes going to a qualified regression therapist.


However, if you like the feeling of adrenalin coursing through your veins, it's said that facing your fears head on may be really quite effective. I wouldn't recommend jumping off the garage roof to overcome a fear of heights, necessarily; but allowing the spider to walk on your hand is a rush. I wouldn't recommend certain spiders, but it's remarkable how some folks can handle them without being bitten. The same goes for snakes. Water? Dive in with someone you trust. Gators? Stop by the someplace that takes care of them, and study them closely. Fear of flying? Go for a ride in a Piper Cub at the local airport. Rats? Try to handle one at a local pet shop. They're really like hamsters, but with long tails.


I'm not saying it's easy; and very deep seated phobias like spikes, leather chairs, closets and whatnot should be treated with reasonable care. That's where regression therapy might reveal something interesting. Dealing with it through regression has been proven to release some anxieties. The key words here are "dealing with it".


Please don't think that I'm treating such things lightly; because I still have my own demons. I still don't like balls. Sometimes I'm afraid of myself. I flip out dealing with taxes of any kind, and I'm afraid of what I'll do when I come face to face with the local tax assessor. I'm afraid of stupid arrogant people in positions of power. And, I won't express my feelings about religious fanatics. I also realize that minor phobias can be worse than the big ones sometimes. Old Chinese proverb: You might be able to stand the pain, but it's the itch that drives you crazy.


Whatever the case, phobias are not fun at all. But, I've also seen people walk barefoot on the fire, so to speak, and come through laughing. Fear of death? What's the worst that can happen? It doesn't hurt much and you get to come back. Besides, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So, have fun with every ounce of gusto that you can muster!


-Nightrain
 
Like I said before, heights is one of my few real terrors. What's weird is I'm not afraid of flying at all. I actually enjoy it. Give me a window seat at 30,000 feet and I'm perfectly content. But you have me look over the edge of (for example) anything higher than a second-floor balcony and I'm a mess. I realized something. It's not falling that I'm afraid of. I'm not afraid I'm going to lose my balance and fall. I'm afraid that someone is going to come up behind me and push me over the edge. Now that I think of it, I get startled very easily by anyone coming up behind me. I wonder if maybe someone pushed my off of a high place from behind in a past life. I have no memory of anything like that happening, but it seems like a possibility.
 
As I've grown older I've become more terrified of heights. Particularly bridges and particularly bridges over water. On my way to work I have to pass a bridge on my bike that leads over a stretch of water (Denmark is a kingdom of islands :) ) and whenever I'm there I feel uneasy. I get really focused on just getting across. It's much worse if I'm the passenger in a car and we're passing the biggest bridge in Denmark (you can see some pictures here). It totally gives me the creeps and I usually close my eyes when we pass it. When I look down on the water from a bridge I feel such a hopelessness, I feel terrified, panicking. It's going to sound really odd, but sometimes I fear I'll loose control of myself, climb up and fall down. I'm terrified of falling off a bridge. I've always felt that way and only recently was I able to connect this fear to a past life.


As some of you may know I have revisited memories of my most recent past life these last couple of days. In that life I was a young man in the Birmingham-area, UK, and my life ended tragically by - you may have guessed ;) - falling off a bridge. During a meditation I re-experienced it and it was just as terrifying as you could imagine.


Anyway, re-experiencing this memory hasn't helped my phobia of bridges, but it has helped me to understand why I feel how I feel about them and hopefully in time I will come to terms with that memory and bridges in general.
 
Wow, that bridge in Denmark is huge. It would probably make me a little uneasy too. I don't know any Danish, but looking at the article, I could kind of get the jist of what it was saying. :)


Living in a kingdom of islands with a fear of bridges isn't a good combination. :( One of my best friends is scared of bridges too. Not too far from where we live is the Mississippi River, one of the largest rivers in the world. He won't drive across it, and if he's a passenger, he'll close his eyes. A couple years ago when an interstate highway bridge in Minneapolis collapsed (ironically, over the Mississippi). That was a big "see, I told you so" for him. :rolleyes:
 
I've always had a harder time going under bridges rather than over them. I wouldn't classify it as a phobia, but I certainly feel very uncomfortable with it, especially if I'm on foot, and especially if it's a railway bridge.


My worst phobia was thunder and lightning, which I've written about elsewhere in the forum. They used to make me have a full scale panic attack, but I did force myself to face that fear and I overcame it, they don't bother me at all now except maybe a nervous flutter in my stomach whenever we have a storm, but I can deal with that easily :)
 
I wonder what the opposite of a phobia is?


I kind of like high places, especially when there is nothing to keep you from falling other than just being careful and hoping for the best. I like being on the edge of a cliff or a very high building rooftop and standing right on the very edge and looking down.
 
Kooool!


I think the opposite of phobia is "Death Wish".


Adrenalin Junkies Do it Dangerously!


-Nightrain
 
@Stardis and Nighttrain: :laugh:


Stardis, I find your attraction to heights interesting! Do you think it relates to a past life?


I sometimes watch a survival-show on Discovery, I've forgotten the name, but the host/survivor on the show goes to all these extremely isolated, deserted places and gives tips on how to survive there. He apparantly was an adrenaline junkie since childhood and has always been fascinated by 'survivors'. In an introduction he told how, when all the other kids said they wanted to be firemen, policemen, etc., he wanted to be a 'survivor'.


I couldn't help but wonder if that strong survivor-instinct was past life related. :)
 
Sunniva said:
Stardis, I find your attraction to heights interesting! Do you think it relates to a past life?
Click to expand...
I like that survivor show you mention. Good question about pl related behavior.


I had never thought about heights like that before, but now I am wondering about it. I do have a "vision" (not sure if it is a memory) of being an old man and living very close to a high cliff overlooking the sea. The coastline was very rocky and I liked to sit on the edge of the cliff and watch the surf crash against the rocks. I couldn't see below me, the cliff was too steep, but I could see the coastline in the distance off to my right. I lived in a small, one room stone hut and had a crude bed that was off the floor. There was a very small table and I had bread, cheese and wine - which is a favorite meal to me now.


I never considered myself an adrenaline junkie before but I wonder if a lot of us are actually just that. It is not that I am not frightened by things like heights or swimming across a very cold mountain lake, it is just that I like to "push" myself to the limits of what my body can do. I was blessed to be born into a strong body and since I can remember I have thought to myself that "this body is mine and it will do what I command it to do".

Nightrain1 said:
I think the opposite of phobia is "Death Wish".
Adrenalin Junkies Do it Dangerously!
Click to expand...
I am frightened of a lot of things but enjoy doing them or experiencing them anyway. Maybe I (we) need counseling.
 
I was a type A ,, living on the edge as well. And I do think it was past life related... or the timing of this life.. ie what had developed along the way..


In my case it was from the guilt I had built up over " "caring for the family issues" I was just too attached to feeling the responsiblity of saving everyone.


This life I had a family which I could not take care of in the end so I had to look within. ,, I looked elsewhere for family .. ie adventures and thrill seeking but I still had the need for love and closeness..


I also think the risk taking was in a way a cry for attention.. ie thinking " well if I die at least I will find some closeness in the afterlife" I had had a near death experience this life and did not want to come back. It was very nice in the after world.. and the pull of that feeling did remain in my psyche even if I had forgotten. It took regression to remember the experience.


I have found through past life memories and forgiving myself for not taking repsonsibility due to lack of faith I feel alot better about myself .. I no longer feel the need to risk myself.. I do not fear my actions so much and have forgiven more .. and trust that I do not need to leave this world to find peace.


soulfreindly
 
Kohr-Ah said:
I have same kind of fear. I have also had nightmares where something penetrates my eyes. About a week ago there was picture of a baby born without eyes on the web page of a Finnish magazine. I couldn't read those pages, because I feared that I will see that pic. For a few days I looked news and sport sections only from another magazine's pages.
I have also phobia of flies. Last night I had again nightmare about them.


I don't know if these phobias have anything to do with past lives or not. I have had them as long as I remember.
Click to expand...
Well, I do know that pretty nasty things used to be done to people's eyes back in the middle ages. There's also the fact that we could have been hurt in the eye in a PL.


I forgot to mention something the last time I posted -I hated, absolutely hated, the Kit Kat Klock as a kid. Phobia might be too strong of a word, but I did always feel that it was eerie, as opposed to cute. I still think that cat looks meaner than cute, like it's up to no good.


ETA: Actually, I just looked at it now, and it is pretty cute when I overlook the eerieness. So there you have it - phobia cured! ;)


Regarding heights... I don't have a problem with heights, but I do have a problem with my feet not being in semi consistent movement. I love airplanes and elevators, but escalators freak me out. I hate getting on rides where the floor moves as you go to get on, and in fact don't even like most rides very much. (Although apparently I loved them as a child - I wonder if something triggered the fear? Can that happen?)


Also, I hate when people or objects come upon me suddenly. If someone comes up from behind or beside me and says my name suddenly, I sometimes will jump ten feet off the ground and shriek. It makes me seem so skittish, when really, I'm not - I just don't like the unexpected.
 
Looking Backwards said:
I wonder if something triggered the fear? Can that happen?
Click to expand...
Yes, I think so. I think there can be current life reasons (as far as rides go, I think many people love them as children, but think they are too wild when they are adults), but also PL sources.


Time is a complicated concept, but I believe all our past lives are taking place at the same time - and yet going chronologically hand in had. I give you an example of what I mean:


When I was around 25 I suddenly developed a strong phobia about swimming in dark water. I had used to love it, swimming alone in a lake at night, float on my back and look at the stars. Suddenly I couldn't do that anymore as I was so afraid something would be in the water and get me. :rolleyes:


A couple of years later I remembered a PL self, a woman, who was around 25. She was desperate and went deliberately to swim in a sea at night, at a place she knew was full of sharks. That was the end of her life, and even though it was deliberate, it triggered a phobia in me, when I was at the age she died.


After I had remembered this, the phobia vanished. I realised the connection only later.


I have other fears and fascinations that have come and gone, and for which I have found likely reasons from PL experiences taking place at certain ages.


Karoliina
 
Great thread.


For me, one of my biggest phobias (and this is really going to sound weird) is the throbbing sound of a baby in utero. I recall being very young and having a recurring dream of running throughout my house in the dark looking for my family who'd suddenly vanished, and all I could hear was the aforementioned sound, over which I could not shout or even hear my own voice. To this day, that sound gives me the chills.


Another strange one is having people in my "blind spot" behind me. It's not really a phobia per se, but makes me VERY uncomfortable and defensive (almost reflexively, I feel the urge to strike out and have to spin round to check who's there). I have to let anyone walking behind me slip in front, and if my back is even slightly exposed when lying in bed, it can send a sudden, spasmodic shiver through me. For some reason, I have a feeling I was stabbed from behind in a past life. I also have a brith mark on my back by my right kidney. And have experienced kidney complaints in the last couple of years.


The third salient phobia for me is... amputees. For a reason I cannot quite fathom, the sight of amputees or indeed the thought of amputation fills me with terror and dread, so much so that even seeing an amputee freaks me out.
 
Truthseeker said:
It's not falling that I'm afraid of. I'm not afraid I'm going to lose my balance and fall. I'm afraid that someone is going to come up behind me and push me over the edge. Now that I think of it, I get startled very easily by anyone coming up behind me. I wonder if maybe someone pushed my off of a high place from behind in a past life. I have no memory of anything like that happening, but it seems like a possibility.
Click to expand...
That's very interesting. I'm never afraid someone will push me, I won't get close because I'm afraid I will simply fall. I never really thought that much about other possibilities.
 
Those 19th Century high-wheel bicycles look like some kind of medieval device. They were very fast, but stopping could give one a serious "header". They were extremely dangerous.


-Nightrian
 
As a child, probably around 7-10 i had an irrational fear of being kidnapped. Mainly on the way home from school. I was so afraid that while riding the bus home from school i would make my brother duck down below the window with me when an oncoming car passed so we would not be seen. I was afraid that they might be someone who was looking for children to kidnap(We were the second to last stop on the route). Once off the bus i would walk 3-4 rows deep in a vineyard that paralleled the road that i lived on so that i would be harder to see and could get away if a would be kidnapper stopped.


The funny thing was that i knew at the time that these fears were irrational so i would make up excuses for why i was doing these unusual things.


My brother and i both received the same "Never get in the car with strangers" speech from our parents but he never seemed to be as afraid of being taken as i was. Thankfully the fear subsided as i got older.
 
Trevor said:
As a child, probably around 7-10 i had an irrational fear of being kidnapped. Mainly on the way home from school.
SNIP


The funny thing was that i knew at the time that these fears were irrational so i would make up excuses for why i was doing these unusual things.


My brother and i both received the same "Never get in the car with strangers" speech from our parents but he never seemed to be as afraid of being taken as i was. Thankfully the fear subsided as i got older.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the Forum, Trevor! It's interesting to wonder when and why your phobia began to present itself. Have you ever asked what older relatives might have noticed this fear as you were growing up? Did anyone else notice, besides your brother? Had there been any noteworthy kidnappings in your area before or during your childhood?


You might want to consider having a regression session or try meditation to see if you can open up some memories -- not only of a previous lifetime, but also early memories of your present life to see if there might have been something that triggered that phobia.


Times have certainly changed since I was a little guy, because all I feared was city traffic and my big sister on the way to school. This problem with pedophiles was unknown back then; probably because it wasn't very well publicized as it is now.


-Nightrain
 
Hello Nightrain, thanks for the welcome,


None of my family has ever mentioned any of these fears when i was growing up. I actually have some memories when i was even younger with not a care in the world. My only worry then was whether or not my little electric 4 wheeler had enough juice to make it to my grandmothers house down the street.


These fears seemed to present themselves at the age when i started to go to school and ride the bus. We lived in a nice, small town growing up. There wasn't much crime and I don't really remember any notable kidnappings in the area growing up. However it is definitely possible that i did pick up this fear watching the news or a movie, but i don't recall anything specific that would have triggered them. Thank you for your advice, ill give it a try.
 
Hi Trevor,


There was a tragic case some thirty years ago of a six-year-old, who disappeared within two Manhattan, NY blocks on his way to school.


Although we have, since, become accustomed to such reports, it was a story that went worldwide; and had the effect of bringing to the world's attention the fact that our own children could be at risk. Parents, everywhere, became aware of a danger that was rarely taken into consideration before this media coverage.


There is no doubt that your parents must have spoken about it. However, the problem existed long before the abduction of Etan Patz; and you could, conceivably, have been a victim in a previous life. You certainly owe it to yourself to investigate the matter further, if you feel that it would be helpful or interesting.


Our general assumption is that everyone has had at least more than one previous life; and most of us believe that investigating this possibility could have helpful effects. If your parents are open to the concept, they could remember things other than this particular phobia of kidnapping. If you do ask if they remember anything, it may be worth your time to ask again after they've had time for their subconscious mind to dwell on it for a few days.


I would also recommend reading some of the other threads in this Forum; because your own subconscious mind could turn up more of your own memories along the way.


-Nightrain
 
My Ornithophobia!


Hello Guys,


Iam new to this forum, but have been reading the posts from quite some time now. What brought me to this forum is my curiosity about Past Lives. Coming to my biggest phobia of all time...DEAD SCARED of BIRDS. My unreasonable fear of birds had been embarrassing me all thru my life. :( (


As a child, I remember for the first time I got shivers in body at the sight of colored chicks at my village farm house. I did not realize or share that fear with anybody that time when I was around 7 yrs of age. This fear grew more n more with age and I finally realized it is a great phobia i'm struggling with.


At the sight of bird near by, I get shivers in the body, breathlessness and my heart beat goes rapid. I do not understand what could be the reason for such unreasionable fear. In childhood, I often dreamt a bird (may be an eagle) chasing me. I thought it is my extreme fear subconsiously made me dream those scary bird chasing. But now I strongly feel there could be a strong reason for my fear. I can write more about certain specific incidents in real life where I encountered a bird and scared to death. I hope am not sounding stupid with this post:)
 
Hi Royal12, welcome to the forum :)


You're certainly not sounding stupid with your fear of birds, and there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It is actually quite a common fear, my grandmother used to suffer with it. In fact you've taken the first steps towards overcoming that fear by coming here and sharing it with us. Just take a moment to look at this webpage, and this one.


If you can't remember an unpleasant incident with a bird (or birds) in your childhood, have you tried asking your parents if anything happened when you were a baby? If not, then it could be possible something happened in a past life that you've carried over into this life. The good news is that with a bit of bravery you can overcome this particular fear quite easily, and I do understand those symptoms that you go through, I've been there myself (my phobia wasn't birds though) but I managed to overcome it, and so can you .... make it a personal challenge ;)
 
Royal12 said:
Hello Guys,
Iam new to this forum, but have been reading the posts from quite some time now. What brought me to this forum is my curiosity about Past Lives. Coming to my biggest phobia of all time...DEAD SCARED of BIRDS. My unreasonable fear of birds had been embarrassing me all thru my life. :( (


CLIP...


But now I strongly feel there could be a strong reason for my fear. I can write more about certain specific incidents in real life where I encountered a bird and scared to death. I hope am not sounding stupid with this post:)
Click to expand...
Hi Royal, and welcome to the Forum!


Since you've been reading the posts for a while, and decided to post about your phobia, anyway; indicates that you know your post is not in any way "stupid". Stupid phobias are one of the reasons many of us are here. Ever since Dr. Brian Weiss discovered that the phobias of his patients could be mitigated by revealing past life memories; a whole new area of research has opened up.


You probably also know that none of us can replace your very own professional therapist, and nothing by way of counseling can be offered. Now...Let me tell you what's wrong with you. :laugh:


Kidding aside, the acute nature of your phobia would clearly suggest something traumatic in your subconscious memory, whether from this life or a past life. I presume, also, you must have already tried asking parents, siblings, relatives and friends, if you've ever had a bad experience in this life. If not, your attention might be directed toward meditation or a past life regression. Sorry, I'm not attempting to be Captain Obvious, but I thought it best to clear the decks for everyone to ask more specific questions about your experiences.


Suffice to say, we are interested in this discovery process, and hope that you can go into more detail as you find ways to dig into your own subconscious memory. Have you inspected the resources available by going to the "Forum Jump" menu, and select "BOOKS and LINKS About Reincarnation". You can also insert the words, "Self Regression" in the Search field at the top of this page.


Please read Carol Bowman's blog "Regressions by the Untrained"; then, if you're still interested in pursuing regression process on your own, folks here will be glad to answer any questions.


In the meantime, you may want to consider my questions:


Are there species of birds that are more frightening than others?


Does the sight of dead birds bother you at all?


How about illustrations and emblems of birds?


Do bird sounds bother you?


Have you ever googled "Fear of Birds", or "Bird Phobia"?


Do you avoid parks or places where pigeons gather?


Do you react to cooked chicken, turkey, duck, squab, etc?


Do you like bird dogs? :) I sure do :laugh:


Anyway...We all look forward to hearing more from you.


-Nightrian
 
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