rodents
When I was young I had a severe rodent phobia. I would imagine that rats and mice would run into the shower while I was standing their naked. I also feared a rat would come up from the toilet while I was on it (I swear I heard about that actually happening somewhere) and I even lived in the country- no sewer rats. I made my 9th grade biology teacher put post-it notes over all the pictures of rodents in my textbook. If I saw my cat’s tail move out of the corner of my eye, or something spontaneously fall on the floor- my heart would jump- and I would look expecting to see one of the horrible little critters. Even today, if a leaf blows out in front of me while I’m walking down the street, my heart will skip a beat and I’ll look down expecting, just for a split second, to see a rodent. Oh, and one other thing, sometimes I imagine what would happen if I was stuck in a space with a rodent, or if one was on me- what would I do? and I freak out- ! I don’t know what I would do- I sometimes think that if one was on my hand I would actually cut off my hand- which just sounds bat shit crazy.
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when I was little I was afraid of sharks ALL the time, I wouldn’t let my mom leave the bathroom if I was in the bathtub because I was afraid a shark would come up through the pipes… I don’t have these fears anymore, but every month or so I will still have a really bad nightmare involving a shark
My cat once brought a mouse inside the house and dropped it in the toilet. I wasn’t paying attention, then suddenly noticed this little brown mouse scrabbling wildly at the side of the bowl trying to get out, just as i sat down. I’d always been worried of snakes coming out of the toilet after watching a bit of a film years ago to that effect, so this little incident didn’t help!
I’m sure I remember an X-Files episode where they’re investigating an abandoned building or mental hospital of some sort, go into a bathroom, and pull up a toilet seat and all you see is a ton of rats or some similar nasty creatures pour out of it.
I can’t be sure though, just vague memories from when my family would watch the show when I was really young.
You should read “1984″ == your fear is what’s inside room 101
I have the same thing with spiders. the last bit, I usually think head instead of hand so I can’t really cut it off without dying. I guess I could attempt to rip off my scalp. but then I think: what if I accidentally squished it? squished spiders are nearly as bad especially if they’re on you –the guts…. I wonder a lot whether I could have a complete nervous breakdown from a spider in my head. I would never be able to cut off my hand though, I don’t think I could make my other hand go that near to it.
The cover of my biology book had a spider on it this semester. I was shaking and breathing like I was running a marathon the entire time I was in the bookstore. I never once looked at it. I could barely sign my name when I paid.