Phobia in the shower

Before I take a shower I go around and make sure all the doors are locked in the house.When I do take a shower I can't close my eyes.I can't even use soap on my eyes.I am afraid that somebody is going to kill me or stab me through the shower curtain.Does anyone else have this fear? It really sucks.I am constantly tearing open the curtain to see if somebody is there. Maybe I watched Psycho one too many times.lol

Ive gone through the same thing, I cant take a bath or shower without making sure every lock is tight.

Aside from that now Im phobic of taking the garbage to the alley. afraid I may find a body. Im beginning to think im nuts.

Colleen

PS. hope this helps

Generally, I am a fairly paranoid person. I jump at any odd sound, in or out of the shower and I can really scare the crap out of myself if I think about anything too hard. So, yes, I've been paranoid taking a shower, but not all the time. My paranoia and anxiety sort of go up and down together (which makes sense, I guess).

Do you have a dog? I know that having my dog helps me feel less paranoid, because I know she can hear better than me and often reacts to a sound in advance of me hearing anything. I'm not sure if she's really protecting me, because I still feel scared, but at least she heard it too, does that make any sense?

You're not weird though, or at least, not any weirder than I am. (Ok, I'm pretty weird, so maybe we should use something else as a comparison. )

Hi there,

I go through the same thing, but to a lesser degree. I just find it REALLY hard to close my eyes while showering, for fear of somebody coming into the bathroom and harming me.

What helps me is "exposure"...as in, I'll force myself to close my eyes for maybe 5 seconds, then gradually move up to 10, and keep going, until hopefully the fear goes away eventually. Maybe this method could work for you as well?

Best of luck to you!

I understand where you are coming from. I'm the same way. I have a horrible feeling that someone is always with me. It creeps me out and I'm the same way. I have been known to get soap in my eye while washing my face because I couldn't stand not having my eyes open. It scares me to death (leads to my fear of being blind, I'm to pharanoid to have that happen). But I empathize with you completely, sometimes the fear that someone these is so intense I can't do what I always do. Have you ever had something tramatic happen in your life? Such as being stalked or have someone that was very possessive over you. That may make such a fear manifest in the brain. I'm glad that I have found someone that has the same "adventures" as me in life.

For me it was TV/movies that have put those pictures in my mind.....however, my showers are the most wonderful part of my day.....they are what gets my old stiff body moving. When I have anxiety attacks, I head for the shower & let the hot water just wash the anxiety away.

I just moved to my farm out in the country....always keep all my doors locked & I have 6 dogs....4 of which are in my master bedroom right in front of my master bath that only has a huge walk-in-shower. I usually only use the clear plastic liner for the shower curtain....so I can see everything anyway......& one of my doggies always lays right on the rug next to the shower.......I couldn't feel safer.

My shower time is also the time when I can think & usually ends up being my prayer time......so the whole shower experience is peaceful, quiet, & relaxing.

That said......I can definitely understand your feelings though & would probably feel more that way if my whole environment wasn't what it is, giving me my safe feeling.

oh wow, yes, I go through this same thing! I have figured out that one of the hardest parts of showering is the fact that it drowns out any outside noise so I won't know if something is happening, someone is coming into the apartment, etc. Of course I have the doors locked, I ALWAYS have the doors locked, but it doesn't take away that irrational fear.

I have been known to go a long, long time without showering for this very reason. :/

Also have the same issue with vacuuming, I need to be able to hear what is going on around me or I'm just too scared

I always freak out about the idea of someone coming into the room while I'm taking a shower. I also have a fear of the fire alarm going off when I'm taking a shower. I hate it, and I actually go out of my way to try and plan out when i think there won't be very many people cooking or whatnot to take a shower to minimize the chance that it will happen.

Zooropa, I feel the same way. I have gone awhile not taking showers because of my fear. It's ridiculous. I feel so stupid for it but I'm glad you admitted that . . . I feel so much better that someone handles the situation the same way that I do.

I'm glad that made you feel better. It's a hard thing to admit! My best friend IRL happens to have the same issues w/showering that I do and it took YEARS for me to figure out that it was because of the fear of what I might miss while I'm in there, what I might not hear. It was kind of a breakthrough for both of us when I figured that out and shared it with her. So, no, you are not alone.

I haven't even really talked to my T about that issue because it's so personal and icky, lots easier to post about it here where there's a degree of anonymity.

I leave my shower curtain open. The floor sometimes gets wet but I am OK with that. I do not know what I fear as I do have a guard dog in my home.

i find this interesting as i have a fear of the shower (sometimes, not always) but it's much more mundane - i'm always afraid that i'm going to slip and fall badly. i didn't shower for several months because i was terrified (obviously i took baths, etc, but even then i used to worry about getting in and out). and getting in still makes me jump - that first sensation of being under the water makes me gasp and catch my breath, which is a hideous feeling if you're already paranoid.

i've often wondered if it relates to the fact that i never took showers as a kid - always baths. and i hated bathing then, as my mum always used to run it too hot, but when i moaned she would always just make me get in. i wish she hadn't, as i feel that has a lot to do with my general phobia of bathing etc.

i've said to myself that i'm comfortable in my own skin and that i like smelling like myself if i don't shower for a day. but then i think i'm kidding myself. i'm jealous of people who don't have issues with it, because it seems like a totally lame-*** thing to be afraid of.

I also am glad you posted that - I'm forever turning the shower on and off to listen and check everything is ok. I love music but especially when I'm upstairs and can't hear the downstairs I hardly ever have it on that loud. I really thought it was just me so thank you so much for sharing that

I *always* worry about falling - I won't have a bathmat in as I don't want to rely on it and if one of my feet so much as twists with the soap underneath it I start to panic hard and end up really desperate to get out of the shower. I think maybe I'm the same as you in that we only had baths as children - they seem safer to me but maybe thats an associative thing, idk.

But thanks for sharing. I'm still new here and just finding out that there's others out there who have the same issues is oddly reassuring!

When you feel the fear of someone stabbing you while you are bathing, it's not weird. It's a primal fear we all feel when we are most vulnerable. So, just make sure your doors and windows are closed. Once you takes the steps to secure yourself, you will feel it less.