[JustJenny]

I have a great fear of... dandelions. Not the yellow flowers or the fluffy seeds, but the leaves and the leaves only. I think it come from my childhood. The only "scary" thing I remember was coming across a very large dandelion flower with an unusually thick stem which I found frightening for some reason.

I don't mind the small ones, but once they get big... It's like I feel an immediate threat when facing a large dandelion. I am scared of googling "dandelion" because even a drawing of it is scary. Some years ago I checked the Wikipedia page for "Dandelion" and the main picture there was really really scary. I remember having nightmares with dandelions.

When I was much younger I went to see a psychiatrist about it. She told me to approach them slowly, step on them and start picking them up. It didn't help. I have seen people being afraid of spiders and snakes as much as I am afraid of dandelions. It really bothers me because I like spending time outdoors and dandelions grow everywhere.

Although I got used to the idea that I will never ever overcome this fear I would appreciate any tips.

[Frankbtl]

Hi Jenny

Sometimes people feel that nothing has helped so nothing will change............sometimes that may be true............but I much prefer to see it as nothing has helped yet
SO ideas................
It sounds like your psychiatrist was trying some desensitisation work with you, which can sometimes help a lot..........but just wondering if maybe it wasn't structured to meet your particular needs............maybe some easier stages could have been inserted, maybe the length of time between each stage wasn't correctly timed, maybe they weren't giving you the right coping/grounding techniques you needed to help at each stage...........maybe..........
So maybe that kind of work isn't necessarily something that won't work, if done differently..........and from what you've said you are a lot older now............so maybe done a different way it may be more beneficial to you.
So perhaps a return to a psychiatrist............or even a reputable therapist???
Although you'll find grounding exercises/techniques OR mindfulness online that could help too................
And..........of course..........an idea you might want to look into if...........could be hypnosis (from someone fully qualified, accredited and reputable).............sometimes it can help with phobias............so a maybe if............???
But until something is helping...........please try not to let it effect you going outdoors/doing things you want............a little checking might be able to help you find places you want to go/things you want to do where dandelions aren't present.

Alison

[-jimi-]

When I was a kid I had this mix of phobia and fascination about monstera plants. At first they have sort of round leaves. Then holes appear in the leaves. After that, the separate flaps come to. I found that process scary and unnatural. I had never seen leaves develop like that.

I think we're born to see very small changes in nature and that is some kind of survival instinct. We're supposed to notice when things are a little different than they were before. Maybe that signals that this is a different plant than we thought it was, that this one might be toxic and even deadly.

Those kinds of instincts are notoriously hard to get rid of. I do think practice can help to a point though. But I do think there must be enough time for calming down, if you just expose without reaching calmness, I think that can feed into the phobia instead.

[JustJenny]

When I was a kid I loved monstera plants I always wanted to have one. And I don't mind the holes - I find them cool.

I don't really see myself not being scared of dandelions. I just cannot imagine my life where I would just go ahead and pick up a big one. Dandelions are not toxic and even edible and I find it hard to understand how my brain links it to danger.

I am 28 and I often laugh about it with my colleagues. I thought of "raising" a dandelion at home in a pot but I am afraid that when it gets big I will have to ask somebody to take it away.

[Cadapech]

I have the same fear, no joke. I don't mind the yellow heads I pop those off like in the childish game, however when it comes to the spiky leaves I have a nervous break down. My breath gets shorter, and I start sweating like mad.

Supposedly my phobia stems from when I was a toddler and an older child had taunted me with them saying they were going to eat me. I don't remember this, all I recall is the strong aversion to these plants. Honestly some times I wish I could change phobias to at least something more rational.

I've thought about seeing a psychiatrist about it but I've been rather scared to due to some of the tactics I've heard about. My old chemistry teacher said something along the lines of they'll bring your fear in the room with you and each time they'll bring it closer and that immediately brought tears in my eyes in class. I know it's for desensitization however HOW.

Honestly I don't know if I'll ever get over my fear but I think I'll try and that maybe you could try to. I've found that learning to walk around the little ones are good. I can step over those no problem so long as they aren't touching any of my skin. However I've tried wearing flip flops and I'm slowly (VERY SLOWLY) getting used to those as well. Still no where near tackling the big ones yet - and there has to be at LEAST a 3 foot distance on either side of me before I walk past them - but I did make progress.

You should just go at your own natural pace, you may not ever fully be "cured" but you may be able to withstand more than you think which should help a lot. Every little bit counts, right?

[handheart]

I think you should try again to tough slowly and maybe you will overcome this fear

I agree about the recommendation that you return to therapy for this.

Are you able to visualize a large dandelion growing backwards until it becomes a small yellow headed plant again (I'm throwing out straws, I know). What about approaching exposure to them from a different angle like trying some tea for instance?