advertisement
Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
Fingolfin
Newly Joined
Fingolfin has no updates.
 
Member Since: Sep 2021
Location: Israel
Posts: 1
2 yr Member
Default Sep 28, 2021 at 02:07 AM
  #1
Hi.
My entire life I suffered from fear of toads, frogs and lizards.

I'm not really afraid of them. Yes, I know they don't bite or can cause any real harm (the ol "they're more afraid of you than you are of them" thing). I know.

I think I'm more grossed out by them rather than afraid of them, but this still doesn't really paint the whole picture.

The sensation I get when in close proximity to them is ... hard to describe.
It's not fear, as I said as in "they're coming for me"
and it's also not entirely "gross". I wouldn't throw up if I had to touch one of them. It's just a weird, almost painful sensation in the chest. Some sort of a mix of "gross" and some kind of primeval dread.

Similar to arachnophobia, this does take a toll on my life. When I walk by some rocks or concrete walls, I always worry that an Agama lizard will be there and fall on me, or close to me.
In the wetter seasons, it's the frogs and especially toads.

Has anybody ever had anything like that?
And more importantly: instead of living my life, trying to get myself away from my "enemies", I figured I could try to get this phobia resolved somehow, but it just looks insurmountable! I can't see myself ever holding a frog! It almost feels like this fear is hard-wired into me. I don't even know where to begin.

Can somebody who has recovered from a similar phobia share their experience? Maybe you used to suffer from arachnophobia and now you don't, so how did you do that? Maybe share your experience, just to see if this is even possible to overcome.

Thanks
Fingolfin is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Hugs from:
HALLIEBETH87, SprinkL3

advertisement
SprinkL3
Account Suspended
SprinkL3 has no updates.
 
Member Since: Oct 2021
Location: DELETED
Posts: 2,752 (SuperPoster!)
2 yr Member
10.9k hugs
given
Default Oct 21, 2021 at 07:00 PM
  #2
Sadly, my phobias have only increased since the advent of this pandemic. What used to be tolerable for me before is completely intolerable for me now.

I may not have specific phobias like the ones you mentioned - where you're experiencing something other than phobia, but still within that relative avoidance. But I will tell you that I've felt grossed out by things, scared of others, and triggered by others. They are all connected in some way to my past adverse experiences, or my present-day experiences.

I've isolated myself for over 19 months because of my fears, triggers, and even disgust with certain things. It's not easy dealing with an increase in these symptoms, but what helps me cope is that there's some other people struggling similarly.

It sounds like you took the first step to address and identify what you are experiencing, and how it is affecting your life. Do you feel safe enough to perhaps journal and write a list, or is even a list of these things hard to keep in your home or on your hard drive? For me, I feel better discussing and then discarding, as I don't even like to keep journals about icky stuff anymore (including my own past traumas as well as my ongoing phobias or fears - for lack of a more appropriate, non-clinical term).

Have you spoken with a therapist or psychiatrist about this? How about your primary care, who could offer a referral to a therapist or psychiatrist?

It would appear that these thoughts you have about the things you are reacting to has affected your life, but a trained professional would probably be the only one to help figure out why this is and what can help - or at minimum what can help, even if the why/origin remains unknown.

With specific phobias, desensitization helps, but you described being able to touch the things you are reacting to or thinking about. Perhaps these things symbolize something else for you - something you don't want to deal with or remember.

I know for me that eating slimy okra or slimy octopus or slimy tapioca grosses me out, and I absolutely refuse to try eating any of those things again. I once was able to at some point, but not anymore. My PTSD has worsened, and the "slimy" grosses me out because it reminds me of some past icky traumas as a child and adult, and the icky traumas both frighten me and gross me out, and then I deal with panic or nightmares or insomnia or flashbacks or intrusive thoughts - all of which I try to avoid. So, for me, gross or scary things can be one and the same, and I simply accept the "why" more so than the "what." In other words, I don't purposely seek out those foods on any menu; I avoid them when I see them, or go past them and focus on safe foods on the menu, for instance.

I will never enjoy those foods again. I also hated it when "friends" would make me eat something they know I hated by not telling me the ingredients of something, and then say to me that I liked it. That is an invasion of my boundaries and trust. I had that happen to me, too. So, to this day, I'm reluctant on accepting food made by anyone. I can deal with ordering food, but not food as a gift or donation. That's one example of my boundaries.

If you've had a boundary violation and/or trauma in your past, perhaps that's what's behind your feelings/symptoms. But even if you know the reasons behind your symptoms, do you think that will help you change? Or do you think that perhaps what you want to change is how to not obsess or think about those things all the time? If so, perhaps you can focus on what is safe, and what kinds of CBT therapists you can find to help you through such things. There are probably other treatments as well, but you'd have to ask a therapist or psychiatrist. It is unclear whether certain neurological illnesses can bring about such symptoms, but a psychiatrist might be able to figure that out, too, especially if these symptoms are new for you.

Hopefully you can find a therapist and/or psychiatrist to help you.
SprinkL3 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:50 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.



 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.