Intense fear of Swimming Pool Drains

OK... This is embarassing.

For as long as I can remember, I have been utterly TERRIFIED of swimming pool drains (and lights and filters too). It's not that they can suck me down, that would be far too logical. No, this is a total irrational panic-inducing fear.

I'm not afraid of bathtub drains or sink drains either... just pool drains

Just seeing a picture of one is enough to make me scream. It's the scariest thing on earth to me.

I was wondering if anyone else has this phobia?

Thank god all I have to do is avoid swimming pools. But sometimes, I think of the drains. And it makes me scream inside!

are you in therapy? i'd take this up with my T. underlying this fear is a false belief, imho.

Not in therapy yet... Really, it doesn't interfere with my daily life or anything. I just think it is a strange fear and want to know if anyone else has the fear.

I hate pool drains also, but not that much. I also hate dark pools and was afraid of swimming, but I made myself do it and now I love it. I will also get in dark pools.

I just made it a challenge. I'm sure it's much more of an intense fear for you, so please don't think I am comparing at all, but you could just try to challenge yourself just for kicks.

Thats basically all they would do for you in therapy lol

When did you acquire this fear?

Interesting blog on the subject, including "Duckman" who has a similar fear and is in his 20's:

http://drhelen.blogspot.com/2006/01/fear.html

Also, a whole thread here: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/566059/?page=2&

I have an intense if not sustained fear of the drain at the bottom of the pool an d "creepy crawleys".....you know, that big vacuum that cleans the pool and makes that odd sound underneath the water? I have a general, irrational dislike of pools. I would much prefer to swim in the ocean.

Don't know why I feel this way as I am a strong swimmer and can't remember having a negative experience. Give me salt water to chlorine anyday!

pool drains used to bother me a bit. enough that i would suddenly start swimming to the surface and stay as far from the bottom of the deep end of the pool as i could. but i dont swim in pools anymore, not for that reason tho but i only swim in lakes now (sometimes the bathtub drain will bother me too if i think about it altho usually i do not think about it unless im having a bath instead of a shower. then i cant stand being in the water when the drain isnt plugged). altho the thought of weeds below me creep me out enough for me to quickly try to scramble out of the water onto a boat or something when the water is deep. i just imagine the weeds grabbing onto my legs and dragging me under or even just touching my foot or something. that probably stemed from getting the hives when i was little from playing on the shore where there were weeds tho. altho the shore doesnt bother me unless i cant see the bottom and dont know if there are any weeds unless i step on them. another thing that kind of creeps me out is the thought of fish swimming around by my feet. i imagine them just inches away from my foot with the intent of biting me, altho that has never happened and probably wont and certainly doesnt keep me from swimming in lakes whenever possible during the summer.

I bet sometime in the past, you saw a movie or heard of someone being sucked down in a swimming pool. At one time that was a real possibility. But there are safeguards that prevent it from happening. Likewise, the pool lights were a problem. I spent a year working on pools. Even in the worst of times a person would have to put their arm or body very close to the drain. And most pools are taking water through the filter via the skimmer baskets anyway.

Most fears like that have a basis though.

There's a famous actress who has this fear too. I don't remember who it was, maybe Reese Witherspoon?

I hav a fear of swimming pool drains! I stil swim in pools but wil not go anywhere near the drain. Im also petrified of going near an overflowed toilet, i dnt like the sound of water going down a drain and im also petrified of cockroaches =S

I don't if this helps you at all but this reminds me of an urban legend (although we didn't call them that at the time) I heard when I was in high school...basically the story was that some kid in Canada had sat down on a pool drain and had his intestines pulled out of him through his you-know-what. Obvious nonsense but the kind of garbage that can grab your attention and not let go.

As an aside I found it very interesting that a previous poster said he preferred open water to pools, I find swimming in the ocean to be unsettling! (ever since Jaws?)

I hate them too, for as long as I can remember. One drain (filter??) was 6 feet by 2 ft., and it made a sinister humming sound. I tried everything to get over the fear- even by swimming next to them. The only kind I can take are the above ground filters and drains. Also, I hate toilets, especially ones that are filthy or are overflowing. I have weekly dreams! Ick. Overall I think it's a legit fear! I love insects, I have a master's in Entomology. Parasites are fine, creepy slimy creatures are o-kay. But pool drains (lights too, or any weird thing on pool walls) are the WORST.

Same fear here. No basis at all. I have toilet dreams too- all are smelly and full, overflowing, and I have to use one. There are dark stalls everywhere and nothing works. While awake, I'm creeeped out by having to plunge the toilet. Now, I have no problems rescuing centipedes from the shower by hand, but keep me away from pool drains and icky toilets. Remember "the worst toilet in Scotland"? Trainspotting.

I hate this happened to you and hope you
can get to the root cause.

I fell into my parents pool at a very young age. I have no memory of the event, but it was traumatic enough to develop a defense mechanism which presented itself as an irrational fear of pool drains. I would suspect other people who have this fear also suffered a similar fate.