I'm scared of going to the dentist. How do I find one that will understand and how do I prepare myself for going to my first appointment in years? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 16, 2009 - 22 answers

My bedroom creeps me the #%^* out. What can I do to alleviate my (somewhat) irrational fears? (hacks, consumer products, etc.) [more inside]
posted by the NATURAL on Sep 30, 2009 - 47 answers

I'm a long-term glasses wearer who is going to try to make the leap to contacts. Problem: I have a really strong flinch reflex/phobia of things going into my eye. What to do about this? [more inside]
posted by paultopia on Sep 9, 2009 - 35 answers

What do I do about a persistent phobia and why is it getting worse? Reading this question (how scary is blood) I had an instant reaction of starting to hyperventilate a bit, though I got it under control quickly (also stopped reading). As I get older and the more I'm aware of it, this reaction gets stronger. Explanation involves a friend who was a cutter so be aware if this is a trigger for you. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 11, 2009 - 4 answers

Is there a name for the dislike of the anticipation felt on receiving or opening gifts? [more inside]
posted by Sova on Mar 5, 2009 - 21 answers

With things falling out of the sky with a little more regularity then usual lately, and what with me being a bit of a flybaby, I was hoping some of the Metifilter geniuses could help reassure me with some science... [more inside]
posted by monkey!knife!fight! on Feb 16, 2009 - 14 answers

i said yes to playing a gig in a week and a half, and now i don't know what to do. the last time i played was two years ago! i'm so nervous just even thinking about it... [more inside]
posted by sardonicsmile on Feb 9, 2009 - 17 answers

Phobias are treated by exposure or immersion. How, then, is one supposed to deal with a phobia of petty authority? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 8, 2009 - 18 answers

Ice falling from tall buildings filter. Help me lay to rest a question that has plagued my wife. We live in Chicago, with lots of tall buildings. Ice falls off of the buildings from time to time and about once a year, some poor bastard gets mushed. Where in terms of physics and I suppose statistics would be the safest place to walk down the sidewalk: as close to the building as possible? The middle of the sidewalk? The far edge? Does it depend on building height?
posted by Ponderance on Jan 7, 2009 - 16 answers

How do I conquer fear? I'm quite afraid of doing things that I have not done before, and it does not get better when I conquer fear of some things. [more inside]
posted by ChabonJabon on Nov 19, 2008 - 15 answers

A potential romantic partner has a very specific phobia. As luck would have it, it happens to be pretty much the exact thing that is my very private fetish. I have never shared it with anyone and don't plan to share it with anyone. Are we doomed, or could we somehow make this work to our advantage? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 16, 2008 - 31 answers

How do I get people to respect my phobia? How do I make them stop antagonizing me by showing me the thing I'm afraid of? [more inside]
posted by IndigoRain on Jun 28, 2008 - 53 answers

Nails on a chalkboard. Tearing paper. Fork tines on ceramic. Touching lycra, silk, wool.. Certain things will cause that teeth-gritting, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck rising, Dear-God-Make-It-Stop response. What is the name for that? [more inside]
posted by SilverTail on Jun 19, 2008 - 17 answers

Can I train myself to tolerate throat cultures? [more inside]
posted by bluekrauss on May 14, 2008 - 14 answers

It's Tax Day already?! [more inside]
posted by Space Kitty on Apr 15, 2008 - 14 answers

Anyone have any tips on overcoming a lightning phobia? [more inside]
posted by LeeJay on Apr 2, 2008 - 8 answers

I want to shake my irrational fear of going back to school. It's for my own good! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 26, 2007 - 5 answers

How can I learn not to fear needles? [more inside]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur on Oct 10, 2007 - 40 answers

I am afraid to make music. [more inside]
posted by loiseau on Oct 8, 2007 - 51 answers

My wife has a strong phobia of all things medical (with a few strange exceptions), and I'm wondering two things: 1) if anyone here has had a similar fear, and successfully overcame it, and 2) how should we go about helping her cope with her phobia? [more inside]
posted by bjork24 on Oct 2, 2007 - 10 answers

Could birth control cause a phobia to rear its ugly head? [more inside]
posted by ElectricBlue on Jun 30, 2007 - 13 answers

I'm afraid of the Interstate. What can I do about this fear? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 17, 2007 - 22 answers

How do I get rid of my phone-o-phobia? [more inside]
posted by emilyw on May 29, 2007 - 27 answers

I hate dogs. Help me deal so I don't lose my jobs. [more inside]
posted by skjønn on May 3, 2007 - 105 answers

For several months now, I have had a bizarre phobia of opening my mailbox. I only open it once every few weeks, grab what's inside, and throw it in a pile in my apartment. Then after I pay the bills, I don't really look at anything else. It's like I am afraid of what's inside, some collection bill (I've never had a credit problem) or something. I can't put my finger on it... [more inside]
posted by sweetkid on Apr 30, 2007 - 33 answers

I have bipolar disorder and although I have been stable for more than a year I have had several manic episodes in the past (when I was very ill and she was unable to contact me) and my girlfriend worries I may have another when she’s not with me at night. We would like for me to be able to stay at home for a few days every now and then but this is currently not possible, as she gets too anxious and distressed. How can we make this happen? [more inside]
posted by AuroraSky on Jan 25, 2007 - 5 answers

How do I rid myself of this recent pill-swallowing phobia? [more inside]
posted by Glitter Ninja on Jan 3, 2007 - 29 answers

Can I get through life without having to swallow pills? This is not hypothetical. [more inside]
posted by tatiana wishbone on Oct 17, 2006 - 25 answers

Why are some people obsessed about drying up water ? [more inside]
posted by jacobean on Sep 21, 2006 - 24 answers

Comfort my wife's fears. She has recently developed a phobia of flying and we are leaving on a flight on thursday. [more inside]
posted by Hands of Manos on Sep 5, 2006 - 36 answers

My previously relatively benign aversion to dogs has become cripplingly intense in the last few months, to the point that I can't make it to my house's front door without being accompanied. I'm living in Indonesia, and don't know enough of the language to express my absolute, mortal terror or where to find English-language psychological help. I really need some help here: how can I go home at night? [more inside]
posted by mdonley on Sep 1, 2006 - 27 answers

Am I the only one with a phobia of satellites, and low-flying objects that are not planes (possibly spacecraft, not UFOs)? [more inside]
posted by IndigoRain on Aug 18, 2006 - 9 answers

My wife is afraid of spiders. We just moved to Portland, Oregon, where the spider population seems to be higher than that even of slackers. I would like to not have to go on spider patrol every night, and I'd like my toddler daughter to not grow up with an irrational fear as well. Is there a way to cure her fear of spiders?
posted by sholdens12 on Aug 7, 2006 - 29 answers

Embarrassing phobia. I need to drive myself 10 or so hours in a couple of weeks, and I am very afraid that I will find myself in a traditionally panicky situation. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 20, 2006 - 15 answers

Two part question. I'm afraid of the dark. When I go to sleep I either leave the TV going, or the door open and a nearby light on. If I don't do this then I lie in the dark and watch shadows move, I'm on edge, and I lay awake for hours. This would be fine if I was 8, but I'm nearly 30. Am I the only adult in the world with this phobia? I'm planning to travel soon and will be staying in places that don't have a regular electricity supply, so I'll need to be comfortable in the dark.
posted by cornflake on Jul 14, 2006 - 34 answers

The pickle phobia video hit my office yesterday and now everyone is offering opinions on why someone would be afraid of pickles. Look, there's [more inside]
posted by DragonBoy on Jun 27, 2006 - 32 answers

On Tuesday, my boyfriend is having an anterior cervical fusion of C5 and C6 as a result of being on the weak end of a car-bicycle collision. He's in Los Angeles. I'm in Boston. I'm worried, and I have lots of questions. How can I help? [more inside]
posted by fuzzbean on Oct 8, 2005 - 14 answers

I'm going to have a cavity drilled on Tuesday. I've never had this done before and I'm terribly phobic of "procedures" (dental and otherwise), especially when I don't know what is involved. What exactly do they do when they drill out a cavity--step by step, what's involved? [more inside]
posted by fuzzbean on Jun 24, 2005 - 34 answers

How did you successfully conquer a severe phobia?
posted by nakedcodemonkey on Oct 22, 2004 - 17 answers

Does anybody know of alternative ways to get over an extremely irrational fear of public speaking/presenting?
[more inside]. [more inside]
posted by repoman on Jan 3, 2004 - 21 answers

I'll be flying 8+ hours to London two weeks from today. I have a paralyzing fear of flying, any advice?

Also, what should I do once I make it there? [more inside]
posted by esch on Dec 12, 2003 - 30 answers