Member Since: March 18, 2012
Answers: 28
Last Update: March 30, 2012
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I have looked around the internet for answers to this question, WHY am I afraid of caterpillars, and HOW do I conquer my phobia?
All I have found is stupid little girls saying "eeew they are so gross! how do i get over my fear?" Well, first thing, I don't think they are "Gross" or "Icky" I think they are absolutely horrifying. And I mean it. They scare the heck out of me, not gross me out or disgust me, but they terrify me. I can't look at a picture of one without having that mini-heart attack and feeling dizzy. If I see one in real life, I automatically scream and run, and sometimes I can't stop myself from crying when I see one. Just hearing someone talk about caterpillars frightens me, and then I am paranoid all day and I continuously check the ground for them.
This is a serious phobia and a serious question so I would appreciate it if I didn't get any answers saying "Aaww get over it they are little and slow and cute!" Because that doesnt really help me.
I have read on the internet that I could go to a therapist, hypnotist, or do other things such as just be in the same room as one and gradually make my way closer until I am not scared any more. This seems like a good idea, but I am mostly interested in WHY I am afraid of caterpillars.
BTW, this fear has gone on for years, and I have had many many nightmares about caterpillars. Last night I had a nightmare that there were caterpillars everywhere I turned and when I tired to walk around them they just kept appearing infront of me.
I have once had a bad dream that caterpillars were all over my yard. In the dream I was sitting outside with my Mum and Sister, then there were a few caterpillars on the floor, then more started to appear, and by then I was terrified, then they were EVERYWHERE. They were FLYING (like caterpillars with little butterfly wings) and HOPPING at me (like springs or grass hoppers). I was running around trying to get away from them and then eventually I woke up.
I am not afraid of butterflies or any flying bugs, I am kind of frightened by creepy-crawly bugs, but nothing scares me like caterpillars.
If it helps, I also have an extreme fear of heights (I can't sit on something that is two meters tall) and I can't look up at a tall building without almost fainting.
Please help answer: Why am I afraid of caterpillars? Also, does having nightmares about caterpillars mean anything?
Thank you. (link)
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I had a simmilar fear. The reason it is called a phobia is because it is an irrational fear. Most of the time the fear is justifide. The reason why is typically because at one time in your life you were tramatized, perhaps an older kid through a cterpiller on you and it scared you or perhaps it is indirect. Those reasons are typically different for every person.
Something that helps with understanding phobia is to understand your trigger, or stimuli. You are not afraid of a caterpiller because of what it can do, but more so of what it is to you. You have applied a fear that couldn't be rationalized onto an object, in your case a caterpiller. I know I said a mouthful just there, allow me to explain. Fear is rational for the most part, fear of illness, of attack, or of looseing something, that is why we experiance it. Basically what I am saying is that fear can save your life. Phobias are a fear we cannot define, however real they may be. It is hard to describe in words but I'll take a crack at it.
Fear really is human understanding that we are loosing control. Again a mouthful, keep reading. Say you were walking down the street and you see a snake, you automatically react in a fear movement, whether you stop walking, you walk around or you run away. The reason why it is such a negative feeling is because you were controlled by that snake, inother words you lost control.
Where phobias fit in are where you percive a loss of control, ether a real loss or a less recognizable loss of control. Say perhaps dealing with the death of a loved one. This loss of control is very scary, and most of us don't take the time to understand exactly why, wether its because you don't want to show weakness or you are embarressed of your reaction to the emotion. The main reason in my example is because the person who has passed adds to your mortality. Where this example may not fit your case. Typically debilitating phobias have a similar root. In the case of a phobia, the stimuli becomes a "boogie man" to use a very childish metaphor.
In my case I was afraid of worms. Earth worms, caterpillars, grubs, but mostly maggots. Terrerfide of maggots. Not sure exactly why I was so adverse to wormlike creatures but I was, to the point, I am a very large man, strong and hearty, but I was a scared child when it came to worms.
The way I conqered that fear was first and most inportantly,I confided in a person I trusted, it was hard to reviel such a, in my mind, silly fear. But once I realized I could trust this person (a very small woman who served in the navy) the repair began. We worked together at a swimming pool. And when water splashed out the earthworms came out. She picked one up and described how it felt in her hand, and then I touched it. Slowly from there my fear of worms dulled
The key is finding out if it is fear of the unknown or a phobia. Both are normal and you are not insane for experiancing a common emotion
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Rating: 5
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Thanks so much for a really informative piece of advice :) Helped a lot
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