
I have and have had, relatively few phobias, but they still affect me, regardless. My "big" phobia was spiders. I didn't used to be afraid of them, but at some point, I crossed that line and everything went downhill from there. I would shriek and run for cover at the sight of a spider, and if I needed to walk past one...I just couldn't do it. How was my phobia fixed? It was cured by what I call "Positive Reinforcement", or something along those lines. It was Mom's idea to try this after we had been studying psychology one day. Being who I am, I was a little skeptical, but hey, who could say no to getting candy every time they see a spider? I wouldn't say I have no fear of spiders or anything like that; I still get a little freaky around them, but I can now continue my life a little more normally than I could before, and with persistence, I am slowly getting better. Currently, I only have one and a half phobias. One and a half may be a strange way to put it, but I believe I have good reason for it. The half is claustrophobia, however, it is a half phobia because it only affects the area that is my head. I would presume that I got this sometime during the process that brought me into this world. Even heat or a scarf is enough to set off the panic and a feeling of being choked. My other phobia is a phobia of needles, that suddenly appeared one day at the doctor's with no prior reason or warning. Ever since then, I get a numb feeling from the sight or thought of needles, even as I type this, and almost faint when they're used on me, even the sewing kind (once used on an infected toe). I probably inherited this from my grandpa on my dad's side. It is also possible my fear of ticks may become a phobia at some point. I certainly hope not though.