Yes, I have herpetophobia.
I’m not sure how I acquired it from but things that make me jump out of my skin are: geckos, rats and frogs.
The fact that I would scream and run out of the room when I saw a gecko or climb on to chairs if there was a rat around gave my brothers plenty of entertainment when I was growing up.
It’s difficult to explain this fear to someone who doesn’t feel that way. The sight of a gecko (even while I’m looking at appropriate pictures for a post!) is enough to make me feel repulsed. Like most phobias it is irrational and makes me feel silly. However, it’s not something that totally paralyzes me.
I’ve survived situations where I’ve had flying frogs in my room, geckos crawling around the bed and rats nibbling at my toes.
One would imagine that these episodes would help me to overcome my fear. But no – the fear continues.
Do you have any phobias that you find difficult to explain?
[…] I shared with you my phobia. I realized that as I was looking for pictures of the gecko for the post, it made me feel all […]