This post by Howlin'Hobbit
reminded me of a dream I had about one of my phobias.
I don’t have many fears. In fact, most things that people are afraid of don’t bother me at all. I don’t mind being in an elevator, even when it’s stuck between floors. Heights only bother me a little bit. But I do have one irrational fear. It goes back to when I was a little boy.
When I was three years old, I was brutally attacked by my pet hamster. I remember it as clearly as if it was yesterday. I remember its beady, crazed eyes; its razor sharp teeth; its calm, quiet demeanor before the attack. If only I had known what it had in store for me.
Fluffy had just had a litter of baby hamsters. After this miraculous event, I would spend hours staring into her cage as the pink baby hamsters nuzzled her soft white belly fur, suckling on their mother's tiny hamster bazooms. I did not know that you’re not supposed to disturb a mother hamster and her young. They become irrational. My parents had warned me to leave her alone, but I was a curious child and often had to learn for myself. I had reached into the cage to pet Fluffy one too many times. She snapped and bit me on my finger, causing a geyser of blood to gush forth. I cried and screamed. My mother grabbed me and pulled away before it was too late. Blood spurted from my wounded finger, spraying the walls and furniture of our once-pristine home.
Fluffy then turned her back to me and cannibalized her children.
Since that time, I have had a fear of rodents. I won’t run from the room screaming if you show me one, but I do not like to hold them or pet them. I fear their teeth and try to avoid them at all costs.
I even have a recurring nightmare where I am hanging in a tall, narrow room, holding onto a chandelier for dear life. I am barefoot.
On the floor are several angry bunny rabbits (yes, I know that rabbits are not actually rodents, but remember this is an irrational fear). They are huge and their eyes are red with fury. Their teeth are longer and sharper than Fluffy’s were. They are leaping, snapping at my feet. My hands are sweaty, causing my grip to loosen.
But I cannot let go, or the angry, angry bunnies will get me.
6 comments:
Holy shit!
Does Easter make you uncomfortable?
I'm ok with rodents but I don't like hamsters. They're wiggy. I'm not that fond of rabbits, either.
I have an irrational fear of electricity.
rzcrmigt- An irrational fear of what a race car might do.
Errr, look up rabbits in dream dictionaries. I'll let you do your own analysis.
When I was little (5 to 7, I don't recall), I hugged a neighbor's dog (a black collie-like dog), and she whipped around and bit me in the arm. It was just a quick nip, but it hit a vein, and blood spurted everywhere. Freaked me out. Went to the hospital, they fixed it with a butterfly bandage.
I'm not afraid of dogs, but I think that that's why I insist that my dogs peacefully let me hug them.
My fear of heights may be growing; a few days ago, I was driving to Rancho Cucamonga, and while on the fairly-high exchange from 15N to 10W, I sort of freaked out. I felt some vertigo, slowed down, and kept my eyes on the center line of the two-lane exchange. Totally unexpected, and pretty powerful.
Hey Jim, I have a HUGE fear of drop offs, heights and cannot drive over overpasses such as the 10 interchange. I can barely do it as a passenger.
It has, unfortunately affected my life. I always have to find ways around bridges, overpasses, tall buildings. For example I can't go to the mountains because of the extreme anxiety from mountain road drop offs.
It's weird cuz one day it just showed up.
Wow, that's scary, Viv... My mom had extreme fear of heights and we went across the country a couple of times in a camper. I remember my mom getting really scared and going fetal in the foot area of the passenger side of the cab when we were on a precipitous road. Scary.
Ah yeah, thats me too. Describes me to a T. Sadly people make fun of me because of it, but ye gawds there is nothing funny about the anxiety attack that I get. I really hope your's was a single incident never to happen again.
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