Banana phobia.

[Rls1994]

This is regarding my older sister who has a banana phobia. She cannot be in the same vicinity as one or she will panic and exit the room very quickly. Whenever I eat a banana I keep out of the same room as her until I've eaten it.

A 'friend' of hers thinks it is funny and wafts a banana in her face and stuff, which made her scream and ran into the kitchen. It really angered me and I ended up raising my voice and taking the banana away from them since it seems they only had it to tease my sister. I told them to leave as my sister was crying in the kitchen afterwards. I felt bad but I had no choice. I know full well of what it's like when you encounter something you fear, I couldn't let that happen to my sis.

It angers me when people know full well of your phobia yet tease you or expose you to whatever you fear the most. Some 'friend' they are..

Anyway, I asked my sister what triggered off her phobia with banana's and she responded with 'I don't know, I just can't stand them, they scare me..'. Also, I think she's repulsed by the smell of them.

I really want to help her get over this phobia of banana's but I don't know what to do? Would CBT help for this? If it will, I will ask my parents to arrange that for her. I don't want the phobia getting worse for her and take over her life like my phobia has.

[Anxious_gal]

People can't relate, they view it as funny and harmless but after seeing her reaction they really should realize it's not funny to terrorise her :(

Try exposure therapy, start of small with talking about bananas then moving on to looking at pictures etc. . I'm sure many therapists know how to do exposure therapy and CBT.

I don't know how common bananas are or how often she comes across her fear, but it's definitely an easy fear for others to use to amuse themselves and pick on her with :(

[Tessar]

Rls1994, the subject of your post caught my eye becasue i hate bananas with a passion. Taste, texture, yuk! I've always been like it even tho i've tried liking them. i know they are very healthy & wish i could but no. My colleagues know how much I dislike them & if they eat one i hate the smell too. I certainly wouldnt say i have a phobia of them but i really do detest them.
Well that 'friend' of your sisters is an idiot. If someone wafts banana in my face and stuff - I tell them to get lost. I react strongly & wont take any crap (took me a lifetime to get there mind you). Even if one of my colleagues did it - I'd still tell them what for but luckily they dont tho as they have more respect for me. Shame your sisters friend cant find it in them to show respect. What rubbish.
I'm really proud of you for sticking up for your sister when she was being teased. Believe me, you really do not need to feel bad and i agree you had no choice. Your sister is lucky to have you defend her & that you already know what it's like to be scared shows strength & empathy on your part. well done.
Again i wouldnt say that i have a phobia of bananas but I do relate to your sister being repulsed by the smell of them. i mean, if anyone regardless of their age had something they are repulsed by shoved in their face, they are going to react badly. There are other things i hate the smell/taste of too & i'd react the same. I'm curious to know how old your sister is & does your sister get bullied generally or is this an isolated incident? Something like CBT would of course help if the problem persists although meanwhile as Anxious_gal says, exposure therapy sounds like a good plan. Much better to nip it in the bud. Anxious_gal's right as well re: people not relating. Having been subjected to long-term bullying I know how horrible it can be. I will never understand why people view it as funny & yes seeing someone's reaction should be enough to make them stop, but some peole just arent cut out to be kind or considerate.

[Rls1994]

Hiya Anxious_gal and Tessar!

Yes, this phobia does not get taken seriously by most people which is kind of frustrating, but surely there is help available? I think I remember hearing about someone who got over their phobia of bananas from therapy.

I've heard great success stories about CBT, so I'll consider this. I'll be having CBT sessions soon for my emetophobia too, which I'm really looking forward to.

Tessar, you just described what I would do if someone teased me over my phobia, I dislike getting annoyed and all, but when people know full well of your phobia and how you react when you encounter your fear and start teasing you about it, it really does anger me. What annoys me even more is that they usually respond with 'Wow, lighten up! It's only a joke...' I mean, really?!

My sister is 19 years old by the way, and yes, she does get bullied quite occasionally because of her disability, which REALLY infuriates me. Some kids at an Air Show in Lincoln in July started on her, so I had no choice but get involved and tell them to back the hell off or they'd regret it. Yes, I sometimes do resort to threatening, but sometimes it's the only way to make them take you seriously. I'd do the same to anyone else in my family.

I'm going to try my best to help her get over this phobia, and I really appreciate the replies and advice you two have provided me. Gradual exposure sounds like a great idea, so I'll definitely try that with her.

Thank you both very much for the help.

[Pritesh Shah]

I also share a phobia of bananas, which i have been mocked my entire life. When i was younger, older relatives would find it funny to sneak behind me and shove a banana in my face just to see my reaction. It would really get me worked up and is go through so many emotions whilst everyone would piss themselves with laughter at my expense.
As I've got older, my friends understand me better but I'm still ridiculed by given choices to pick whether i would eat a banana or other undesirable choices (too​ rude to mention here). I just suck it up and laugh about it but if they knew how horrified i am, they wouldn't ask.
People do not understand this is real so thank you for sharing your story. As a male, i have had no sympathy and been ridiculed for my entire life. I feel ashamed and weak because of my real fear.
Did you find a way to overcome your phobia? Please share.

[Lukas]

My OH's little brother has a fear too, he reckons it stemmed from his mum feeding them to him all the time even though he hated them, smell, taste, texture ect. he hates it all and he to gets teased about it in school, he still can't stand the taste but through exposure therapy he can be in the same room with one now x

All the best

[Bigboyuk]

I find this fascinating just over some fruit, and sure a phobia is a phobia,but maybe it's the bad experiences that some ppl have that they become to have associated by seeing etc a banana that sends them in to a PA. We are all scared of something right Cheers

[Carnation]

Eggs

[Fishmanpa]

I find this interesting as it's hard to imagine being that frightened by a piece of fruit but then I know cats freak out over cucumbers so....

Curious though... can you eat foods that have banana in them or is the the fruit itself?

Positive thoughts

[unsure_about_this]

I also dont like bananas I think it the smell which puts me off, also the taste. However my parents said I use to love them when I was a baby.