Phobia of balloons and basically loud bangs!

[clownsfreakmeout]

yeah i hate loud noises i was trying to keep it a secret but once i just coulden't ill tell you the story it was a saturday night and i was at one of my friends house we were having a party with balloons i decided to ignore them but then my friend took them all and started popping them i ran to the bathroom and bursted into tears unfortuneatly someone was in there and i had to explain to all my friends it was really embarrasing but the took it well and just stopped popping them and went back to having the party


P.S if anyone has a cure please tellme i'll do anything even facing my fear

i also hate fireworks and other loud noises

[scaredofballoons]

I have a phobia! exactly the same: balloons ( I like foil ones ) , Crackers, Fireworks, Party poppers, crisp packet popping ect.... I am terrified but i am getting better in yr 1 i was scared of fog horns now im not and in yr 2 i was scared of staple guns but ive got over them. I am getting hyponotised in summer, i will surrport all my fellow phobia sufferers! I am becoming a phobia syciatrist, because i know what it feels like!!! Keep strong!!!

[brneyeinct]

I have had a fear of ballons and fireworks since I was little. I have tried to explain it my family and close friends. I feel like they don't understand. I'm happy that I found this website. I feel like I can talk to people who understand me. I guess my fear began when I was a kid. I remember my brother holding me down, while my neighbor popped balloons in my ear. They used a staple gun to make them pop. They must of had 20-30 of them. All my life, I have avoided places with balloons. I have avoided fireworks. I hate things with loud bangs. Last night was the turning point, where I decided I need some help. I went to dinner with my fience and my mom. He said how he was going to go to the fireworks. He said I should go, I said no I can't, I'm affarid of them. He said he would give me ear plugs or noice canceling ear phones. I told him I would try if I was able to not be so close to them. He says well I'm going to be as close as I can to them. The closer the better. When we have a family function, and they have balloons there. I have to go away. The only way I can make them see how I feel is telling them if someone is has a phobia of spiders, and someone spots a spider, someone one else will get rid of them for them. My family is just like oh deal with it. they won't take them away, or try to make me feel better. I feel like no one understands me.

[Kiltieman]

I've never realised that so many people shared this phobia/fear of balloons and loud bangs. Since I was very young I've gone from being terrified of balloons to being able to accept them and enjoy them provided there is noone around who will burst them. It started the usual way when, as a boy, a big yellow balloon my mum blew up for me and then drew a face on, touched something sharp as i patted it about and burst with a terrific bang. From then on i couldnt stand being around balloons especially when anyone was blowing them up. Eventually as years went on i was able to blow them up and handle them myself. I only could blow them up to what i would always see as 'safe' size however as time has progressed i am now able to actually like having balloons around and enjoy blowing them up to their full sizes. I'm ok so long as I'm the one doing the blowing because its the big loud bang when they burst that scares me not the actual balloons. I have so many tales of when i've been in a situation where balloons were being blown up and i've been really sweating and scared but couldnt escape the situation.I understand and sympathise with anyone who suffers from this phobia and will be pleased to relate how i overcame it if anyone wants to know. In my younger days we didnt have the internet so i couldnt tell anyone about it and found that very bad. Not being able to share it because you think people will laugh is the worst thing about it.

[Kiltieman]

Further to my post above my main problem now is being around other people blowing balloons up and anyone fooling around with them. My worst nightmare is being beside someone blowing up balloons and thats what I would like to overcome now so if anyone here has any suggestions then please let me know.

[FriendlyBrunette1986]

I have exactly the same fear as you. I hate balloons, fireworks, party poppers, crackers, champayne corks. I feel for you as when Im around them I feel anxious, sick and worse and I have to be ready 2 run 2 the nearest exit!

[Kiltieman]

Friendlybrunette hi,
Have you ever tried anything to overcome your fear of balloons and are you also able to blow them up/handle them yourself? Its just that I thought i was probably the only person in the world with this problem but it seems I'm not. I must admit I find balloons the worst while in the hands of others because most other things I can anticipate the bang coming but balloons just freak me because if I see someone blowing them up close to me i just know that at any time they can go bang. Also people making these squeeking noises with their hands, I know that the balloon will eventually burst. Be nice to have your views.

[babywhale]

Hi, I too am terrified of load bangs. I hate balloons especially when they are being blown up or played with, I seem to be waiting for them to pop and have to prepare myself

I am somewhat phobic of balloons too. I definitely wouldn't want them near my face or person.

Goes back to childhood games, blowing up balloons to the point where they exploded in your face if you overdid it, and the shock you'd get from the loud bang.

I don't like the smell of latex either, and as i recall they were often lined with a white powdery substance. There was definitely a smell to them.

I must say if I'm in a restaurant, i do pick out the presence of balloons. If its not too close then i don't object, but if there was a taught, very full balloon at my table i would have to ask for it to be removed or be subject of a controlled explosion. I think its the whole unpredictability thing that gets me.

---------- Post added at 20:33 ---------- Previous post was at 20:31 ----------

Further to my post above my main problem now is being around other people blowing balloons up and anyone fooling around with them. My worst nightmare is being beside someone blowing up balloons and thats what I would like to overcome now so if anyone here has any suggestions then please let me know.

That's precisely it. The unpredicability of it. You know there's going to be a bang but don't know when exactly. I bit like thunder and lightning. You know another flash is coming, but don't know exactly when, where in the sky, or how close.

[Jull]

I'm not scared of it, just hate it so much. It cause me a heart attack when someone pop the baloons -_-

[Kiltieman]

I know what you mean Jull. Its not a fear of balloons with me its the anxiety that the possible sudden loud bang causes thats my problem. If someone bursts a balloon near me then I do jump out of my skin whereas I have blownup balloons far too big on ocassions and they have burst in my face and its not so bad because Im in control of it. I dont like it though.