Botanophobia

[mrsp]

I believe my phobia is known as 'botanophobia', a fear of plants. I'm not afraid of all plants, only one breed of grass. As a child I suffered quite badly as my siblings and friends (when we fell out as kids do) teased me with it which would result in me becoming hysterical.

When I went to senior school I realised it was something I had to keep secret and that is what I have done ever since. My husband knows I have a phobia and that it is a plant but I'll never tell him which one although I am sure he can see it in my eyes.

I have always been interested in the subject of phobias and have seen that people's interpretation of what a phobia is can be different. I've also noticed most people are afraid of things which I think are more rational, like spiders or things that are creepy, or bats or dogs. I've had my fear as long as I can remember and have always lived with the fact that no-one understands it and it is seen as completely irrational. Without seeing my reaction I don't think many people would believe me.

So I'm here to find out if I'm 'normal' or at least if anyone else in the world has a phobia as extreme and uncanny as mine. I suppose it's not the kind of thing you go around telling people for obvious reasons, but it would be interesting to know if this exists in others?

[Haruka]

I don't think my fear is as serious as yours, but I do have an extreme fear of a few types of grasses. I don't know what the name of the grass is, but It scares me, and I am terrified to touch it.

I do understand what it is like to have a fear a lot of people don't understand. I have emetophobia, and people have made fun of me when I am sitting there crying because I am afraid someone is gonna get sick. I guess I can relate in some way.

[Martin Burridge]

Yes its quite normal to have a phobia. Many people have them. Some interfere greatly with their life some don't. Although some phobias develop from one particularly traumatic experience often they are just a process of gradual sensitisation. As you become aware of your dislike or mild fear you focus on it more and more over time and this increases your mind and bodys fight or flight response. As the fight or flight response (racing heart,fast breathing etc) is unpleasant you start to fear the fear. This makes you more sensitive to the trigger. As for the uniqueness of your phobia, dont worry about it. There are many unusual phobias about. Here is a story that every phobic should read. Its shows how the original fear incident can become generalised.

The Rat, The Mean Pyschologist and the Fear of Santa Claus
In 1920 (before the days of ethics) a Pyschologist called Watson did a famous study on emotions. An 11 month old child called Albert was shown a white rat. The child wasn't afraid of the rat because he hadn't learnt any reason to fear this white furry animal. Behind the child Watson then hit a metal bar with a hammer to make a loud and startling noise.
The fear created by the loud noise caused a conditioned fear to the rat. Poor Alberts mind also generalised the fear to rabbits, fur coats and Santa Claus (because of the white furry beard). What happened to Albert we don't know but if the fear stayed with him he would not have remembered that it was triggered by the noise of the hammer hitting the bar.
This doesn't mean your phobia was due to a cruel psychologist doing an experiment on you as a child. The point of mentioning this experiment is to show phobias are often not related to the 'apparent' trigger. This can be reassuring to people who are frustrated or embarrased by their seemingly illogical fear. So if you worry about why bananas, string, a certain colour or bald people causes your heart to pound then worry no more. The other reassuring thing to know is that while it is interesting to find out how the phobia originated it is often not necessary. Talking therapies like Hypnotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural therapy can often desensitise you fairly quickly.

[iris333]

Hello, I can understand where you are coming from, I have a fear, I don't know if I would call it a fear or just a huge disgust, of certain types of plants. OK yeah if I saw one I probably would do my best not to go near it and definately would not touch it. It is weeds, you know big big monster weeds that grow wild and thick (shudder to think about it) any plant that is growing where it shouldn't be, like inside a house in a floor crack or on top of a chimney when you see plants growing on roofs *shudder* I don't like plant roots and don't like spider plants when they grow little plants from themselves. You can imagine my horror when an ex boyfriend dug up a weed in the garden and chased me around the house with it thinking it was funny! I screamed a lot.