List a few phobias you have. When and how did you discover you had these fears?
Spiders - I don't remember seeing them growing up in NYC, but when we moved to Ohio I started seeing them, especially during summer camp. They really freak me out. I don't like how they move, how their webs overtake everything, and how they look like they can bite you. I've been bitten by a spider -- one that crawled underneath my nightgown -- and it hurt! Probably my worst encounter with a spider was in Japan, when I had a Huntsman spider chill on the door to my shower room. It was humongous. It looked like the spiders I see in my nightmares, or what I see when I have hypnopompic/hypnagogic hallucinations. I killed it with roach spray and flushed it down my toilet. I'm surprised I didn't cause a jam, the spider corpse was so huge.
Cockroaches - I do remember seeing these in NYC as a little girl. They would come out at night. Of course, those were small...the ones in Japan are ginormous and can fly. I hate how they look and how they move.
Heights - I don't remember when this came about, but it's been there for a long time. I will not go near the edges of cliffs to sit or stand. I will not climb up a ladder. I won't climb a tree. I hold my breath whenever we drive over a big bridge. Maybe it's more accurate to say I fear plummeting from a tall height.
Airplanes - I started flying on airplanes as a little girl to see Dad in NYC. Back then I didn't mind flying, but it must have been the first time we had turbulence or a hard landing that I started freaking out. And my fear of flying is pretty substantial. I'd rather not do it at all but sometimes you have no choice (like if you want to move to Japan). I white knuckle the armrests during flights, close my eyes and pray, and try to force sleep if I can help it just so I don't have to endure the flight. And every year, it gets worse for some reason.
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