Really stupid phobia... any quick fixes?

[tamba]

Its not debilitating in anyway but is embarrassing and a pita!

NailFiles uuuurrgghhh hate them!

When I was young my sister used to hide them in my bed as they would make me sick!

Its the feel of them, even thinking of them gives me goosebumps and makes me shudder..

This year for christmas i had a huge manicure set from the in laws, it is lovely. The first thing i accidently touched was the nail file though (there are 6 of them and that was enough to make me sick!

Every birthday or christmas i get something like this, they are beautiful sets.

Also plant pots and sand paper give me the same reaction. I cant touch them. If there is someone doing there nails on a bus then i have to move sats, if on the telly, i have to turn it over.

Its such a silly thing to be 'scared' off, but its the way they look, the way they feel and the noise they make

I find it funny until i accidently touch one!

Any quick fixes?

Sadly, no, but if you can find one let me know as I have a bit of a 'thing' about biing into an ice lolly stick.

No fixes. Am intrigued though, why you keep getting them as presents?

I am the same with foam and velvet. We were talking about it over Christmas and someone said it must be linked with an initial traumatic experience - maybe if you could remember the experience with hypnosis or whatever it would help?

I am not convinced about the trauma thing, I just think those things feel horrible and that is that. MB I also know someone who has lolly stick problems.

I think it comes from my sister hiding them in my bed or in my slippers when we were young. They used to chase me round the house with them

I really dont know why i keep getting them as presents. They are really nice sets though and the colours are lovely in them. Maybe its because i collect make up and nail stuff? Or because my inlaws think its funny or just dont remember that i dont like them. My fil buys my presents and he trys his best to get me something i will like

Given your other inlaw problems - past and present - I would be paranoid enough to think it was deliberate.

lol - if it was mil buying them i would agree but fil is just to nice to be mena and he thinks i am wondeful anyway lol - theres always the chance that mil is telling him what to buy!

I got 2 sets last year, one from in laws and one from sil! Its a conspirasy lol

I find it very embarrassing when I get velvet stuff bought as a present - it happens all the time as I am a bit of a hippy type and people thing I will like velvet hats, bags, scarves etc. It is dreadful as I can hardly bear to touch whatever it is and have to quickly put it away while saying "Oh how pretty" etc.

You can desensitize yourself to a phobia. I'm working on my needle-phobia these days, with moderate success. You try thinking about the horrible thing, while trying to keep calm. Then looking. Then touching.

My dentist understands about the phobia, and lets me look at a needle when I visit.

desensitizing sounds urrgghhh

I have got a plant pot to paint with ds later, I will have to touch it ewww I find it worse if my nails touch it, and i have long nails!

MAy wear gloves lol

This is such a sensate thing, NQC, I am not sure if it would be quite the same. I think other phobias are more psychological, but it is just the physical feeling of the velvet, or in tamba's case, the nail file.

True, it doesn't sound like a phobia per se, necessarily, as the thought of it doesn't seem to bug you ...

No, phobia is the wrong word for what I have, really, but I know what tamba means, anyway.

it's not a phobia but it is a really common experience. I wonder if there is a word for it?
velvet under the fingernails

I had/have it with polystyrene - ughgg! Makes me cringe, shiver and sets my teeth on edge. I've noticed it doesn't bother me so much when I'm in a hurry and not thinking about it - so there is definitely a degree of anticipation involved, for me. But its definitely sensory too - I don't mind tiny polystyrene balls so much(as in beanbags) but loathe the big box packing stuff!

cotton wool under the fingernails

wet cotton wool

No no treading on foam or velvet with socks on

It's funny, I totally know what you're all talking about ... for me, it's cotton in the mouth. Those horrible little cotton sticks the dentist uses when doing x-rays ... gah.

But the rest of these, I know what you mean, but they don't bug me enough really.

or even worse - with tights on

Ok, yeah, FAZ, that's gross.

Why is it gross, though?

Its just....I don't know. It makes you goosebumpy. It's the sort of pulling, scratchy, draggingness of it.

I bet there is some evolutionary explanation for it, or some genetic race memory sort of thing. Like maybe there used to be these scratchy velvety / cotton wool type plants and if you rubbed up against them with your Neanderthal hair they would poison you. Or something.

I can't stand the poppers on a duvet near my head.

all totally normal - i am terrified of prawns, dead or alive, cooked or raw.

i also can't stand nail files! the horrible, horrible noise they make when someone files their nails.

i threw all of dp's away because they make me sick.

also can't bear anything dry rubbing together... think buggy wheels on a slightly sandy pavement, scratching metal/ceramics... etc etc
urgh