Do you have any phobias?

[TuftyWump]

I have multiple phobias and therapy hasn't helped. I'm starting to realise that maybe they may be connected to my possible autism (not yet diagnosed but I have been referred for a full assessment). I've just googled it and have found an article that says "As many as 84 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience significant fear or anxiety that interferes with their daily lives" Is this true for you? I'm beginning to wonder if my panic attacks are linked to my need for structure and not coping when I am out of my comfort zone.

Yes, I have had therapy too with little success, I am not diagnosed with ASD but one therapist told me she suspected the reason why some therapies don’t work (CBT, hypnotherapy) is because I’m on the spectrum, it takes a lot to remove bad thoughts for the autistic brain, we tend to hold on the bad things/memories for much longer and find it hard to think rationally. I had therapy for my fear of vomit/vomiting, laid to go private as it was taking over my life. I couldn’t leave the house without fear, couldn’t be near people, struggled with extreme anxiety when the kids so much as coughed. The last therapist I saw (NHS), just said ‘right, we can’t cure your phobias, you just have to learn how to deal with them’ and from then on I have learnt to deal with them. I still totally freak out if I think someone’s going to vomit but it doesn’t effect my day to day life like it did before. I use mindfulness techniques, concentrate on my breathing and use distraction, but best of all, I have accepted that my phobias are a part of me.

Thanks @Lovemusic33 - this is all new to me and I didn't know that but it makes a lot of sense. I have also come to accept my phobias and in doing so they seem to have less power.

I don’t have any phobias as such. I do have rational fears about certain things. I don’t like crowds because people don’t give a shit, they push and shove and you can’t escape from them. I don’t like people wearing tracksuits because everyone who has ever physically attacked me has dressed like that. I don’t like beeping sounds because I’m still traumatised from years of waking up to a beeping alarm clock which meant it was time for me to be sent to school to be bullied.

Not a phobia but I have diagnosed health anxiety. This came on when my son was born 7 years ago and he needed a transplant. Doctor said it was triggered by PTSD after that.