Okay, here is my deal… I’ll start off with a background story
I was maybe…8 years old and my older cousin scared the living shit out of me with a mask…chased me into our unfinished basement and cornered me…
Then agian 2 of my older cousins scared me and a few of my friends maybe 2 years later…
Ever since then, I have been deathly afraid of masks… My biggest fear is the mike myers mask. I’ve seen Holloween (the newest one) and was pefectly fine untill the boy found the mask.
I’m 20 years old and I was at a party and one of my good friend put a mask on once and snuck up on me… i screamed, punched him in the face and fell to the ground in fetal position.
My friends used to think it was an act but I seriously cannot physically handle masks. My body basically does it’s own thing… and it usually just freaks out and I run away as fast as I can.
Before any of you ask…yeah, Holloween sucks for me. It’s comparable to a huge homo-phobe being stuck in a gay parade. I can’t take my girlfriend to a haunted house…for fear that I may have a heartattack. What is going to happen to me when I have a family and my kids want me to take them on a haunted hay ride or in a haunted house.
Do you guys think I should honestly see a therapest about this? I thought I would grow out of it but it is starting to really affect my life. I know I’m going to have to overcome this fear by facing a person wearing a mask…and I honestly don’t think I can do it.
For instance… someone can bring a mask into a room and just hold it up and I will freak out, and if they put it on, I will bolt out the door as fast as possible
Go ahead, call me a pussy, I don’t care… I have a 6’6 220lb friend who is deathly afraid of spiders and another friend who is scared of dogs. everyone has their phobeas.
wear a mask and look in to a mirror. don’t hype yourself up, you know who’s behind it, like covering your face with your hands but peering through your fingers, it’s just a cover, not another person
wear a mask and look in to a mirror. don’t hype yourself up, you know who’s behind it, like covering your face with your hands but peering through your fingers, it’s just a cover, not another person
[/quote]
I already tried that with a mask. I get freaked out. Putting the mask on was fine I could sit here with it on all day…BUt as soon as I look at the mirror I freak out.
not trying to be a dick but you’re not afraid to post it on an internet forum… granted its different than discussing to a stranger in person… why feel weird about seeing someone for it.
you know its an unreasonable fear of something, but you can’t talk yourself outta it…
no reason not to get help with it, you made a couple valid points why you should…
plus cmon therapists deal with phobia’s all day long they understand its real to you and you know they get alot worse things coming to them on a regular basis…
not trying to be a dick but you’re not afraid to post it on an internet forum… granted its different than discussing to a stranger in person… why feel weird about seeing someone for it.
you know its an unreasonable fear of something, but you can’t talk yourself outta it…
no reason not to get help with it, you made a couple valid points why you should…
plus cmon therapists deal with phobia’s all day long they understand its real to you and you know they get alot worse things coming to them on a regular basis…
[/quote]
yeah but i’d feel like i’m wasting their time…
People have real problems… I mean… Mike myers? Danm him!
IDK I guess I just felt wierd seeing a pro about something so dumb…but I may actually go through with it.
have you ever heard of systematic desensitization? it’s the most common sense way of going about phobia curing and behavior modifying…
slowly expose yourself to it more and more…find a situation where you are least uncomfortable with it. for example…start by having a conversation about the mask(s) that freak you out the most…maybe try and draw them, and stare at your own drawings. then bring yourself to look at actual pictures of them. i wouldn’t recommend watching a movie about them because those movies INTEND on startling you and scaring you, which would just cause a more drawn out response and general fear of them, even after the movie is over.
look at pictures, then look at one from a distance, like through the window of a Spirit store…and just keep exposing yourself to it little by little until you develop a tolerance for it, and eventually you’ll work your way to holding one, sitting next to somebody wearing one, or even wearing one yourself.
any response conditioned in anybody can be unconditioned. just takes time and patience and a sincere desire to correct the irrational response.
if this is a serious post and you really are scared of masks i can link you to articles, and behavior modification and abnormal psychology books that i’ve used in courses. and feel free to PM me with any other questions too, again, if this is serious…
yeah but i’d feel like i’m wasting their time…
People have real problems… I mean… Mike myers? Danm him!
IDK I guess I just felt wierd seeing a pro about something so dumb…but I may actually go through with it.
[/quote]
look at it is this way… regardless of what the phobia is of, spiders, water, masks, w/e
a phobia is considered a real problem, doesn’t matter what it is scaring the person… if it is or is going to affect their day2day life, or like you said, your family in the future, i think it could be considered a “real problem”
yeah but i’d feel like i’m wasting their time…
People have real problems… I mean… Mike myers? Danm him!
IDK I guess I just felt wierd seeing a pro about something so dumb…but I may actually go through with it.
[/quote]
You wouldn’t be wasting their time. Psychologists chose a career of helping people with thinking problems, and they get compensated quite well for it whether they’re helping Dr. Hannibal Lecter or sedlmeier101. Hell they’d probably be happy to get a case as easy as someone who knows they have an irrational fear but just aren’t quite sure about what to do about it.
At least go once. If you go and it’s gay, bail. :shrug: Anyone that would think you’re a fag or a crazy for going to see a psychologist for a little help is either ignorant, lame, or both.
