Sergei. Fear of stabbing objects in someone else’s hands. Aichmophobia. The story of my phobia is common. It is irrational. The origins of my phobia are in my childhood. Running barefoot around the house, I "found" a needle that my aunt had lost. I "found" it with my foot, it entered the leg by 5 centimeters. Since that evening I have fragments of memories. The pattern of the carpet on which I was lying, the smell of cologne with which they treated my wound. Fear. I still sometimes cramp my leg in that place if there is a load on it, for example, if I climb a stepladder. But the phobia was not immediately realized. I remember that at school it was unpleasant for me when there were people standing next to me who had sewing or needlework supplies in their hands. And it was only at the institute that I became really scared. A classmate came up to me with scissors in her hands. My heart was beating wildly, my palms were sweating, a chill ran along my spine. it became difficult to breathe. It all stopped as soon as she put the scissors on the table. Then I found out that I have a special fear, different from the fear of spiders or heights. I had a phobia of needles, pins and scissors when they are in the wrong hands.

Ekaterina. Fear of death. Thanatophobia. I have always been haunted by 3 fears: oncology, pregnancy and death. I once met all of them face to face. The first two fears passed, and the third went away for a while while I was in the cancer hospital. Yes, during the treatment I was not afraid of death, I accepted its possibility as a given. After that, the fear returned with renewed vigor in the form of panic attacks. It wasn’t easy, but psychotherapy helped to get rid of panic. Fear itself lives with me, periodically motivating me to lift my butt off the couch. I love life very much, and death scares me with the impossibility of seeing what will happen next, but it’s so interesting! I also don’t like cemeteries. I used to be afraid, but now I just don’t like it, because I see unfulfilled hopes, dreams and opportunities there, and also hopelessness.

Irina. Fear of unrealized potential. What does your fear look like? Like an ink blob that takes the form of anything, depending on circumstances and others. – What does he depend on, what does he eat? From the opinion of society, the masses, from parents, caring friends. A glance or a sigh is enough, and ink splashes onto a white pressed shirt. Only I notice the stain. © Anna Bilenka - author

Anna. Fear of pain. Algophobia. Severe headaches appeared with the onset of diabetes. The pains were so unbearable that now at the first signs of a headache, a pill is immediately drunk. The hero associates pain with black tight knots. In case of pain, he visualizes, trying to untie the tightly tightened black vessels.