Friday, January 4, 2008

Anthrophobia: The Fear of Flowers

Anthrophobia is the abnormal and persistent fear of flowers. Those who suffer with this phobia experience anxiety from any type of flower even though they realize that the fear is irrational and that there is no threat.
Most of the time Anthrophobia is caused by associating a traumatic event with the flowers that were also present at the time. It can also be caused when the phobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. This is the cause of most phobias.
Anxiety Control 24® HourSome experience this phobia all of the time and others just experience it when there is a direct trigger present.
Anthrophobia is another one of the phobias that is hard to understand. If you suffer from this phobia please shed some light on the subject and help everyone understand this phobia and all other phobias a little better.

21 comments:

Jenna Fabulous said...

As someone who suffers from anthrophoba I'd like to say that all of the information on this post is correct. I appologize for giving my life story here...

Personally I can say that I have no clue what started this fear. It may have been that when I was very little my Grandmother had this Vine. I'm not entierly sure what it was but all I know Is that it wrapped around a person's finger. Being as little as I was I was terrified to have it instead wrap firmly around my wrist. I have had this fear for all the 15 years of my life as far as I can remember and I never had any problems in public until 6th grade. We were painting in Art class and our teacher divied flowers amoung the students. My now ex-friend J****n (not saying any names) Thouht I was kidding and so she shoved a flower into my face and I ran out of the classroom screaming. I have neverbeen so embarassed in my life. now I am a common freak and am often teased by daft guys always saying that they are going to give me flowers.

rhea basu said...

i suffer from anthrophobia since childhood....i donno what trigerred that....especially flowers of certain variety used to scare me......i was terrified to even look at those flowers....touching them would probably cause cardiac arrest.....i am 27 now n still i find it really uncanny to to be in proximity of certain flowers like sunflower.i still dont know what is the source of this weird fear

Anonymous said...

I too experience this fear of flowers - I don't remember how this started but have been terrified by flowers with petals for as long as I can remember. My friends at school used to think it was a joke to put a flower in my face and see me panic and run away. I know this is totally irrational but can't control this. It is particularly the touch of a flower that makes me panic. I am also more horrified by dead / dying flowers than fully living ones.

Anonymous said...

One flower or weed, that really freaks me out is a yellow dandelion. I've had it since I was like five or six and now I'm thirteen. You'd expect I'd be over this phobia by now but honestly, they scare to death, still. Me and friends kid around about it all the time but even if I see a picture of one I will SCREAM. I have no idea why I'm scared of a DANDELION. They look so puffy and yellow, like they have an angry face. I wonder if this is a common phobia or if like it's a sign from God or something. I. AM. CLUELESS.

Estrago said...

Is getting irritation through smell of flowers phobia, I feel shit when I smell them and dont really like'em

Shanon said...

I'm so glad to not be alone with this phobia... my issue is with daffodils, and I now feel chilled and nauseous writing this. It's the way they nod and laugh in little groups, I think
:(

Anonymous said...

i know what started this terrible disease for me when I was five or six I was cutting the lawn with my father and we went over some dandilions and 2 weeks later i had stomach aces then one time I got sick i vommitted all over the floor and I didnt want my parents to know so I ate th puke but when I was almost finished i came to a dandilion then I threw up again and more dandilions came out. and ever since i have been deeply afraid of dandilions

Anonymous said...

I need more info on this phobia.


lol at you (Anon above me) for willingly eating your own puke ;P

Anonymous said...

okay this is encouraging that i am not the only one with this strange and irrational fear. like most of the commentors, i have no idea why i am afraid of flowers, but they give the heebie jeebies. esepcially tropical flowers, i dont even like being near them. i especially HATE being touched by them. sunflowers are bad too, theyre just too big and theyre thick stalks make my skin crawl. i work in forestry and am often surrounded by flowers in the late summer months and its horrible. just glad im not the only one! anthrophobes unite!

Anonymous said...

I used to be deathly afraid of all flowers, but over the years i started liking normal small flowers like pansies, lilacs, ect. but large flowers like easter lilys and others, make me extremely anxios. I know it sounds stupid but I think my fear orrigionated from when i saw Jumanji as a kid, now i watch it to rid myself from the fear.

Anonymous said...

Until today, I thought I was alone in this fear. The thought of flowers, the touch of flowers, the presence of flowers ... all sent me into a panic. My sister used to chase me with flowers to see me run and cry. However, the birth of my son changed things. I did not want him to "inherit" this fear. So, I forced myself to deal with flowers. In small doses at first I subjected myself to flowers and flowered things. Now I can control the panic and my son knew nothing of my fear. Good to know that I am not alone.

The Girl Who Can't Be Named said...

like the rest of the comments, I used to think I was the only one who was afraid of flowers. actually, the flower which scares me is the most is the Rafflesia flower, and fact that I'm studying about plant biology is even more frightening as I sometimes come across this flower in my reference material. I was so scared of it I cried when I saw a picture me it in the Guiness book me world records. I need help but I'm just afraid that my condition will be laughed at by the general public:-(

dr.sreedhar said...

hai ,i am not having this fobia .but to my son aged 2 years how is talking very fluently, told me 2 days back when i casually take him to a plant , he suddenly ran away and said daddy i dont want to touch flowers and leaves and trees .i asked him why fear my son ?unable to explain reason but having fobia .now i am touching that plants flowers infront of him trying to get rid of that fobia , i am trying to creat a positive feeling about tree and flowers.i am going to consult child psychlogist to know the exat reason for this fobias i will again post comment after consultation.

Anonymous said...

I've had a fear of flowers for as long as I can remember - particularly flowers with a big middle - foxgloves, lilies,tulips,fuschias etc(getting shivers in my hands just typing these!!)The daisy family of flowers I can deal with and roses once they're closed. I blame the talking flowers in Alice in Wonderland!!

Anonymous said...

I am particularly afraid of stems. They really freak me out and I feel like one day all of the stems in the world will attack my kittens. It is a recurring dream I have and now I have a fear of sleep. And now that I can't sleep, I have a fear of yawning in meetings. And now I can't face attending meetings. My life is spiraling out of control. HELP!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad not to be alone with this phobia! I am terrified of lilies, have been as long as I can remember. All kinds of lilies, especially the big ones that have the pink or purple "taste buds" on the petals. Also the big red ones people give you at Christmas (with the fat green stalk). I have a physical panic response, my heart pounds and I can hear blood rushing in my ears. I can't come close to them, can't even move a vase filled with them. I also find them disgusting. It's weird because I know they can't hurt me but I just physically panic. It can be embarrassing, too. I would like to know the cause of this terror/disgust.

Anonymous said...

It makes me feel better to know that I am not alone in this!
I've been horribly afraid of flowers ever since I was a kid. The cause, in my case, was because when I was little, and actually afraid of pretty much everything, not just flowers, my sister would torture me by chasing me around the yard with flowers and shoving them in my face. This fear has since been added to by Jumanji and The Ruins as well as other shows/movies that feature plants as apparently self-aware beings.
Unfortunately, the store where I work has a floral department that sells flowers and houseplants (which I also have a problem with) *shudder* which means that, especially in the winter months I have to wrap the flower arrangements and plants for people. I usually am extremely careful to not let any part of the plant/flower touch me. If any part does touch me, I end uprubbing that part of my hand/arm on my apron until I can rub hand sanitizer on it...

Anonymous said...

Good to know I'm not the only one suffering from this weird phobia. I'm terribly afraid of almost every kind of flowers...specially the ones with a big ''middle portion'' in them, like hibiscus, lilies, tulips, sunflowers..nd what not! Can't think of any incident in the past that could've probably triggered this fear. I have this phobia since as long as I can remember. Just the sight of them makes me freak out, touching them would probably cause a heart attack! Surely people always find this funny and my friends & family members do tease me about it. Though I realise this fear is absolutely irrational, still can't seem to get over it. Open flowers like a dry, scattered rose or sunflower makes me horribly sick!! Feel like gonna have a nervous breakdown! Wonder what could POSSIBLY be the cause of anthrophobia?!

Emilie said...

Great to see I'm not the only one! I have had a fear of Dandelions since I can remember. The yellow flower I don't mind too much... It's when it is closed ... Freaks me out!

Anonymous said...

I have had anthophobia since childhood. Think it was triggered through several things:
1) Jumanji and Land Before Time
2) My dad telling me poppies got their name as they "pop in" through the window at night.
3) I touched a snap dragon and got my finger stuck.

This phobia has not got better with time. I can be in a room with flowers but if asked to touch them...hell no! Putting my hand over a lily would trigger intense anxiety as for some reason I think they will eat me. Completely irrational belief but can't get over this. Venus Fly Traps, Sarrasinias, Pitchers, lilies are the worst. For some reason I seem to be ok with roses...until they die and look all withered. I also hate walking through overgrown pathways as I wonder if there is a flower hiding behind the vines. Flooding does not help this phobia, believe me!!! I guess the only advantage is I will saving money on my wedding day as flowers will not be present! Glad to know I'm not alone with this, whoever made Jumanji should be sued!

Irishmom said...

I have been afraid of flowers and "weird" plants for as long as I can remember. They give me the creeps; especially flowers with tentacles in the middle. I know they really aren't tentacles but that's how I think of them because I'm terrified they are going to reach out and get me. I can't be near them. Weird plants would be anything that isn't your typical oak or maple tree! Thick leaves, large veined leaves, large stems, big leaves absolutely anything with a flower is horrible. I'm freaked out just thinking about it right now. I try to make myself as small as possible when I'm near all flowers and most plants. Instead of flowers my kids give me rocks!!!!! Hey, rocks last! LOL. It's good to know there are others out there!

Total Pageviews