Is this a silly fear?

[Panther_Dude]

I have a fear/obsession of the praying mantis. Ok, you can all stop laughing now. But I have a active mind, so it isn't good.

 

I'm pretty sure when I was a little kid watching a eppy of Power Rangers, the movie Meet the applegates and the movie 9 months all messed with my head (All 3 feature a mantis and I believe a giant one as well) Hell, I'm sure I saw the scene in Meet the Applegates where the teen girl is having sex, doesn't like it (might have been a rape in the gym) and she turns into what she is (a human size mantis). Hate. Those. Things. I wasn't even 10 probably when I saw that scene (pg-13 movie?) and as for 9 months. Scenes of mantises and a human size one in bed with Hugh Grant in a nightmare didn't do me much favors.

 

Is there a actual fear of these horrid things?

[xShannyx]

Don't worry, I'm terrified of all bugs..even butterflies give me the creeps *shudders* . By the way is it like a phobia(do you run away crying and screaming when you see one) or just a plain fear?

[Panther_Dude]

Don't worry, I'm terrified of all bugs..even butterflies give me the creaps *shudders*

 

All bugs used to scare me. Now it seems only the mantis does. And I read on like yahoo answers or some site where a posted posted his fear of these things. Some person(s) reply that a)these things can hiss at you. b) the males can spray stuff at you.

[AJEDrew7]

Many many people have fears of the craziest things you can think about and often times its completely unexplainable. So, no, its not silly but just a part of who you are (and maybe something you should try to force yourself to conquer).

[Panther_Dude]

Don't worry, I'm terrified of all bugs..even butterflies give me the creeps *shudders* . By the way is it like a phobia(do you run away crying and screaming when you see one) or just a plain fear?

 

Wow, you edited while I was replying.

 

A fear. When I was younger this happened. After a getting some glasses or something, I saw a green leaf in the parking lot near mom's car. It was moving and had a head a legs. I was about to step on it until I saw what it was. I kicked my shoe off and ran away.

 

Sometimes I can't eat the color green because my mind just thinks about those things. And green (and sometimes pizza and hot dogs) reminds me of those.

 

I had a nightmare last week that a human size one was after me. Woke up. Saw it next to me by the bed, and threw out a punch (may have been a sissy punch at that) Course my eyes were playing tricks on me. But if I think about them...I can start shaking my head or when I look around I see those things. It's just my mind/eyes playing tricks on me is all. Active imagination.

[samantha20]

Don't worry, I'm terrified of all bugs..even butterflies give me the creeps *shudders* . By the way is it like a phobia(do you run away crying and screaming when you see one) or just a plain fear?

 

This is incorrect. A phobia isn't an intense fear, it is an irrational fear. Eg fearing an axe murderer would be a fear, fearing a table would be a phobia. As these creatures pose no real threat, then yes, it is a phobia. Phobias are normally caused by displacing genuine fears onto something irrational. For example, rape is a genuine fear, but the significance of the mantis in the film and it's relation to the rape seen in your young mind probably caused the displacement of that fear.

[xShannyx]

lol sorry I don't mean to laugh..but I don't think your fear is silly. I've seen videos of people who are afriad of cotton balls and cucumbers and THAT is silly to me but i'll stop right there so I wont sound ignorant hehe. Sadly, I don't know how you can cure this fear but since it's not a phobia I'm 100% sure it will go away with time. And don't worry everyone is afraid of something! =)

 

oh sorry Samantha I'm not the smartest person in the world

[Panther_Dude]

This is incorrect. A phobia isn't an intense fear, it is an irrational fear. Eg fearing an axe murderer would be a fear, fearing a table would be a phobia. As these creatures pose no real threat, then yes, it is a phobia. Phobias are normally caused by displacing genuine fears onto something irrational. For example, rape is a genuine fear, but the significance of the mantis in the film and it's relation to the rape seen in your young mind probably caused the displacement of that fear.

 

I'm trying to think what caused it though. A season 1 or 2 eppy of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers may have caused it first. I know there's a eppy where the Asian yellow power ranger has a pet mantis. But I'm trying to think if the bad lady made it grow 50ft near the end to fight the Rangers in it's zoids.

 

I can't even watch the MTV movie 'Monster Island' Cause of a crappy giant CGI Mantis in that film. Had to cover my eyes when I saw that trailer. With it shaking it's head and scarying the lousy actors.

[peanutbutterandjelly]

the praying mantis is the "state insect" of the state I'm from, so as you can imagine, ive seen quite a few of them. We even had a nest of them at my old house. One night I was lying in bed on my laptop and a GIANT THING flew through the window and SWOOPED down and went straight for my head. I thought it was a bat, no joke. It turned out to be a huge praying mantis. it could have landed anywhere in the room, but it seemed like it flew intentionally RIGHT AT ME. I pulled it out of my hair and threw it.

 

I definitely DONT like the things. I dont really have a fear of them, but I never want anything like that to happen again. Praying mantises actually seem to have "personalities" unlike many other insects. They are quite strange when you actually watch them for a while. maybe your fear stems from that?

 

They are good for the garden though. my ex's mom actually ordered a bunch of babies online, and raised them so she could release them into her yard.

[Panther_Dude]

If a praying mantis landed on my head...I probably run, cry, and scream like a girl. I would probably run to nearest person and have them get it off of me.

 

Please tell me you don't live in North Carolina. That is where I live. In 11 years...I've only seen 4 or 5 here near house.

[peanutbutterandjelly]

no i live in CT lol.

 

and i did run and scream and cry, trust me haha. i coudnt believe i actually grabbed the thing but i HAD to get it out of my hair. my ex even told me that it was the hugest one he had ever seen, and he was always all into insects and little creatures.

[Panther_Dude]

no i live in CT lol.

 

and i did run and scream and cry, trust me haha. i coudnt believe i actually grabbed the thing but i HAD to get it out of my hair. my ex even told me that it was the hugest one he had ever seen, and he was always all into insects and little creatures.

 

I will never visit that state. Ever. How big? Like a foot? In 8th garde we saw some lame video....and outta no one it showed some fat big one walking on the ground. It looked...big. I doubt it could fly.

[peanutbutterandjelly]

the body had to be like at least 6-7 inches. but its wing span was huge. thats why i thought it was a bat. and it was fat. I dont know how it flew. The window was high up so Im sure gravity played a part... cause it didnt fly around the room. Just kinda flew through the window and swooped right down on me.

[Panther_Dude]

Sooo...as I usually do, I was googling * * * * about the mantis...trying to learn stuff....find other people who fear it and what not...but made the fatal mistake of typing in 'Giant Mantis'...and even though it wasn't on images, Google was a * * * * * and showed a few pics anyway.

 

I cried. After turning away, covering my face, and clicking on X on the firefox browser.

[mca1975]

Praying Mantises are horrid. they are all long and spindly, I don't blame you for not liking them. You are not silly. My sister and I hate Dragonflies because one of them landed on her shoulder once when we were in the woods, we were so scared, it was awful!

[Panther_Dude]

Ok. I had a dream..nightmare. This was yesterday. In a nutshell some black girl was tormenting me with a praying mantis. And in the end, as I was on the stove on my hands and knees trying to get away, she decided to be mean and throw the mantis at me. As soon as it hit me in the face..I woke up and let out a wimpy girly ish moan. Yeah, I made a amusing sound. The 'Nooooo' moan I guess.

 

If these things are on my mind nearly 24/7 now....and it's bugging me, do I need help? I have no health insurance or no job so any help could be a while away.

 

And I am letting my own mind trick me. Ok, like peas and green beans I don't like to eat...because the color green reminds me of praying mantises. And one time I was drinking a tiny bottle of coke (20 oz?) and it reminded me of a decaped mantis (think I saw one outside house years ago near front door...don't remember seeing a head on it...this was looong ago) and like...instead of the coke, I see a decaped mantis in my hand and I had to...you know, tell myself 'oh, it's your mind * * * * ing with you'.