Physchological Fears

[I)eadnerzhul]

Now, first let me say this: whatever you are about to read may sound like just a normal childhood fear, but it's so complex and hard to explain WHY that it just doesn't fall under that category. Let me start by saying that I am a BIG fan of Nintendo and I absolutely LOVE Zelda. The Ocarina of Time was golden when I was a youngster... until IT happened. You see, early in the game you meet a special "friend" named Kaepora Gaebora (for fanboys), an owl who can speak and has immense knowledge. Now, this certain owl I did not mind much, but I soon began to start playing a game with him (note, this is when I was young). When he used to appear, I would run and hide, like in hide-and-seek. But eventually, this matured into a fear. That's right, I'm scared of a virtual being. I've spoken to my phsychiatrist (correct my spelling and my meaning, the one that ISNT allowed to hypnotize or whatever, just speak to you) about the matter, and I told him that now-a-days, I can bear to look at him, but I still get an eerie feeling when I expect to see him.

My theory on the matter is that isolization and avoidance has caused me to fear something so trivial as this... but I could be wrong. What I wanted to ask is why do you think the fear started to occur, and how do similar fears happen as well.

Note: I have only one little rule for this thread: YOU MAY NOT FLAME ME, TROLL, OR SPAM. This is for smart answers and smart users only.

 

[GST_Nemisis]

i have a fear of being poked in the eye because when i was younger i got poked in the eye and now whenever someone tries to poke me in the eye i run off.

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

Hmmm... it could be that a fear begins when something happens to you when you're young.

 

[Arvedui]

Most things are based off of past experiences in life..
example: When I was little (Like 3-4) I saw a really old black and white movie with a Giant Spider trying to eat a tiny little man..
Now i'm deathly afraid of spiders

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

You know, most people say that you need to just "face your fear". Doing so is hard, and I could understand anyone who has problems with it. Even when I have company and see my "beloved" Kaepora Gaebora, I STILL get freaked out.

Edit: Well, I tested myself... I googled up "zelda owl" on google images, and guess what? The FIRST IMAGE turns out to be Kaepora Gaebora ingame. And guess what? My heart-rate increased, I got very anxious, and I IMMEDIATELY, on impulse, went back. I don't know why, but even when I do look it him...

 

[Devine]

yea thats the most seen begin of a fear ...
like me ... im afraid of gangs
because when i was young(er) i was beaten up by one

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

You know something? I never remember what Kaepora Gaebora looks like until I actually SEE him. This could be part of the reason I'm scared of him EVERY SINGLE TIME.

 

[Arvedui]

mmm it could be.. I've never heard of anyone being afraid of him..
anywho.. yeah.. i guess certain things happen to people and they get freaked out by it.

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

I mean... I don't know why... is it because I think he looks mean? Is it his haunting theme? I also have a problem with the Lon Lon Ranch theme, because it haunts me.

 

[Arvedui]

do you get scared when you see other owls?

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

You mean real owls? No, I'm perfectly fine. I even consider real owls (well, some of them) to be cute, Great Horned Owls especially. But... Kaepora Gaebora is... well, fearful, to say the least. I don't know why... I've had nightmares about him a few times, as well. About being in Hyrule in person then meeting him... and I tried to look away or cover my eyes, but I could not escape him. I've also had dreams of meeting him in the game, but when I tried to turn my Nintendo off it didn't work, and pulling out the plug didn't do anything either.

Edit: I've ALSO had one dream about meeting him and a bunch of other Owls like him at some sort of dinner table. When I looked away from them, one of them asked why. I said I was afraid, and they all gasped, which made me pant when I woke up.

 

[Arvedui]

wow... maybe its the way he can turn his head completely upside down?
and his music is odd ..
herm I dunno.. maybe you somehow psyched yourself out into being scared of him

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

Yeah, that's the worst part. The time period before seeing him ingame I remembered him CONSTANTLY turning his head upside down in both directions constantly. That was one of the freakiest parts for me... Even still pictures freak me out. And that's what I think, that I made myself scared. Any suggestions on how to get rid of this annoying fear so I could play the game?

 

[MySpaceBarBroke]

Think of it this way: When you play hide-and-seek, you're not necessarily afraid of the person who's "it". But if he comes passing by, you might get scared, or nervous, and your heart might give a jump when he/she finds you. Now, if you did this every moment of time you spend with someone, wouldn't this effect kind of grow on you?

That's my theory, anyways. I don't have a doctorate in psychology.

 

[CMarket]

I once had a nightmare about a twin head from Silent Hill 4

Link to a pic

Tell me, how can somebody create something so twisted and sick in his head? I would never think up a monster like this, not even in nightmares.

I'm not actually scared of it(except when I play the game) but it's still creepy.

 

[Arvedui]

mm i dunno what you can do to fix it, just ignore him ingame or turn away? or try skipping those parts as fast as you can?
he doesn't show up when you're an adult thankfully lol

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

Good point MySpaceBarBroke... any ideas on how to reverse the effects of the "game" I was playing? Another thought, maybe it's because sub-consciously I'm still playing this "game" with Kaepora Gaebora.

 

[Arvedui]

mmm never played Silent Hill.. I don't like those types of games..

@Nerzhul sorry I can't think of any suggestions.. a doctor or something is the only one that can make suggestions that might actually work

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

I know that full well, Arvedui. But it's kind of a pain in the behind to get another session with my doctor, so I don't know. Please... anything it all, I don't care if your a professional or not. I just want some advice on how to get rid of my fear so I could play my game, regardless on how slim of chances they have of working...

Edit: And about him not appearing that often ingame, it's true, but you need to switch between adult/young link (or so I learnt). I've actually beaten Dodongo's Cavern, but I've had problems when I ran into him those first 3 times, and another one is coming up. I need to go to the top of Death Mountain to see the fairy, and after that I need to go to Zora's Domain, which has another meeting with him (if I recall correctly). And if I'm right, there's an Owl before Lake Hylia that NEVER GOES AWAY or something. So yeah...

 

[Arvedui]

mm my only suggestion would be to not look at those parts.. or try to get past your fear of the upside down head. And if the music is bothering you too.. you can mute the tv for it?

EDIT: Yeah he shows up a lot when you're Kid Link because he's supposed to help lol (he doesn't but whatever)

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

Yeah, muting is no problem. But I guess your right.

 

[Naze]

I had problems with mirrors in the dark. When I was younger, after taking a look at some horror websites, I got some phobia of staying in a dark room with a mirror. I tended to see silhouettes in it!

It has been 6 or 5 years since I got the trauma, now it's ok. I think it definitely ended half year ago!

 

[GST_Nemisis]

The Setup:
Solomon Asch wanted to run a series of studies that would document the power of conformity, for the purpose of depressing everyone who would ever read the results.

Subjects were told that they would be taking part in a vision test, along with a handful of people. The participants were then shown pictures, and individually asked to answer very simple and obvious questions. The catch was that everybody else in the room other than the subject was in on it, and they were were told to give obviously wrong answers. So would the subject go against the crowd, even when the crowd was clearly and retardedly wrong?

The Result:

Questions the subjects were asked were like the puzzle shown here:

All they had to do was say which line on the right matched the one on the left. As you can see, Asch wasn't exactly asking these people to design the next space station. Really, the only way you could get the line questions honestly wrong is if you took two doses of LSD that morning and rubbed them directly on your eyeballs (which would have made for an even more awesome experiment, but we're getting off the point).

Yet, sadly, 32 percent of subjects would answer incorrectly if they saw that three others in the classroom gave the same wrong answer. Even when the line was plainly off by a few inches, it didn't matter. One in three would follow the group right off the proverbial cliff.

What This Says About You:

Imagine how much that 32 percent figure inflates when the answers are less black and white. We all tend to laugh with the group even when we didn't get the joke, or doubt our opinion we realize ours is unpopular among our group. So much for those lectures you got in elementary school about peer pressure and "being brave enough to be yourself."

 

[Moontraveler]

Arachnidphobia (Can't spell it right)
Brontophobia
and a phobia of anything that looks slightly like a bee/wasp/hornet.

 

[ArcticInferno]

I am scared of mirrors or glass panels in the dark.

Also, I am afraid of lizards. The smaller it is, the more potent I think it is.

 

[Naze]

I am scared of mirrors or glass panels in the dark.

Wow, I've never seen a fear like that before...

 

[ArcticInferno]

Yeah often i get the impression I see ghosts on the other side of it

 

[Naze]

I used to see things on mirrors in the dark. I understand you... it is scary....

 

[ArcticInferno]

It doesn't help after those japanese and korean horror SCREAMWTFIMBA flicks.

Definitely.

Yeah that's why I refuse to switch off the lights before i am really really tired.

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

The question is HOW TO FIX these fears, my friends. How do we get rid of our phobias? Do we be brave and face them? Do we sit back and let them persist? The answer is simple, to say the least: we MUST face them, no matter how hard it is. Trust me, I know. I had an anxiety attack just THINKING about Kaepora Gaebora... it's a bit pathetic, my fear, but it persists. Good luck!

 

[Teh_Ephy]

The only real ways to fix it are to slowly and gradually expose yourself to it, or hope it wears off. Try imagining it until it doesn't scare you, then take a look at pictures of it until it doesn't scare you, then try actually playing OoT to the points where Kaepora Gaebora meets you.

 

[frostwhisper]

I have a really nasty fear of vanes, arteries and more particularly, them being cut, torn apart or ruptured in any way. I've had this fear ever since I watched a movie about Jesus when I was four, and they showed how the Romans punched a nail right through his wrist. Brr...

 

[Teh_Ephy]

A fear of physical harm isn't exactly unordinary...

 

[frostwhisper]

Yeah, but... dunno, it's much stronger than the usual fear of harm I have.

 

[Hakeem]

Imagine how much that 32 percent figure inflates when the answers are less black and white. We all tend to laugh with the group even when we didn't get the joke, or doubt our opinion we realize ours is unpopular among our group. So much for those lectures you got in elementary school about peer pressure and "being brave enough to be yourself."

I think that might be useful here.

If there are enough people around you, your fear of embarrassment might overwhelm your fear of the owl.

Another thing that can help is when there's somebody there that's more afraid than you.

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

The only real ways to fix it are to slowly and gradually expose yourself to it, or hope it wears off. Try imagining it until it doesn't scare you, then take a look at pictures of it until it doesn't scare you, then try actually playing OoT to the points where Kaepora Gaebora meets you.

That's probably what I have to do. But I won't actually try looking at screenshots just yet... I'll keep imagining like you said and see what happens. Ingame, however, will only come when I could get some company, something I have my own reasons for. But your advice was good... thanks.

If there are enough people around you, your fear of embarrassment might overwhelm your fear of the owl.

That's a very good point, but let's face it- not many of my friends come to my house to begin with... and that only worked once, when I had to do a project with some of em' at my house.

 

[~VanMavus]

You know, most people say that you need to just "face your fear". Doing so is hard, and I could understand anyone who has problems with it. Even when I have company and see my "beloved" Kaepora Gaebora, I STILL get freaked out.

Edit: Well, I tested myself... I googled up "zelda owl" on google images, and guess what? The FIRST IMAGE turns out to be Kaepora Gaebora ingame. And guess what? My heart-rate increased, I got very anxious, and I IMMEDIATELY, on impulse, went back. I don't know why, but even when I do look it him...

First of all, everyone who has said 'face your fear' has never had to do it. It's harder then most think.

Just to add to your character
"They say that the owl named Kaepora Gaebora is the reincarnation of an ancient Sage."
— Gossip Stone

Really, your owl is a wise old man.

(For those of you who do not know who Kaepora Gaebora looks like - http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/thumb/b/b7/Zmm-owl.jpg/190px-Zmm-owl.jpg )


I wish you luck overcoming this fear, although it's nothing you should worry about because unless you play the game daily it really shouldn't affect your daily life.

Maybe not understood by all and sometimes people may think fears are childish, but I'm here for you and you anyone. Just whip me a pm if you want to talk.

Yes I have a fear, fear of watching people die. When I was younger I witnessed someone die and I often have trouble sitting through graphic movies now. At any rate, I can say luckily bodies don't phase me, I plan to be an autopstitian. I just don't want to watch someone die. (Hostel made me run. I turned off the TV and turned on all the lights and hid.)

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

I know he's an old wise Spirit, but he still scares me. I get scared the most when he turns his head upside down.. WOO... and yeah, the reason why I want to get over it is because I want to play Zelda... I never got the chance to actually play it. On my own as a kid, I only got up to the end of the first dungeon. Right now, I'm up to the end of Dodongo's Cavern. I have all the items I need, and I plan on moving along... as soon as I get over my fear, since the next step is to go to the great Fairy ontop of Death Mountain, "guarded" by Kaepora Gaebora. Out of curiousity, since I definitely ain't clickin', is it ingame or just a picture?

 

[~VanMavus]

Fan art I presume, it's quite a nice drawing actually.

Out of curiosity do you have a fear of normal owls? Because if you do it could be something else you have a fear of, rather then the character?

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

I'm not afraid of normal Owls. It's just him. God... can playing hide-and-seek with something as harmless as a virtual Owl turn into a fear?

 

[~VanMavus]

It can, small childish things can develop. Think like a grudge, some people will hold a grudge but over time will forget about it. For a very small amount a grudge will fester over time, become worse and sometimes leads to murder.

I wish you luck, although I can offer no more advice about how to fix it unless you're willing to see a hypnotist/therapist. You could always do what was earlier suggested and try looking at photos.

If you ever need to chat send me a PM.

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

Thanks for your help. In the mean time, I'll just try to remember what he looks like... and then I'll be brave and look at pictures... and then I'll be even BRAVER and look at him ingame. I hope this was... "educational" at best to you people who have fears and can't get rid of them.

Edit: Oh yeah, and wish me luck on slaying Ganon!

 

[~VanMavus]

Haha good luck on slaying Ganon, though I have no intention of searching for photos/videos of people being killed.

 

[CMarket]

Hmm...is it really that big of a deal if you fear an owl in one game that you probably wont play after a year?

I'm not judging or anything, I'm just saying, why would you go through the trouble of not being scared anymore of something that you will probably never see again. I could be wrong, but that's how I see it...

 

[I)eadnerzhul]

The thing is, I want to play Zelda to the fullest extent... hear every sound, find every secret, see Kaepora Gaebora... and it doesn't matter. Everyone should have a chance to get rid of something they fear. Why not me?

 

[Kuhneghetz]

Stay Puft the marshmallowman (from the Ghostbusters movie) scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.

 

[mato2]

I don't think i have a childhood fear
well, i'm afraid of chainsaw wielding maniacs running towards me

 

[The_wand_mirror]

I used to see things on mirrors in the dark. I understand you... it is scary....

You know whats scary? When its like around 23:00-2:00 the roof of my room begins to make cracking noise, and sometimes its really fucking loud lol..

Also i had some kind of scratching noise in a corner, and it also came up in another corner =p

 

[CMarket]

Wow, that's some really creepy shit. Lets hope this

doesn't happen to you.

 

[Teh_Ephy]

The cracking is the expansion/contraction of your house as it heats/cools.