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Seriously, I think it's easy to almost unconsciously underestimate, or undervalue or just generally be too ready to dismiss someone *elses* phobia.

I have less than average fear of exposure, heights, that sort of thing. In certain contexts I do have it, and I have in fact literally frozen in place trying to climb down somewhere scary. But in general, I find that I'll be (carefully) walking around people at national parks sometimes who are clinging-for-life to an established safety chain that feels pretty optional to me, or I'm pretty relaxed walking across a steep ice field that others find very challenging (scary) to cross.

It's easy for me to be dismissive of that, or worse perhaps, to "feel superior". It's not being superior, it's being wired differently. I just have to think about how I feel if someone proposes sticking a needle into me to realize that they have as much right (and arguably more underlying logic) to their phobia as I do to mine!

I guess I do get a little impatient with folks that feel that I should apply their phobia constraints to what I consider adequate safety procedures in exposed places ("it scares me just watching you"), but that's another conversation ...