Cotton

[Prisaneify]

Am I the only one who has this odd fear/phobia/anxiety around it? Now, I'm not talking cotton clothing or else I'd probably be naked. I'm talking about pure cotton - balls, swabs, squares, it doesn't matter. Even writing this is making me highly uncomfortable. My mom used to occasionally throw a ball at me for jokes and I hated it. I wanted to rage. I can't be the only one out there with this odd phobia can I? I avoid it as much as possible but I don't ever see how I can learn to get over it.

 

[kelden]

That's quite unusual, considering I can't think of anything more harmless than cotton, right. I guess you feel uncomfortable to make contact with it, or don't like how it leaves strand so easily and gets pretty messy when wet. I really can't tell, since I like the texture of cotton balls and such, I found your distress hardly relatable to be honest. I'm sorry about that though, I don't meant to be rude. Does it remind you something unpleasant?

 

[Laneorexorcist]

Last summer I went to English classes on my school and I had this teacher from Arizona who also had this phobia. But I think that it was more related with the sound that cotton balls made when they were being teared appart, I thought that this was a strange phobia but I've found people around me who also have this one... It's really curious how we as humans can work sometimes!

 

[Fae]

Hmmm, this is a very interesting phobia. If you want to tackle what can be done to mitigate the phobia, it could be good to speak with a therapist about the underlying qualities. It could be tied to negative memories from how they were used in your childhood or to an uncomfortable experience with the texture, for example. Better understand how the phobia came about could be a good point from which to overcome the phobia.


You do mention a difference between the cotton state. Have you noticed something about clothing cotton that keeps it from bothering you? And does cotton straight off the plant (before processing to the scratchier stuff) have the same effect?

 

[tinnie]

I have heard of people who hate touching it or hate the idea of cotton in their mouth (not that it's something we commonly do), but I've never heard of actual phobia of this. It's quite interesting, but also very inconvenient. Do you find that there is any specific reason why you hate it so much? Have you always felt this way?

 

[LovelyLiz]

@Fae 's suggestion makes the most sense to me. Phobias are irrational, so if you can work out the patterns that your subconscious is going through in creating this sense of fear, then you should hopefully be able to take apart the psychology, and learn to cope with it.

 

[Surrender]

@Prisaneify do you think it has something to do with feelings about your mom? Is it because she threw cotton balls at you that made you dislike cotton, or is it because she already knew you disliked it and still threw it at you?

 

[rfields.84]

I don't so much have a fear of cotton balls,but I do have an aversion to them! I can't stand the feel of them and it makes me cringe just thinking about it. I hate having to fish them out of new bottle of pills. i think it's the texture of them, but it's definitely an issue for me. Its not something I like to handle, not so much out of fear, but just because it's really hard for me to deal with the texture. It literally makes me shudder thinking about it.

 

[fcuco]

In case you are curious, this is called Sidonglobophobia, it has many explanations besides and obvious traumatic experience during your childhood, one is that the cotton balls resemble the eggs from reptiles or cockroaches so you may have this aversion to them out of some instinct reaction and that's why the fabric itself gives you no trouble, it is probably more related to the shape of it. Rest assured, it is very common, you are not some crazy person, yet people are cruel and don't understand that this is an irrational fear, and will taunt you with it, you can find some videos of people doing that to other people. I am sorry about your mom, but that was terrible. 

 

[Katykat]

Am I the only one who has this odd fear/phobia/anxiety around it? Now, I'm not talking cotton clothing or else I'd probably be naked. I'm talking about pure cotton - balls, swabs, squares, it doesn't matter. Even writing this is making me highly uncomfortable. My mom used to occasionally throw a ball at me for jokes and I hated it. I wanted to rage. I can't be the only one out there with this odd phobia can I? I avoid it as much as possible but I don't ever see how I can learn to get over it.

Hi, although we may agree that it’s odd, it’s not completely uncommon as I have this affliction too. I do not understand it at all, but it is definitely a sensory issue toward cotton in its “raw forms” as I call it. Like you said, not just cotton balls but anything that has that raw cotton feel. I got the chills or the “Willy nillies” just looking at photos looking up this phobia. My kids also think it’s funny to toss cotton balls at me and I think it’s horrible! But I try to cope. I can face my “fear” by using something to pull cotton out of a pill bottle or what have you. I can touch a cotton pad if it’s wet. Lol. But it’s definitely not some weird fear of reptile or spider eggs that’s just silly. I’ll touch those any day. And I don’t think it comes from any direct trauma involving cotton lol but I guess I’m not sure. I’d say it’s more of a past life thing than anything LOL!!!! Still, it’s very real and it’s no fun! I feel you, I’m one of them right there along you.

 

[Sierranicole]

I totally know what you're saying. Its the sound of the feeling....or the feeling of the sound. It almost makes me what to throw up. Even talking about it makes my teeth hurt for some reason. You're not alone.