oooo I hear ya! I apologize to the little guys if I ever get lucky enough to spot one or, :::gulp::: half of one. I think they regenerate if you hit don't hit them in the wrong spot but I still think "that's gotta hurt".
My cousin told me the same thing about jumping, but we were kids then so I'm not sure how true that is. Still, I make a lot of noise when I'm digging hoping that whoever might be bothered by it will move away in time.

Go out on the lawn, put a paper bag over your head and scream while jumping up and down... I remember that from an old Dick Van Dyke episode. LOL, sorry had to bring that up.
I don't know if the jumping will work, we just did a lot of digging here and made plenty of noise dropping cobble stones but the worms some huge crawlers and grubs didn't seem to move anywhere, felt really bad when 1/2 worms turned up. But I did put all the grubs into a bowl for our local skunk. Good luck!

Don't you hate it when that happens?! I understand, but you have to learn to accept the "collateral damage" and balm yourself with the knowledge that you're creating such a great neighborhood for worms that more will move in and set up housekeeping.

Take a deep breath and start digging.

I have some experience dealing with phobias as a former child therapist. This new phobia of worms was triggered because of some other longer standing phobia...snakes perhaps, or a fear of bodily harm? It will help to separate one from the other in your head (as they likely once were since you said you didn't used to be squeamish about worms.)

Visual imagery can be very helpful here. Try to picture the worms as cheerful little fellows helping to make your soil healthy. Think of children's book illustrations of worms with happy little faces. Imagine them saying "We're here to help!"

Also, do keep in mind that they can regenerate so tell yourself that it's okay if you accidentally hurt one. Again, imagine the worm saying "That's okay, no harm done" in a silly, cheerful voice.

You can also do some self-talk such as "The worms are here to help me in my gardening." "Those worms can't hurt me"

These may sound like childish steps but they work with adults as well as children when dealing with simple phobias.
A few moments of imagery and self-talk can really help, honest.

Good luck.
Patty

I was searching for something totally unrelated to this topic, when I ran into this thread.

I didn't have the stomach to read the whole thing, but it shows you're not alone...

Claire

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Heebie-Jeebies thread

Sorry to hear about your worm phobia - but I get so excited when I see a worm - it's a sign of really good soil! And they make the soil even better! And you know they can't bite you - they don't really have a mouth and definitely no teeth :)

Now...try snakes - that's my phobia and I swear I have 10 garter snakes in my yard - also good for the garden, but they completely freak me out. I'm going to try the visualization technique that Patty suggested for your worms.
Good luck!

Claire, thanks for resurrecting that thread, it was fun to reread it. It also reminded me of how many "regulars" have fallen by the wayside in the years hence. Bummer.

Good laughs for a Sunday morning!

Thanks for responding all...and the great tips..esp. you Patty...I've at least started going to the area..I've worked that area for 2 years..just getting the soil ready for what ever I decide to put in it..so I know that is why I have so many worms...

My son did some weeding yesterday for me, he showed me that when he poked the ground before hand digging, sometimes the worms come out..and it did work yesterday..he put a small hole around the weed and in a second or two..a worm would be scrambling...uninjured most of the time..but doing that would take a bit of time..looking at them did give me a chance to get practice "not freaking out"...using what Patty suggested..

Oh well..my son probably said it best "Mom..just get a grip and do it"