Phobias

Facts on Phobias

Definition

Phobias are characterized with overwhelming, intense, unrealistic, uncontrollable and morbid fears of specific persons, places, objects and situations.

Phobic fear is unrealistic. For example individuals that suffer from social anxiety are afraid of talking to individuals of the opposite sex or are overwhelmed by their fear when they need to say something in public.

In these two situations there is no real danger but that doesn’t stop people that suffer from social anxiety to be afraid.

Fear that people experience when they suffer from specific phobia is uncontrollable. This means that they have no control over it. Any reasoning with them during their phobic attack can be only contra productive and should be avoided.

For example individuals that suffer from morbid fear of spiders are literally terrified by spider’s presence and have no control over their reactions no matter how extreme those reactions may be. Some people when spot spider on the wall start running, screaming, crying and can experience a panic attack which can make them think that they are about to die.

Causes

For the most part unrealistic fear is believed to be caused by emotional conditioning in the early childhood.

For example imagine a three year old boy playing one afternoon with a white rabbit. All of the sudden the boy’s father comes in and starts abusing the boy’s mother. Without knowing the boy associated the rabbit with the act of the abuse and all the negative, bad and fearful emotions.

In other words, the boy was conditioned to emotionally react when ever seeing a rabbit after that afternoon. The trouble is that one of the main characteristics of the emotional conditioning is generalization which means that the boy will probably fear not only a rabbit but all other small animals, white color, fur or even all animals.

Treatment

Phobias are treated with great success. The main approach is behavioral which originates from the Behavioral Psychotherapy. In this psychotherapy individuals are slowly and with great care desensitized; in other words cured.

Important thing to know is that only a trained psychotherapist can treat phobic fear. Any mistreatment can be very contra productive and even dangerous. The last thing a phobic person needs is the accusations that they are pretending or that they are weak.

People that suffer from phobic fear need understanding, guidance, care and support by their therapist but also by their family and friends.

Treatment for phobic fears is a long term process and not an event. It takes time and dedication but the result is more than worth it- life without fear.

Medication

Now days there is medication for anything, even healthy people are medicated so that they stay healthy. This of course is absurd but none the less it is our reality.

Of course there are also so called medications for phobic fears but this is far from the truth. Phobia cannot be treated with medication or natural supplements. You can tranquilize yourself and become emotionally numb but that’s the maximum the medication can provide for you. In other words, it can only postpone, prolong or even deepen your pain.

The cure for your phobic fears is in psychotherapy, not in a “magic” pill no matter how much an advertising campaign of a certain medication can be convincing.

Alcohol and Phobia

Unfortunately many people that suffer from social anxiety or even other phobic fears abuse alcohol because it initially helps them with their symptoms. Alcohol is not a cure for anything. It is a drink for adults that make them act like children and nothing else.

When alcohol is abused it can cause many severe problems that can have horrific effects on the individual. This is why alcohol should be avoided, especially self-medicating with alcohol when suffering from anxiety or some other type of mental disorder.

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