Paralyzed by the sight of a spider? Panicking at the edge of a staircase? Drowning in an elevator?
Whatever phobia you have, common or very rare, it definitely makes life difficult for you.
What is the difference between phobia and fear?
Fear is a normal feeling that you feel in the face of an objective danger and it helps you to take measures to save yourself from the danger. So fear is a useful and valuable survival emotion in the perils of life.
A phobia is an irrational feeling towards a condition that appears to other people to be perfectly safe. However, the moment you face your phobia, you feel shivery, paralyzed, sweaty, flushed, panicked, scared to death, want to throw up, or have a tendency to faint (the latter applies especially if you are afraid of blood or needles). For you, your phobia is a real threat, so you have all the psychological and physical symptoms of a real crisis.
According to classical psychoanalytic theory, the phobia is the result of an intrapsychic conflict, which is afraid to express itself differently and invents an object of fear, which is more “permissible” than the forbidden inner impulse.
To be diagnosed as actually suffering from a phobia, you must have the same negative feelings every time you are faced with it, for a period of more than 6 months and not go through a particular period where you are possessed by intense stress.
Statistics – info
From some specific phobia, 5-15% of the general population suffers, with an emphasis on the female sex, who represent 75-90% of cases.
For some phobias, such as the phobia of animals, the onset can be made at the age of about 7 years, while e.g. the phobia of airplanes can manifest itself after the age of 22, where the young adult begins to travel.
Each culture can shape its own phobias, e.g. in Asia they shudder at the notion of humiliation while in America they fear the possibility of condemnation.
Some phobias, such as the phobia of snakes, may not be as common today because we encounter snakes less often, but they have remained with us as phobias, as an evolutionary result of our human heritage from earlier times when the danger was more direct, frequent and objective.
How does a phobia start?
Most phobias begin in childhood and if not treated in time continue with the same intensity or even more during adult life.
If you experienced intense anxiety, paralysis and terror as children, this anxiety has become psychologically fixed in you and flares up in the face of the object of your phobia, even as an adult.
The phobia usually starts in childhood, because:
- children imitate their parents’ behavior, even if it is not expressed verbally, and inherit their phobias
- in the children’s imagination, every danger is a greater and real danger, even the fairy tale monster that “will come to eat them” if they are not good children.
- children follow specific rules of their parents, which create phobias in them and which remain as phobias even when they are now adults, such as “don’t touch the dog, it will bite you”.
- children are “sponges” in learning theory. If they are bitten by a dog once when they are young, they will remember every time to stay away from any dog.
A phobia, however, can also manifest itself during adulthood, e.g. when someone gets into a car accident, they may be afraid to drive again. Therefore, in these cases, it is recommended that the adult not avoid driving the car again because there is a risk of turning it into an object of phobia, but to drive again as soon as possible, so that he is not left traumatized and does not he is afraid that something similar will happen to him again in the future.
Phobias: Specific, Common & Rare
Specific phobias are called phobias that concern specific categories, such as animal phobia (fear of animals), environmental phobia (fear of nature), situational phobia (fear of open spaces or closed spaces), phobia of medical examinations (fear of blood, needles, doctors).
Common phobias are called the most common phobias, such as agoraphobia, social phobia, agoraphobia, microbiophobia, aerophobia or fear of flying.
There are also the rarest phobias. If you are possessed by one of these, it will be even more difficult to explain them to those who see your reactions. This does not mean, however, that you do not suffer the same as someone who has a more common phobia. Some rare, strange phobias are e.g. the phobia of the night, the phobia of fire, the phobia of men or women, the phobia of clothes.
When to get help for a phobia
The good news is that any phobia can be treated with the right treatment.
Get help if:
- your phobia lasts longer than 6 months
- you recognize that your phobia is irrational, unrealistic
- your phobia significantly limits your daily activities. If you fear e.g. horses, but you live in the city, you may not be in front of a horse for a very long time, if ever.
- However, if you have agoraphobia, i.e. fear of open spaces, then the only way not to suffer is to stay locked in the house, which, however, will essentially deprive you of all the joy of life, movement and socializing.
Ways to deal with a phobia
Phobias are mainly treated through the cognitive behavioral approach.
The way to deal with it is that you slowly came into contact with the object of your phobia.
For example, if you are afraid of spiders, the psychotherapist brings you step by step closer to the spiders.
- you start thinking about spiders
- you get talking about them
- you see their photos and videos with them
- you see a fake spider (gradually from longer to shorter distance)
- you see a real spider (gradually from larger to smaller distance)
At each step, work is done to profoundly change your thoughts, feelings and behavior towards the object of your phobia.
You are essentially desensitizing your phobia and thus dealing with it completely.
You stop overestimating the risk and feel more confident in yourself.
Learning how to apply relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation also helps in dealing with phobias.
Antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs calm your reactions in the short term, but they do not deeply and long-term solve the root of your phobia.
Energy
Phobia and its symptoms block the natural flow of energy in your chakras, especially the Root Chakra (Muladhara), the first chakra located at the base of the spine. It is associated with the color red. The Root Chakra is about the fundamental feeling of security. Meditation, especially with the help of crystals, will help you release your fears and regain the confidence and stability you need. Also, use the healing power of positive affirmations:
- I am in control of my life
- Safety is within me
- I keep my feet firmly on the ground
- My life has a solid foundation
- I trust in the flow of life
Feel even more grounded by walking barefoot around your home or even better in nature. Dress in red, eat red foods, meditate on the color red to strengthen the Root Chakra.
Energy Healing: Your Growth Guide
Phobia is a feeling that paralyzes your every muscle, psychological and physical. It is natural, therefore, that a holistic treatment is required for its treatment.
Energy healings aim to release negative thoughts and feelings so that the “groove” can be opened again for the energy to flow naturally through you.
Come let’s eliminate the fear, so you can live the life you love, with the freedom you want.
Whichever energy treatment you choose, it will work in addition to any medication or psychotherapy session you have. No medications are provided.
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Types-of-phobias.aspx
https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/phobia-a-to-z
https://www.onmed.gr/ygeia-psyhikh/story/366594/oi-10-pio-allokotes-fovies-mesa-apo-fotografies