If I see a bug, a spider or a mushroom, then it is in celebration of the plenitude of life. Even a picture of a snake is but a subtle reminder that a picture may be worth a thousand words.
Yet a picture that evokes a flurry of anxiety that results in fear ought to be viewed a thousand times to desensitize ourselves to the phobia until it fades away.
Otherwise the phobic person will only be enthralled by her phobia such that she relives the original exposure to the object of her fear.
Such behavior is maladaptive since it does not deal with the original fear, but instead is an unconscious choice which is sometimes made repeatedly.
Instead of reacting to my fear and raising my anxiety as a result of a fear stimulus, I find that continued exposure to the object of my fear leaves me feeling less and less afraid of the unnerving stimuli. If the feeling of fear returns I suppress all thought of fear and reaffirm my commitment to keeping my mind at peace.
Therefore, phobias ought not be cultivated and nurtured, lest you obsess about your fears and let your life be guided by them.
It is far better to keep the mind occupied on positive thoughts until those fears are forgotten. By choosing not to listen to anxiety's scaremongering, your mind is yours to free itself of fear with courage.
Showing posts with label phobia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phobia. Show all posts
20130623
Neuroses Means Eccentricities
Neuroses are normative. Anyone who declares otherwise ignores the fact that neuroses have been excluded from DSM-IV since they usually don't prevent a person from having a life most of the time.
Severe neuroses are a different topic, and therapy should start earlier during the acute phase i.e. when stress originally brings on anxiety, rather than later when a phobia has developed.
Anxiety is the acute phase, and phobias are a part of the chronic form of neuroses. While there are other forms of neuroses, it's these two ones that form one of many parts of various mental disorders.
Of course, I may be mistaken, but neuroses are mostly harmless when nipped in the bud.
YMMV
Severe neuroses are a different topic, and therapy should start earlier during the acute phase i.e. when stress originally brings on anxiety, rather than later when a phobia has developed.
Anxiety is the acute phase, and phobias are a part of the chronic form of neuroses. While there are other forms of neuroses, it's these two ones that form one of many parts of various mental disorders.
Of course, I may be mistaken, but neuroses are mostly harmless when nipped in the bud.
YMMV
20080621
Fear as root and symptom of psychoses
Fear leads to insomnia, which leads to hypomania which evolves into mania, and finally psychosis.
This only refers to irrational fears, not the fear reaction to imminent threat which lead to flight-or-fight response.
Anxiety appears to be both root and symptom of fear, and usually indicates anxiety of an unvoiced fear.
Phobias are when both anxiety and fear form a complex set of behaviors related to an object of fear with anxiety on exposure.
Desensitization of the object of fear and positive rationalization about the anxiety and fear leads to evolution from anxiety and fear to relief through calmness, peace of mind and serenity.
Thus it is possible to transform both anxiety and fear into healthy action i.e. ignoring the stimuli.
This only refers to irrational fears, not the fear reaction to imminent threat which lead to flight-or-fight response.
Anxiety appears to be both root and symptom of fear, and usually indicates anxiety of an unvoiced fear.
Phobias are when both anxiety and fear form a complex set of behaviors related to an object of fear with anxiety on exposure.
Desensitization of the object of fear and positive rationalization about the anxiety and fear leads to evolution from anxiety and fear to relief through calmness, peace of mind and serenity.
Thus it is possible to transform both anxiety and fear into healthy action i.e. ignoring the stimuli.
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