Friday, November 7, 2008

Comprehending The Fundamentals Of Phobias

The Psychology of Fear & Anxiety

If someone who is close to you has a phobia, it can be difficult to understand and deal with. Phobias often seem silly if you have never had a similar experience, and many people who exhibit the symptoms of having a phobia are sometimes suspected of 'faking it.' It is easy to see how a person could suspect someone of faking a phobia for attention. Phobias are irrational fear disorders, which cause phobia sufferers to have strong reactions to things that are not normally seen as serious or threatening. In many cases, people with phobias realize how silly their fear is, but a phobia is an irrational fear, so they know that their fear is unreasonable and has no effect. If someone you know has a phobia, it is helpful to understand what they are experiencing so you can help them or know how to react if you are present for a phobic episode.

Although everyone is a little different, there are a set of physical reactions that go along with a phobic episode. Physical reactions include sweating, increased heart rate, nervousness, and some people can have a full-blown panic attack. Having a phobic reaction can be very confusing because the person reacts to something harmless as if it puts them in a life or death situation. A phobia sufferer may realize that their feelings are not justified, but they are still overtaken by feelings of fear and dread.

The fight or flight response is a term for the biological process your body undergoes when under a lot of immediate stress. The fight or flight response essentially is the result of your brain perceiving a serious threat and adding adrenaline to your bloodstream, making you temporarily stronger, faster, and more able to act instinctively to overcome a potentially life threatening situation. The fight or flight response occurs in different levels; sometimes a little adrenaline is added to the bloodstream, while other times your body is flooded with adrenaline.

Our ancient ancestors relied heavily on this response for survival when the world was not so civilized and they were constantly struggling to survive. Although the fight or flight response is not as crucial today, it is a natural response that can be very helpful, or harmful if it is triggered unnecessarily. The fight or flight response is responsible for news reports of people lifting extremely heavy objects off of people and other extraordinary physical feats.

The fight or flight response is even more developed in wild animals. It is not uncommon for a deer that has been shot through both lungs or the heart to run the length of a football, or for several miles if these vital organs are not hit. When someone has a true phobia, these are the intense feelings that they have to deal with, but instead of escaping an imminent threat, they are responding to a spider, snake, clown, or some other stimulus that triggers their phobia. What is even worse is that many phobias happen in common every day places such as school, work, or social functions where the fight or flight response is totally inappropriate.

Although a person can have a phobia of almost anything, a phobia usually develops as a result of a traumatic experience or an internalized fear. Even if the person knows their phobia is ridiculous, they cannot simply turn it off like a light switch because it causes a complex biological response. There are ways to treat people for phobias, but if you are around someone who is having a phobic reaction, it is helpful to understand what they are experiencing.

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