Do You Suffer From Phobias?
Did you know that specific phobias are among the most common anxiety disorders? A specific phobia involves an intense, persistent fear of a specific object or situation that’s out of proportion to the actual risk.
Not all phobias need treatment. However, if a phobia prevents someone from doing something that is needed, like getting blood tests, or going to hospitals., this can be detrimental to your health. If the phobia causes an unreasonable disruption in your life, it should be treated.
Phobias are typically caused by a one-time event, often from childhood, but an intense event at any age could create a phobia. Phobias can also be created by a series of events that compound and validate each other on the specific fear. – Say you get bit by bees (non-allergic reaction) 3 separate times within a year. This could create an unreasonable fear of bees, bringing on intense anxiety and panic each time you might suspect bees are nearby.
So what are specific phobias? They are an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of objects or situations that pose little real danger but provoke anxiety and avoidance. Unlike the brief anxiety you may feel when giving a speech or taking a test, specific phobias are long-lasting, cause intense physical and psychological reactions, and can affect your ability to function normally at work, at school, or in social settings. ¹
“Fear can make a moth seem the size of a bull elephant.” ― Stephen Richards
Claustrophobia is a specific phobia that can certainly disrupt your life, keeping you out of airplanes, elevators, crowds, small rooms, MRIs, and so forth. It can even manifest when wearing face masks or CPAP masks. It causes anxiety over putting something on your face.
How to combat claustrophobia, or any specific phobia. Having worked with severe anxiety and fear with many people over many years, I have found that an approach working with the subconscious part of the brain, is the most effective and most expedient approach. Remember, a specific phobia is an unreasonable fear of things or situations that are really not dangerous. Knowing that is not enough. We all know that there is little danger, consciously, but it is the subconscious that is triggering the phobic response. It is therefore wise to work at that level.
There are several techniques used to decrease or normalize the fear quickly, that we use at Peak Performance Mindset Coaching. They are all safe and we approach every situation with the utmost safety of our clients.
If you want to explore mindset coaching further and what it can do for you and your fears, contact us through www.peakperformancemindsetcoaching.com or email me at kevin@peakperformancemindsetcoaching.com or Lisa at lisa@peakperformancemindsetcoaching.com
Other related blogs that you may be interested in, are Performance Mindset, Peak Performance, and 6 Reasons You May Be Stuck.
¹ Mayo Clinic Specific Phobias – https://www.mayoclinic.org/
