Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 45

Transform:

F E A R T O D AY...

even in non-threatening situations. In
short, fear becomes a mindset.' Over time,
you can suffer cardiovascular damage as
well as digestive disorders if your body is
in flight or fight mode too much. Phobias
also affect your mind's consolidation
of memories, which can make it more
difficult to regulate fear in the future.
S C A RY TA L E S

FACING YOUR PHOBIA
It used to be thought that by exposing
yourself to your phobia, you
could resolve it. This is done via
visualisation, (where you imagine
yourself in phobia scenarios) or
via real-life exposure. While this
type of therapy can be successful, it's
not something you should try yourself;
you could end up worsening the phobia.
If, however, you work with a qualified
therapist you may find that over time your
response is reduced. For most, though,
exposure therapy simply doesn't work.
'Counter-phobics' are people who have a
fear but actively seek out the experience.
Like those who are terrified of horror
films but watch them often. Rather than
resulting in the phobia disappearing,
studies show the fear response remains
and sufferers can find themselves seeking
out more extreme experiences in a fearful
self-fulfilling prophecy.

There are more
than 400
recognised phobias.
These include
phobophobia - the
fear that you
have a phobia

tunnel exit to choose,
their bodies will trigger
an autonomic response
to the spider, the classic grip
of fear. 

THE FEAR RESPONSE

 Y

ou're crawling in a
tunnel when you
come to two exits.
In one is a small,
fragile creature you
could crush with a finger; in the other is
a machine made of glass and steel, which
could crush you and is headed your way.
Which exit do you take? Before you answer,
one more thing - the creature is a spider
and the machine is a car.
For one in 20 people, the car would be
far easier to face. Cars kill nearly 2,000
people in the UK every year, there are
2.6million of them in London alone. Even
in Australia fatalities from spider bites are
so rare decades can go by without a single
recorded death. And yet around half of
the female population and a fifth of men
admit to feeling spider phobic. For these
people there is no choice regarding which

When confronted with the source of your
phobia, the brain responds incredibly
quickly and intensely. Your amygdala
(responsible for emotions), hypothalamus
( control centre for temperature, thirst
and hunger), hippocampus (long term
memory and emotional responses), and
sensory cortex (thinking and processing
information via the senses) team up
to create a perfect storm of a physical
response and it's near-impossible to stop.
The worst thing is that, because of this
response, you're now even less capable
of thinking clearly. Even if the source of
your phobia isn't something prevalent,
the knowledge of your fear can affect your
attitude to daily life. 'Some people develop
a fearful lifestyle,' says psychologist Linda
Sapadin, author of Master Your Fears:
How to Triumph Over Your Worries and
Get On With Your Life (psychwisdom.
com). 'Rather than fear being a response
to a specific situation, it becomes a way
of life. You are quick to respond with fear

BA LA N CE January 2018

FIXING THE PROBLEM
Those brave enough to ask for treatment,
will find counselling, possibly group
therapy and advice on overcoming the
fear response, are tried and tested, over
time. The source of the phobia is usually
introduced but in a way that doesn't elicit
a strong response. Perhaps a person with
a fear of dogs would imagine a newborn
puppy. Then, perhaps touching the puppy,
and so on, until the person is able to
visualise being around dogs without the
fear response kicking in.
Counselling may involve cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT) where the
patient is given advice on techniques
and behaviours to help them address the

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance Jan Issue 2018

Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 1
Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 2
Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 3
Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 4
Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 5
Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 6
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Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 16
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Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 19
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