Is it possible to make/help someone understand your phobia(s)?
If we do not believe it is possible for others to understand our feelings, like fears, happiness, love, anger, frustrations and so on, there is not much point in a lot of communication. Look at a parent and a baby. Communication from the very start, Trying to understand feelings, or convey feelings.It is just one way to find out - try. A phobia isn’t the worst of evils. Most know Arachnophobia. Spiders ARE creepy. Everybody has a little fear. Dendrophobia is not too common. Most people would object to the idea that they would be scared of trees. Have they been in a forest in the dark, surrounded by branches of trees or during a storm with tall trees, gazing up, seeing the tops swaying back and forth. I tell you, more things you know can be a little scary. It’s somewhere inside of us all.There are different degrees. I think most people could imagine / simulate some of feelings of somebody else’s phobias. This is one thing we humans think we are really good at (and I believe, rightly so), that we are able to put ourselves in another person’s mind and position. (Not all) It is what understanding is, sympathy, compassion, empathy. It is possibly the most important property we have, and what has brought us where we are, with a relatively peaceful society. An opposite of greed, avarice, egotism. It is sharing and maybe our only hope. So yes.
Crush on someone with social anxiety/phobia?
How hard is it for someone suffering from a social phobia to maintain a relationship, or deal with the whole dating scene in general? I like a guy and from what I can tell, (I don't know for sure..) I think that he might possibly have a social anxiety, or possibly even a mild mental disability?? I have been trying to get his attention for such a long time now and when I am so certain that things just might work out, it doesn't. He keeps to himself a lot and doesn't really have many friends from what I have noticed. He has never been in a relationship before and well I just thought that it was shyness, but maybe it's a social anxiety or more..? I'm just wondering if it is anywhere near possible to maintain a relationship with some that suffers from this. Please no hate comments, I really like this guy and although my attempts with dating him have not led me to a relationship, I get a feeling that giving up is something that I shouldn't do. I just feel that he deserves to be treated so much better than how he is treated now, he seems like a great person to get to know. If it is possible to obtain a relationship, how hard will it be? Would I have to be more persistent in trying to date him and give him attention? Thanks!
Can social phobia be permanently cured?
It all depends on the definition of "cured". With one of the exposure therapies, you could significantly manage and reduce your level of anxiety in social situations. You may never feel completely at ease in those situations, but you would be able to function. If that definition of "cured" seems like a worthwhile goal, then, there you have it.
How to cure a spider phobia?
How to not be afraid of spiders: The first thing to realise is that you've not got a zero tolerance of spiders. (Zero Tolerance is something politicians go on about and it's bravado that is supposed to sound good rather than being based in reality). So, although you don't like spiders, if I told you that someone ten miles away had a small spider in their loft, it would not worry you. There is some level of exposure to spiders which is not a problem for you. It might be that a tiny spider in a jar in the next room might not be a problem, or that a photo or drawing of a spider would not be frightening. Whatever that level of tolerable exposure is, it's worth doing a few experiments to determine where the level is. Even if, to people who aren't scared of spiders, the situations seem absurd, it is worth examining where the tolerable level is for you. This is a scientific observation, and you write it down in your diary, for example: "2006/07/22 I am not scared very much of spiders less than 2mm across 200m away". Now this is the interesting bit, because even without any effort or having to put up with being scared of these things, your tolerance starts to improve. Just by thinking about it and realising that the spider less than 2mm across 200 metres away was not scary on that day, a week later you can examine the state of the phobia again and realise that a 3mm spider 150m away would not be too bad. This goes in the diary. Examining small (possibly dead) spiders in jars at a distance might not be scary, or at least within limits. This is worth practising to see where the limit is. Yet again, just by observing this, the fear reduces and the limits extend. At no time in this do you need to be actually frightened by anything. After a while, even if it takes months, you'll be amazed, not at how unafraid you are of spiders now, but by how your earlier writings about the fear seem much more severe looking back. So, you are being cured of the phobia. So, that's it; how to stop being frightened of spiders!
How to cure apotemnophobia( fear of persons with amputations)?
The theory is that slow exposure to the things which you fear will lead you to conquer the fear. So, maybe you should start by looking at magazines about amputations, then visit a place where they sell the prosthetics, then work your way up to meeting a person who has had an amputation. Good Luck.
Can hypnosis or hypnotherapy be used to cure severe phobias (in my case of tarantulas?)?
Yes, similar to the way that Cognitive Behavioral techniques can be used to alleviate irrational fears through exposure and habituation.In CBT you would begin by getting comfortable thinking about tarantulas, then talking about them, looking at pictures, learning about them, seeing one in a glass box on the other side of the room. Taking time to become fully comfortable with each level of exposure. Sitting closer to the box over time. Feeling safer and more familiar with the creature, becoming comfortable observing it closely through the glass. Later, with the lid open. You might become comfortable watching and then helping to feed the pet. Then with the tarantula out of the box being safely held and enjoyed by someone else. At your own pace becoming more comfortable observing the animal closely with no barriers , touching it, and eventually letting it touch you.With hypnotherapy, you can go through the same steps entirely in your imagination to see the irrationality of the fear, to habituate yourself to the presence of the animal, and to reshape your attitude about the situation.You might also (in either process) discover the origin of your underlying fear — which almost certainly is not based on you ever having been attacked by tarantulas. It might be as simple and irrational as believing something that you saw in a scary movie, or heard someone else tell you about.If you interview a hypnotherapist about working with you on this, you may want to ask for a description of their intended process. Some practitioners believe it’s important to regress a hypnotized client back in time to re-experience the “Initial Sensitizing Event” that caused the underlying fear. Depending on the cause, and with the added dramatic effect of hypnosis, that experience can be unnecessarily frightening for the clientThat is not something that would happen in a clinical Cognitive Behavioral process, it’s not necessary (in hypnosis either) to dramatically experience the fear before beginning to work on reducing it.Perhaps you see that you could even initiate and successfully resolve such a process on your own by following the basic ideas outlined above. The most important part is to learn everything you can about the thing you fear, and take your time gradually getting familiar, then accustomed to it.It works for almost any irrational fear.
Has anyone ever been cured of "fear of death" or thanatophobia?
Hi, im 26 years old. I have been living with a mild form of thanatophobia or "the fear of death" for about 8 years now. I am convinced that almost everything is going to kill me. If i take this new medicine ive never had before i will die. If i exercise to much my heart will explode. If I get the flu the virus will travel to my spine and cause menigitus...the list could go on forever really. Anyway it seems like lately I have been hyperfocused on dieing and thinking that almost everything is going to kill me. This phobia has literally debilated me.everything i do, everywhere i go is planned carefully. i dont drink, i dont do drugs, not even tylenol,i wont do any crazy activites like bungee jump etc. The worst part is that I have 2 little boys. everyday i think about what would happened if their dad/my husband died. I wouldnt be able to care for them on my own.I was hospitalized this week for this fear and it made me realize that i have to find someway to get over this. For me. for my life, but importantly for my kids. I guess i just need some hope. Is there anyone who has had a severe fear of dieing and has gotten over it. I mean been able to live a life without fear. held a job, had a good friends, raised kids on their own...any of that. my fear has completely consumed my life. 99% of the day it is what im thinking about, and i cant do this anymore. im not living, im just...surviving. I am starting therapy in a couple weeks (it is the soonest they could get me in) ...and YES my fears are alot worse presently because the date is approaching (12/21/12). i know its silly to believe in that stuff and the logical me doesnt but the irrational me always seems to win that fight lol...anyway if you have been there and gotten signifigantly better please right back. i could really use some hope that there is even a small chance of recovery. thank you for reading this, i know it was long.
Arachibutyrophobia - is it real?
Phobias have become a word game. Clinically speaking, it would merely be a specific phobia - and people can have a specific phobia about literally anything concievable. Then you can make up a word to go with it. This word was first recorded in a Peter O'Donnell fiction book. (Willie Garvin cures the phobia by telling the woman to bite into the bread with the butter underneath) although it's unclear whether Peter O'Donnell heard the word somewhere or made it up.He was most definately using it in a joke sense, and it has done the rounds mostly in a jokey way. It is not a genuinely studied psychological disorder (unlIke, say, erythrophibia (fear of blushing) or genophobia (fear of sex)) .
Best herbs or natural treatments to cure social phobia?
Some might look at natural treatments of social phobias/ depression as 'voodoo', pseudo-science and the other stock adjectives but as for me I too had a very bad run of doctors giving me meds that did not provide relief. I do not know if my problems are bad enough to only be treated by professionals but since it seems that they are just throwing darts at a board in treating me through meds what can it hurt for me to try some plant based treatments? Much cheaper and way less side effects. Valerian, wild lettuce, hops, passionflower, chamomile, catnip, linden, st. john's wort are some of the herbs that can help relax a body gently. Won't stop a panic attack in its tracks mind you but that's not how this stuff works- consistent use for a few weeks or months will show results if it is right (except valerian root- the basis of Valium without the addictive quality nor hangover effect after usage). A detox program can help as well to get things started but beware- if you have collected a whole bunch of bad stuff (heavy metals, 'toxins', debris in the colon) the detox process will dredge up some bad feelings and thoughts as your body sheds these unwanted poisons. Don't know your situation, your diet nor your health so can't give firm advice but once again if doctors are shooting blanks in giving you meds to help what can it hurt?