Phobias: Why we get them and how to clear them

What is a phobia?

Phobias are defined in the dictionary as “an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something." John Hopkins Medicine dives deeper and defines them as “an uncontrollable, irrational, and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.” Both men and women are equally likely to experience the development of a phobia. A majority of phobias develop during the first encounter with a certain stimulus, situation, or object. A phobia develops when an extreme amount of fear arises through a specific experience. Our bodies and brains essentially overreact to that stimulus in an effort to protect ourselves from a perceived threat. 

Specific Phobias

A specific phobia is an extreme fear of an object or situation that typically isn't harmful (Phobias, John Hopkins Medicine).

Some examples of specific phobias identified by John Hopkins Medicine can include a fear of: 

• Flying (fearing the plane will crash)
• Dogs (fearing the dog will bite or attack)
• Closed-in places (fear of being trapped)
• Tunnels (fearing a collapse)
• Heights (fear of falling)
• I would also include a fear of reptiles (such as snakes/lizards), a fear of spiders, a fear of mice/rats, and the wonderful fear of bats getting stuck in your hair.

Social Phobias

What is social phobia?

A social phobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person has significant anxiety and discomfort related to a fear of being embarrassed, humiliated, or scorned by others in social or performance situations. Even when they manage to confront this fear, people with social phobia usually:

• Feel very anxious before the event or outing
• Feel intensely uncomfortable throughout the event or outing
• Have lingering unpleasant feelings after the event or outing

Social phobia often happens with the following:

• Public speaking
• Meeting people
• Dealing with authority figures
• Eating in public
• Using public restrooms

What are the characteristics of social phobia?

Although this disorder is often thought of as shyness, they are not the same. Shy people can be very uneasy around others, but they don't have the extreme anxiety in anticipating a social situation. Also, they don't necessarily avoid circumstances that make them feel self-conscious. In contrast, people with social phobia are not necessarily shy at all, but can be completely at ease with some people most of the time. Most people with social phobia will try to avoid situations that cause distress.

Diagnosing social phobia

Social phobia is diagnosed when the fear or avoidance significantly interferes with normal routines, or is excessively upsetting.

Social phobia disrupts normal life, interfering with career or social relationships. It often runs in families and may happen along with depression or alcoholism. Social phobia often starts in early adolescence or even younger. 

Agoraphobia

What is agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia involves the fear of having a panic attack in a place or situation from which escape may be hard or embarrassing.

The anxiety of agoraphobia is so severe that panic attacks are not unusual. People with agoraphobia often try to avoid the location or cause of their fear. Agoraphobia involves fear of situations like the following:

• Being alone outside his or her home
• Being at home alone
• Being in a crowd
• Traveling in a vehicle
• Being in an elevator or on a bridge

People with agoraphobia typically avoid crowded places like streets, crowded stores, churches, and theaters.

What are the characteristics of agoraphobia?

Most people with agoraphobia get it after first suffering a series of panic attacks. The attacks happen randomly and without warning, and make it impossible for a person to predict what will trigger the reaction. This unpredictability of the panic causes the person to anticipate future panic attacks and, eventually, fear any situation in which an attack may happen. As a result, they avoid going into any place or situation where previous panic attacks have happened.

People with the disorder often become so disabled that they literally feel they cannot leave their homes. Others who have agoraphobia, do go into potentially "phobic" situations, but only with great distress, or when accompanied by a trusted friend or family member.

People with agoraphobia may also have depression, fatigue, tension, alcohol or drug abuse problems, and obsessive disorders, making treatment crucial.

Phobias become problems when they interfere with an individual being able to pursue the life they would like. When phobias are preventing a person from experiencing happiness or are interfering with someone’s goals, it may be time to seek help. If something is getting in the way of your daily life and leading what you would consider a normal life, then it may also be time to seek help.

Brain and Body Work Can Help!

Julie at Posture Massage can be a great resource for helping you to develop the tools for overcoming your phobias. Much like the sessions designed for reducing your cravings, she will help you clear the phobias that you have by helping your brain to balance out in certain areas that become active when you think about or experience those phobias. This type of session can help to down regulate the triggers that are occurring in your life. During the session, Julie invites you to think about your phobias, which activates parts of your brain, and then helps to balance your brain activity.  

Some helpful blogs from Posture Massage include The Body Records What Happens To Us and  Let Your Body Know It Is Safe. Understanding how our bodies and brains work in relation to our experiences can go a long way in helping us to overcome our phobias.

Client Experience:

One client who I worked with had a debilitating phobia of flying. After using some brain and body work techniques with this client, she surprised me by texting me out of the blue “I am in Romania!” After working with her on her phobia of flying, her fear was dampened enough and she was able to use some of the tools I gave her in order to take an international flight and had a wonderful vacation in Romania! She gave the following testimonial: “Julie was so super helpful when I had to fly this past summer. I was so nervous and my body was having so much anxiety to do it! I successfully went on my trip with zero anxiety! So So SO grateful!”