How Do I Get Rid Of A Phobia?
27 August 2010
6 Comments
stratplayer63@ymail.com asked:
Here’s the story. About a year ago, i started to avoid loud, sudden noises, most commonly our house alarm system and our school fire drills. I feel anxious during school, anticipating a drill. I cant sleep at night, fearing our alarm will go off. I don’t know what the phobia is called. I have had it all of my life, but it has gotten serious over the past year. Any professional suggestions, or any tips for the phobia? HELP!!!
Its how i am not expecting it, and it startles me.
Here’s the story. About a year ago, i started to avoid loud, sudden noises, most commonly our house alarm system and our school fire drills. I feel anxious during school, anticipating a drill. I cant sleep at night, fearing our alarm will go off. I don’t know what the phobia is called. I have had it all of my life, but it has gotten serious over the past year. Any professional suggestions, or any tips for the phobia? HELP!!!
Its how i am not expecting it, and it startles me.
ligyrophobia that’s what the phobias called i suggest you try to overcome it
Go talk to your parents or the school counsler
they can set you up with someone to help you get over this
First thing to do is to try and determine WHAT about loud noises freak you out?
Although the loud noise can initially be scary, in the end, fire/house alarms are valuable tools used to save lives and should not be the source of anxiety. Did you get caught in a fire or have a bad experience in your life that involved a loud noise?
SOMETHING had to trigger it. Once you find out what/why this is happening, you can work to desensitize yourself to this stimuli.
Face up to your fear and get over with it.
It’s called Ligyrophobia.
It’s like watching a scary movie. You’ll be scared out of your wits the first few times of watching the movie, but the more you watch it, the less scary it will be. The same thing goes for a fear. The more you confront your fear, the more comfortable you’ll feel. I know it seems difficult, but by doing so, you’ll show yourself that the fear is really all in your irrational mind. Don’t let the anxiety dictate your decisions. Let the feeling do its course and face the phobia anyway. There are always going to be loud noises and it is something you are going to have to accept.
Instead of fearfully opposing the phobia, welcome and encourage it. Statistics prove that by doing so, the anxiety will not mount. Be in control and reward yourself at the end of the day for facing what you’re afraid of. You have potential and the phobia cannot take that away from you unless you let it.
The “startle reflex” is present in most normal infants, and continues into adulthood, with many people. In a similar manner to how agoraphobics develop a fear of public places, due to having had an anxiety/panic attack, and associating it, wanting to avoid having another one in a place where they can’t quickly get help, you seem to have developed a similar association.
A previous answer follows, some of which is inapplicable in your case: Treatment of many phobias using systematic desensitisation therapy has been demonstrated to be effective. It is always best to use a professional therapist, and clinical psychologists are a good choice, since they tend to rely less on the use of medication, except possibly in the early stages, in their more extreme cases. If you are unable to access the services of a professional, or need a quick result, you can try the following. You may wish to have something to help relax you, first. Short term only, try valerian root, (some people experience “valerian hangovers”) or chamomile. Once you feel it starting to become effective, look fleetingly, at a picture (it can be an illustration, drawing, photograph, or Google an image of it; for example: enter “spider; photo” in the searchbar) of the thing which causes your phobia, from a distance.
Then look away, and observe how you feel. Uncomfortable? Afraid? Abject terror? Let that feeling subside. You survived that, didn’t you? Next, (these steps need not all be done on the one day, depending on how well you respond, but I wouldn’t leave any gaps, returning to it on the next day) look at it from the same distance, but longer. Next, focus intently on it. Always expect to experience some level of discomfort, as you follow these steps, but the idea is to gradually become used to that stimulus, and the knowledge that you have survived the previous steps helps give you the confidence to tackle the next one.
Then, approach the image/picture a little closer. Next, closer still, until you are within an arm’s length. Then reach out toward it, and, if feeling confident enough, possibly touch it lightly, and quickly. Next, touch it longer, and from closer up. Then look at a real version of it, from a distance. It can be small, or artificial, or both. You can do any, or all of these in the company of a trusted friend, or family member, but if you do this, you will have to do it all over again, alone, because they won’t always be there, and you need to develop your competence in such situations. The same thing applies with the use of anxiolytics, either herbal, O.T.C., or prescription. Alone, and unaided! Next, approach it from closer up. Then touch it. Then leave your hand on it, or pick it up, and look at it.
Then, according to what it actually is, you may need to go to where you can expose yourself to the real thing, in relative safety. Once again; view from a distance, then approach closer. Then as close as you can safely get, yet still reach out and attempt to touch it; just ensure you remain within the limits of safety (allow yourself to be guided in this by other, more experienced people). Phobia is addressed in section 27, at… If you are one of the 40% of people who are fairly suggestible, you may wish to consider professional hypnotherapy, or:… – “Stop Fears and Phobias”
CD – MP3 “Flooding” therapy is an alternative, in which you would be exposed to repeated sudden loud noises, until you became used to them, and no longer responded with anxiety.
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