If you feel anxiety and apprehension when an object or a situation comes up, then you are demonstrating fear.
It is an emotion that arises from a perception that something is harmful, a self-preservation “device” wired
into our brain. This is why we feel nervousness, panic and exhilaration coming in a sudden rush in moments of fear.
That rush is caused by the body producing hormones such as adrenaline. Adrenaline is an “emergency” feature our
body uses to make us do things we may not be able to do under normal circumstances. Fear is a very strong trigger
for adrenaline to assist us with self-preservation.
The source of fear could be perceived by others as irrational, but seems perfectly logical to the person experienceing
it.
Phobia is the term most researchers use when describing an irrational, persistent fear of something.
A feeling of dread can easily escalate into anxiety and then panic when a person encounters an object or
situation that he or she has a phobia about. In extreme cases, a phobia may become elevated to an obsession
that hampers a person’s life as well as the people around them.
Phobias triggered by a particular object or situation are called simple phobias.
Common examples of these would be hydrophobia (fear of the water), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), and acrophobia
(fear of heights). Others include ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), claustrophobia (fear of closed, small spaces)
or ailurophobia (fear of cats). There is even a term to describe the fear of the number thirteen (triakaidekaphobia).
Social phobias
Most people can keep their fears in check, but others allow fear to overwhelm them, thus rendering them
unable to function normally in society.
Agoraphobia is a kind of social phobia that pertains to the fear of open spaces. People who suffer from
this are unable to go out of the confines of places what they feel are safe. The fear limits social interaction,
which can impede recovery.
Other examples of social phobias would be the fear of speaking in public. There are cases of people who are afraid
of placing an order in a restaurant, and even filling out a form when someone is watching.
Two common ways to address the problems of socially debilitating phobias are psychoanalysis and behavioral therapy.
Psychoanalysis
This treatment maintains that specific and social fears stem from a repressed memory or feeling from
one’s childhood. One represses that memory or feeling because of some traumatic experience concerning it.
It manages to manifest itself to that person well into their adult life through phobias.
Psychoanalytic treatment is usually one-on-one talk therapy sessions where the therapist aims to detect that
repressed feeling and brings it to the patient’s attention where the patient can address it and come to terms with it.
Once these repressions are faced, the phobias can be managed more easily or totally abandoned.
This is best for mature patients who are more comfortable with one-on-one sessions
rather than group therapy.
Behavioral therapy
This treatment asserts that a fear is acquired and learned, in which case, the process can be reversed through
unlearning. The treatment for phobia involves gradually exposing the patient to the source of what he or she fears.
It is part of the desensitization process where he learns that the object of the fears is not as ominous as
previously perceived. People who prefer group therapy will most likely benefit from this kind of treatment.
Young children also stand to benefit more from this as they may yet be unable to express themselves in a
psychoanalysis session.
NEXT: Overcoming Fear of Rejection
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