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| Photo courtesy of Microsoft |
Did you see it?
On Saturday, the
ScienceNow column of the Metro section in the Los Angeles Times featured a huge picture
of a Dolomedes Triton spider. Okay, the photograph wasn’t huge; it was only
four inches by seven inches—I measured it!—but it was in color and there were
enough details to show aspects of spider anatomy I didn’t need or want to see. And
it was no ordinary, fly-eating house spider, either: it looked like a tarantula,
and this creature was photographed catching a small fish! While I am not a fan
of arachnids in any situation, I can only imagine how this image might have
affected someone who has a fear or phobia of spiders. For a moment, I fancifully
wondered if there should have been a spoiler alert on the previous page to warn
readers what they might see on page AA2.
Of course, life
doesn’t come with a spoiler alert, either. It is up to each of us to learn and
develop strategies to cope or “deal” with things that make us feel
uncomfortable. But what do you do when there is no “known” reason to explain your
extreme, negative reaction to a stimulus that doesn’t seem to bother anyone else?
How do you “cope” with this fear or anxiety when just a picture or other
representation of the stimulus can also trigger that strong negative reaction?
I often work
with people to help overcome their fears and phobias, through hypnotherapy. A fear
is distinguished from a phobia if the primary cause of the extreme
reaction: 1) has an identifiable “cause”; and 2) the person can identify when
the fear started (usually during childhood). Phobias, which typically begin during
adulthood, do not have a known primary cause or specific date of onset. Also,
the person is aware that his or her extreme reactions to the stimulus are
irrational.
To help someone
who experienced an extreme negative reaction to the photo I just described, I would
need to determine whether this individual had a fear or phobia about what is
depicted in this image. While the client is in hypnosis I would systematically
desensitize the individual to specific aspects of the stimulus that the person
finds distressing (e.g., anatomy of the spider, what it is doing in the
picture, etc.). Next, I would desensitize the person to the entire or overall
image/impression of the spider or spiders and give the person to “practice” controlling
his or her reaction in guided imagery. Finally, I would teach the person relaxation
techniques and create a subconscious anchor with which he or she can activate
this sensation of feeling of calm and reinforce this ability to control the previous
negative response. When the client is returned to a fully alert and aware
state, I would discuss the role of nutrition—specifically, how blood-sugar
levels can exacerbate anxiety and its physical symptoms. I would also coach him
or her on how and when to use the Emotional Freedom Technique (www.eftuniverse.org) to work through this
anxiety.
For more information
about fears and phobias, go to my blog titled “Fears & Phobias” (April 2,
2014). For more information about the relationship between nutrition and
anxiety, please read my blog titled “Nutrition and Hypnotherapy” (January 14,
2014).
Sara R. Fogan,
C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California.
She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
