(This blog was originally posted on June 22, 2014)
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| Photo courtesy of Microsoft |
Last year, 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 to work
through this anxiety.
For more
information about fears and phobias, I invite you to read my blog titled The
Origin of Fears & Phobias. For more information about the relationship
between nutrition and anxiety, please read my blog titled Nutrition
and Development of Phobias.
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/.
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