Fear
Fear
Fear can scare you, it can motivate you, or it might even
cause you to become paralyzed. Some refer to fear as nothing more than false
evidence appearing real. But if you are in the grips of fear it is very real
and it is important to understand fear as well as to come up with some tools
and coping mechanisms for when it visits itself upon you.
What is Fear
Fear is a powerful, natural and primitive human emotion.
According to psychological research, it involves a biochemical response and an
individual emotional response. Fear can alert one to the presence of danger or
the threat of harm. These threats can be physical or psychological.
Usually fear stems from real threats, but it can also
originate from imagined dangers. While fear is a natural response in most situations,
it can also lead to distress and disruption when extreme or not proportionate
to the actual threat.
In some cases fear can arise as a symptom of certain
mental health conditions. These conditions include panic disorder, social
anxiety disorder, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Fear is incredibly complex and there is no single cause.
Some fears may result from experiences or trauma, while others may represent a
fear of something else entirely, such as a loss of control. Some fears may
occur because they cause physical symptoms, such as being afraid of heights
because they make you feel dizzy and sick to your stomach.
Fear is natural, largely a survival mechanism. When we are
confronted by a perceived threat, our bodies respond in specific ways. Common physical
reactions to fear include sweating, increased heart rate, and high adrenaline
levels that make us extremely alert.
Fear
Responses
As noted above, fear has a biochemical response and an
individual emotional response.
The biochemical reaction associated with the emotion of
fear is an evolutionary construct. This automatic response can be crucial to
our survival. Fear is often connected to the autonomic nervous system condition
known as fight or flight. As greater research has been done around fear, the
response has been expanded to include freeze, referred to commonly now as
fight, flight or freeze. This condition arises as your body prepares itself to
either enter combat or run away, although it may cause you to lock up, like a
deer in the headlights and freeze.
Fear often involves both physical and emotional symptoms.
Each person may experience fear differently, but some of the common signs and
symptoms include: rapid heartbeat; shortness of breath; chest pain; chills; sweating;
dry mouth; nausea; trembling; and upset stomach.
In addition to the physical symptoms of fear, people may
experience psychological symptoms of being overwhelmed, upset, feeling out of
control, or a sense of impending death.
The emotional response to fear, on the other hand, varies
person to person. Fear often involves some of the same chemical reactions in
our brains that positive emotions like happiness and excitement do, so in some
cases feeling fear can feel fun, like watching scary movies or riding a roller
coaster.
In fact, some people are adrenaline seekers, thriving on
extreme sports and other fear-inducing thrilling situations. Others have a
negative reaction to the feeling of fear, avoiding fear-inducing situations at
all costs.
Types of Fear
Fear is generally broken down into three types: rational,
primal and irrational.
When there is a real, imminent threat we can experience
rational fear. If someone pulls a gun, the fear of being shot is a rational
fear. Fear of death is rational. A less extreme example is losing a child in a
very crowded venue. This is a rational fear.
Primal fear is innate and programmed into our brains. Examples
include fear of spiders (arachnophobia) or fear of snakes (ophidiophobia). We
have evolved into this conditioning because a human that was afraid of snakes
was less likely to be bitten by one than the human who wasn’t. Consequently,
humans who feared snakes had a higher survival rate.
Irrational fears are the ones that don’t make logical
sense and can vary widely from person to person. Think of it as a case of half
of our brain is scared, and the other half doesn’t understand why. These are
fears like fear of clowns (coulrophobia) and fear of ghosts (phasmophobia).
Fear or Phobia
Speaking of phobia, are fears and phobias the same? Although
fears and phobias are closely related, there are key differences.
Fear is a natural emotional reaction when you believe
there is a real and imminent danger. For example, becoming scared during a
lightning storm makes sense. This fear serves to prepare you to take cover and
gather necessary emergency supplies. This fear likely lasts until the storm is
over.
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. Phobias trigger
overwhelming anxiety even when it’s clear you aren’t in danger. For instance,
just seeing a spider on TV can make you very anxious if you have the condition
noted above, arachnophobia.
Fear may develop into or be a phobia when you experience
overwhelming anxiety that doesn’t match your true level of danger. When you
have a phobia, just thinking about your fear can trigger sudden and intense
anxiety.
A phobia generally causes fear of a specific situation or
object. A phobia could also lead you to spend a lot of time worrying if you’re
going to run into your fear. You might go out of your way to avoid places you
think you might encounter it, even if this causes you to put unrealistic limits
on your daily life.
We can see an example of phobia in someone living with a fear
of flying. If they experience debilitating anxiety when they board a plane, or
even just think about flying it moves from fear to phobia. They may respond to
this condition by choosing to only travel within driving distance. This
avoidance can lead to various problems, such as not being able to perform work
activities or see family who live far away.
Hypnotherapy
for Fear
Hypnosis can reduce the fear that individuals experience.
Measurable qualities of fear include blood pressure and heart rate.
Hypnotherapy can lower blood pressure by easing the mind and body into a
relaxed and calm state. Once the hypnosis relaxes their body, they can redirect
their mind away from focusing on their fears.
Hypnotherapy can help you get relief from fears that are
inhibiting your ability to live your life to the fullest in a number of
beneficial ways.
Overcoming Fear
Addressing the cause of your fear is a powerful step
towards overcoming it. Fear is often the result of a traumatic event that you
might not always remember. You may find yourself stuck in a destructive thought
pattern or negative reasoning pattern. Hypnotherapy can address the root of
your fear and uncover subconscious influences you are too close to see and wouldn’t
otherwise be aware of.
Changing conditioned responses is something that can be
very difficult to do alone because learned reactions and behaviors are very
powerful. Our mind learns to associate a certain place or situation with a fear
response. If we can begin to undo these responses, our mind gradually learns
that its conditioned response is unwarranted and unhelpful
Frequently our fears are constructed around false beliefs
about what can harm us, what is dangerous, and what is really going
to happen. Hypnotherapy can help you realign these beliefs and reveal the
truth. Once your subconscious appreciates on a deeper level that you are not in
danger and that a fear response isn’t necessary, relief will follow.
Coping techniques can be anchored in hypnosis and you can
turn to these tools when fear rears its ugly head. Practicing these tools in a
safe place with a relaxed mind will allow you to easily apply the tools when
needed.
Managing Fear
Relaxation is a beneficial tool to have for nearly all
challenges in life, but it is a particularly powerful tool to fight a fear
response. By inducing a relaxing hypnotic state and then rehearsing fear
situations, you will find yourself well-conditioned and prepared to face fearful
situations in the future. In hypnotherapy we can teach the subconscious to
experience a calm response in situations that in the past might have led to
feelings of panic.
Imagination is a beautiful thing, but unrestrained can
build and even fuel fear. Think about being in the house alone after watching a
horror movie to know that your own mind can play tricks on you and that your imagination
can be your own worst enemy. Hypnotherapy can help you learn to apply your
imagination for positivity and reassurance when faced with difficult
situations. Encouraging visualizations can be extremely powerful in reversing
fears and phobias.
Confidence building is a key component of hypnotherapy
and can address any fears that are a result of low self-esteem or lacking
confidence. By strengthening our confidence we become better equipped to deal
with fear. Hypnotherapy is inherently beneficial for improving self-belief on a
fundamental level. This could also have a beneficial effect on many other areas
of your life.
If you experience irrational or debilitating fear
hypnotherapy can help you take your life back. Call today for a no-cost,
no-obligation consultation.
Book with me here.
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