To Fear The Darkness

Fear Of Death And Darkness Phobia

by: Steve Hill

Fear of the dark also known as Nyctophobia is common among young children who often fear that something catastrophic may happen to them in the night. In the darkness, we can’t see very well, and for a young child, particularly one with a healthy imagination, this can be very frightening. A pervading sense can build that something sinister is just out of sight and arm’s reach waiting for its moment to strike.

As a young child, I used to suffer from this phobia, as a result of which my mother used to leave the landing light on for me to provide a calming relief from the darkness. My parents also used to ask me questions to make me elaborate on my fears. By doing this, they showed concern and sympathy, while at the same time making it very clear that they were not afraid. In this way, parents can be of great use to their children.

The fear lessened as I grew older, then went away altogether. Most children as they grow up and the world around them becomes more logical and less fantastic, come to realise that they are quite safe in the darkness and their fears were irrational.

Some adults can suffer from this fear – particularly those who suffer from nightmares or have traumatic memories. Although gradual exposure to darkness can be helpful to nyctophobics, the management of nightmares and bad memories is liable to require specialist help.

Fear of death or Thantophobia is quite a natural phenomenon. None of us know what will happen to us after we die. But to be morbidly afraid of death is unhealthy and detrimental to our lives.

If one fears death excessively, it can prevent them from being able to enjoy life. Often associated with hypochondria, morbid death fear can cause unnecessary worry and anxiety and can prevent the sufferer from being able to live life to the full.

To a point the fear of death diminishes when we see it in its natural context – a dying person surrounded by loving friends and family. However most of our images of death in the modern world have been distorted by our culture’s preoccupation with unnatural violent death: daily news stories of shootings, abductions and suicide bombings. Brutally violent movies and computer games. Also scare mongering news stories regarding types of food once perceived to be healthy, but now putting you at death’s door.

All this negative focus leads to unhealthy consequences. An exaggerated fear of dying and phobias of growing old leads to a reluctance to make a will or make any plans for those we love whom we know will outlive us and a general ignorance of normal end of life options.

Source

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Fears And Phobias A Brief Overview

by: Steve Hill

Psychiatry identifies three different categories of phobia:

Agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces. It is also a fear of having a panic attack in a public place, of losing control in an area from which escape may prove difficult or embarrassing.

Social Phobia is an irrational anxiety brought forth by exposure to certain social situations, leading to avoidance behaviour.

Specific Phobia is a persistent and irrational fear in response to some specific stimulus, which commonly results in avoidance of/withdrawal from that stimulus. It could be triggered by an insect or animal (zoophobia), by a situation like being trapped in an enclosed space (claustrophobia) or it could be a fear of disease (pathophobia).

Approximately 1 in 23 people suffer from phobias. That’s nearly 4.25% of the population. There are roughly 11.5 million sufferers in the US and 2.5 million in the UK .

Approximately 19.1 million American adults aged between 18 and 54 (13.3% of people in this age group) in a given year have an anxiety disorder.

5.2 million Americans (aged 18 to 54) or 3.7% of people in this age group have social phobia.

Approximately 3.2 million Americans have agoraphobia.

Almost 6.2 million US citizens have some sort of specific phobia.

All three types of phobia, social, agoraphobia and specific are likely to effect between 5 and 10 people in every 100.

Females are more prone to irrational fears than males. Roughly twice as many women as men suffer from panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and specific phobia though about equal numbers of women and men have obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia.

In England in 2002-3, there were 310 hospital consultant episodes for phobic anxiety disorders. 94% required hospital admission. 40% were for men, 60% for women.

Only about 20% of specific phobias disappear on their own for an adult.

Source

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The post Fears And Phobias A Brief Overview appeared first on Robert JR Graham.

Face Your Fears

by: Lisa Martin

Fear can be broken down into three categories: real (healthy), imagined (thought-based) and worry. Although fear can get in your way by interfering with your hopes, dreams and desires; fear is not always a bad thing. Admitting you’re afraid of something can be quite enlightening. It gives you a chance to assess what is holding you back.

Real Fears Protect

Let’s look first at “real” fear—that is, fear or concern that’s based in reality and that you must look at and evaluate rationally to maintain your physical, emotional or spiritual health. This kind of fear often acts as nature’s warning signal. There are definitely times when we are fearful of pursuing our hopes, dreams and desires for some very good reasons. Feeling “afraid” to start your own business when your financial reserves are lacking is a healthy fear. Your intuition is sending you signals to get your financial house in order before embarking on a new venture.

Imagined Fears are Obstacles

On the other hand, imagined fear is not healthy. When our fear is basically in our heads, it can be unreasonable and paralyzing. Imagined fear needs to be examined very closely. Is what you consider a reasonable fear really a rationalization or an excuse for not trying. Do these sound familiar? “I’m too old to do something new.” “It will take too long.” “I won’t be any good at it.” “People will laugh.”

Most imagined fears are outcome-based—in other words, the source of the fear is attached to an end result or how things may turn out. Two of our most common fears—of rejection and failure—are both are deeply connected to an outcome. However, if you spend all your time fearing an unknown outcome, you will never move forward. When you detach from the outcome you release the fear and give yourself the opportunity to enjoy the process.

Worry Depletes Energy

The third category of fear is plain old worry. It’s the most pervasive form of fear, and it saps your time and your energy. Worry is pointless and counterproductive. It leeches time and energy away from achieving your goals.

But how do you stop? The key to overcoming worry is to learn new patterns. When you find yourself beginning to worry, pay attention to the physical symptoms that accompany that reaction. Notice what kind of thoughts you have as you begin to worry. Switch your thinking to the present. Focus on what you are doing right now, in the present moment. Use this as a ritual to cut worry off and bring you back to a more positive frame of mind. Over time, as you grow more aware of the signals your body is giving you, you’ll worry less and be more productive.

Source

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