A phobia can be the root of amusement, terror, and distress. Sometimes all of them at once.
Phobias range from the absurd to the downright nasty. At the simpler end of the scale, there is the fear of chocolates. And we all know someone who happily travels across sea and land for miles rather than gets on a quick airplane ride because he/she is scared of heights. However, it must be nerve-wracking to check within your cornflake packet every morning just if there is a snake inside. Or to be surrounded with terror every time the dog carries a mouse in. For some, the cat itself is an objective of terror. On the other end of the spectrum, we fear swallowing, which typically can have severe consequences.
Most phobics are treatable through various modern techniques. Perhaps you have been for phobia treatment with little or no headway. Or maybe you or yours would like to be assured of a better result from the word go. Here are the five overlooked phobia enhancers.
- Once we start Questioning the ability to see ourselves free from phobias, we are in the direction towards ‘permanent damage.’ Stop questioning your capacity to face your phobias.
- Feeling that it is your role to carry some discomfort. For example, the subconscious mind might think, “this is the pain I have to bear until I die,” or “my father always shouted at my brother and was very nice to me, so God punishes me through other means.”
- Feeling that it is not safe to let go of phobias. The unconscious mind might say, “if I let go of this dilemma, what else will I have to face?” This is when the phobia is a manifestation of something much more powerful.
- Feeling that one is not deserving of being free from this fear. The conscious mind may want to be free from this fear. The unconscious mind may be saying things like “I wasn’t worthy of being loved by my father” or “my mother left us, so I wasn’t worthy of him staying” or even “The love of my life abused me because it was my mistake.”
- Strangely enough, for some, a phobia provides interest and stimulation. And so, some phobics are, in a way, addicted to the fear.
While these are on the darker side of healing obstinate phobias, they point the way to the resolution. Once we know what the obstacle is, we can start working on it. There are many treatments for phobia, with varying degrees of success. However, let’s find out some DIY phobia solving techniques.
- Sit with your phobia for 5 minutes every week. If you fear spiders, see their photos for five minutes every week on your phone, or maybe change your wallpaper to ‘smiling spiders.’
- Write a letter to your phobia telling him/her what actually hurts you. For instance, if you are scared of airplanes, write a letter to this ‘phobia’ describing what you fear. Do you fear heights? Is the fear of a plane crash bothering you? Write them down.
- Find humor in your phobias will help ease the pain associated with it.
- Walking and Exercising helps change the theme of your dreams. Exercise can refocus you and your mind towards feeling more capable.
- Do not underestimate yourself and keep encouraging yourself everyday.
