i am afraid of clowns, of bugs and insects and of needles. is there any way to help me?
2006-11-01 13:52:35 · 7 answers · asked by gabby 1 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
the first step is imagining your self in any of these situations and visualizing the scenario very vividly really spend the time setting up the stage at first when you do this you will go through the physical symptoms of anxiety. sweating heart race maybe even nausea keep telling yourself you are safe these symptoms you are experiencing cannot kill you. when you start to feel anxious introduce something into the equation that you are not afraid of like imagine a clown in the circus sitting beside you and maybe your pet joins you and sits beside you see your self being comforted what i would like you to do is repeat these steps daily until you stop having anxious thoughts .when you are able to do this then watch a innocent movie maybe a documentary about clowns have a friend watch it with you or maybe watch a cartoon with the same content . next step actually go to a carnival and actually have a good time . i would like to find out when you started having all these anxieties and why just sometimes pinpointing that can help you clear all these up
think about the worst thing that could happen to you then realize that the worst part is actually the fear is worse than anything that you would have to face in life . if you really follow this advice and in months have no change please seek prof help these fears can really inter fear with the quality of your life
2006-11-01 14:20:17 · answer #1 · answered by dancfan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without actual therapy, the key is to gradually introduce yourself to these things in a non-threatening way. Visit a Children's zoo where they have animals you can pet. Our zoo often included some insects/spiders in the group. It's easier to touch a tarantula after a 6 year old does it. Pick up a kids book at the library about clowns. Think about what scares you about a clown and when you read the book, think about how the clown is NOT all of those scary things.
Needles are harder because most people don't have them lying around but at the doctor close your eyes and take deep breaths until you relax.
2006-11-01 21:58:45 · answer #2 · answered by Drolefille 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, any psychologist can cure those phobias with only a few counseling sessions. They would start by working with the most minor of your phobias. The way you do that is by exposing yourself to the thing you are afraid of in small doses (like looking at a picture of a clown), and staying in that situation until you become calm. You then put yourself in more and more stressful situations and stay in each of those situations until you are calm (like eventually meeting someone dressed as a clown). Warning: if you expose yourself to something you fear and take off before you are able to calm yourself, your phobia will be even worse. That's why you need a trained counselor - to encourage you and accurately assess what you can or cannot handle at each step.
2006-11-01 22:07:36 · answer #3 · answered by Me 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Three ways to extinct the association (fear):
1. Systematic Desensitization (counter conditioning): Many therapist employ this tech. a variety of ways: Virtual reality, vicarious experience, imagining, etc. You could imagine yourself with the stimulus and pair this experience with something relaxing for you ,(deep breaths, soothing music, etc) continue this in successive approximations, allowing more realistic exposure to the object.
2. Flooding: Expose yourself immediately, without the approximatinos.
3. Lots of Prozac.
2006-11-01 22:39:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From what you've said......you have several phobias best see your G P always a good place to start .......
2006-11-01 22:05:01 · answer #5 · answered by Vivian X 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
live on a boat in the middle of noware.
2006-11-01 21:56:26 · answer #6 · answered by a1 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Try analysing them.
2006-11-01 22:06:55 · answer #7 · answered by CAPTAIN BEAR 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋