A phobia is an irrational fear of an object. In class, we often talked about people’s fears and how they adjust their life in order to avoid that thing. We also talked about exposure therapy and ways people can overcome the fear in order to continue on with a normal life. Exposure therapy allows a person to come in contact with the object they are afraid of in a controlled environment for the purpose of the person becoming more accustomed to the fear.
In my experience, I have an irrational fear of balloons. I used to not be able to think about a balloon without having a panic attack. To this day, I don’t know what caused the fear or when I realized that it appeared. I never formally went to an aversion therapy but I still carry the fear with me to this day. How I overcame some of my fear was by slowing being exposed to the fear through different situations. All four years of high school I was head of the spirit club committee which meant decorating for school events with balloons. As the years went on I became less afraid of them due to the high volume of them I was around all the time. I still jump when people squeeze them and get abnormally anxious yet, I have come to a better relationship and coping mechanisms for it.
Without realizing it, I did my own version of exposure therapy. I put myself into controlled situations where I knew what was going on and when it got too much I could leave or make someone else handle what I couldn’t. Although I still experience fear, it doesn’t alter my life like it used to. I can function more normally and don’t have to eject myself from places where blown up balloons are or might be.
This is well written, and I relate to it a lot. I have social phobia. It used to be so extreme where I would have to think about what I wanted to say for a good 5-10 minutes before saying it. I rehearsed and rehearsed and constantly checked what I looked like in the mirror to see if anyone would be able to tell if I was panicking. Like you, I don’t know where my phobia came from. One day I was super outgoing and always the one to volunteer to read in class, then one day, I was not. Exposure therapy is a great way to help make phobias less intense. I did some exposure therapy by doing the things I would avoid. I have a lot less social anxiety now but I still do experience it. If I didn’t reach out for help, I really do not know what kind of life I would be living. I know it would be one that no one should have to live like. I like how you pushed yourself to be on the spirit committee even though you knew you may experience anxiety. Not everyone realizes how hard it is for people with phobias to push themselves to be exposed.
Thank you for sharing your experiences as they truly did elaborate on the importance of exposure therapy. Many people have fears, but not everyone has an aphobia. An aphobia is a deep fear that alters the way we act, like, and live. When I was a child, I had an aphobia of germs. I was in elementary school and grew terrified of germs. I washed my hands constantly every chance I got. They grew cracked and bloodied, but I continued to wash them. My obsession with handwashing spread to other aspects of my life. I started to become scared of walking home from school because I was terrified that I could get cut by a twig and risk exposing myself to a world of bacteria. My parents saw these alarming symptoms and helped me seek treatment. Today, I have absolutely no fear of germs and no phobias. I was treated with exposure therapy by limiting the about of times I participated in handwashing. I believe that exposure therapy can be one of the best ways to treat a phobia by limiting one’s sensitivity to the things that bother you the most. Thank you for sharing your story! It really helped me reflect on my own experiences and relate them to the outside world.
Great post! This was very well written and easy to understand and relate to. I had a terrible phobia of public speaking and getting up in front of the class to present something or talk about something when I was younger. I would get sweaty, red in the face and extremely nervous and anxious whenever I had to talk in front of a group of people, especially when it was for an extended amount of time. Even though I would be very nervous, I would always get compliments on how great I did and how well I spoke. This allowed me to gain confidence because of the positive feedback I would get back. I still always get a little nervous to this day, but knowing that I am going to be okay and that I can get through it makes me a lot less anxious. I now am a Communications major and I am in a public speaking class which has really helped me and pushed me to go outside of my comfort zone. I feel that we need to really face our fears or find a way that makes our phobia less frightening to move past it and realize that we are okay.