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Health & Wellbeing Scared of flying, or maybe you faint at theArticleCAN YOU DEAL
WITH A PHOBIA
BY YOURSELF?
Yes – to an extent. “Trying
to alleviate your own phobia
involves understanding what
the root cause is,” explains
Laura. “When did it start and
did something happen in your
life or environment around
that time that was traumatic
or difficult for the age of life
you were at? You could try
desensitising yourself through
self-exposure therapy,
but I would caution this,
depending on the root
cause and the emotions
that may arise and
overwhelm your system.”
Here are some ways to work
on your phobia by yourself:
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Practice mindfulness
outside of the moments
when the phobia source is
present.
“Build up the skills
to be present in yourself
and calm,” says Richard.
“When you find yourself in
situations where you need
to be calm, you can tap into
that skill which has been
established and practised
away from the phobia.”
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Use your network.
“Ask
for support from family and
friends,” says Tess. “Talk
about your phobia. Talking
removes the power from
the fears that take up your
mental space unnecessarily.”
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Think about how you’d
rather be.
“People with
phobias often rehearse
how they will panic in the
presence of their phobia
source,” says Richard.
“They make a prediction
of them losing their mind.
We get better with practise
and things that are more
familiar are done more
automatically. Even when
they say ‘I hope I don’t
freak out the next time I see
a clown’ – when you say
what you don’t want you
are still thinking about (and
practising) the problem.”
l
Face smaller fears and
really acknowledge your progress.
“What
else scares you?” asks Tess. “Can you do
something that you find less frightening?
However small, it doesn’t matter. If you
can overcome one small fear, you’re one
step closer to overcoming your phobia.”
l
Change the picture.
“Create a picture of
the phobia source in a TV in your mind,” says
Richard. “Make it clear and specific. Then
when the picture is built up, begin changing
it. Move the TV screen further away from
you in your imagination, make the picture
drain of colour, turn down the volume,
have the screen crackle and glitch.”
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Put pen to paper.
“Write down what your
phobia means to you, why it scares you so
much, what you are afraid of,” suggests Tess.
“Writing is a powerful way to get the
tangle of thoughts out of your head
and get a new perspective on things.”
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