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Stress Management Center/Phobia Institute
We are born with only two emotions - love and fear - and only two fears - falling and loud noises.
According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, Anxiety Disorders are the major epidemic of our times.
Anxiety Disorders include:
The classical definition of a Phobic Disorder is:
...irrational, persistent fear of or an excessive avoidance of a specific object, some particular activity or situation.
Behavioral scientist B.F. Skinner, the founder of behaviorism, defines phobias as superstitions.
Any behavior that does not lead to the predetermined goal with the fewest number of actions is called superstitious behavior.
The American Psychiatric Association subdivides Phobic Disorders into the following three types:
There are also Life Cycle Phobias, such as:
Symptoms for all types of phobias range from mild anxiety and a sense of impending doom to full-blown panic attacks.
At the Stress Management Center/Phobia Institute, the definition of a phobia has been defined and expanded further:
...any behavior or feeling that is unacceptable and uncomfortable resulting from conscious or unconscious pictures of the past or projected pictures of the future... or... any thoughts or actions that result in debilitating behavior and decreased optimum performance.
Fear from threat of losing security, self-esteem, companionship, food, shelter, sex, and power are the most predominant of all fears.
The infamous “seven cardinal sins” illustrate these fears well:
All these phobias are blockades, barriers to experiencing a good life and so-called miracles. They seem overwhelming and hopefully, to most, humbling. However, remember that “humility” means you are ready to learn, that you are teachable.
It is important to note that stress and fear are exactly the same thing physiologically. The physical, mental, emotional, social and work-related symptoms of fear and stress can cause an immune system breakdown.
As with any symptoms of phobias, the symptoms can range from a mild anxiety or a sense of impending doom to full-blown phobias with associated panic attacks. Hyperventilation, palpitations of the heart, sweaty palms, and fear of losing control or going crazy are some of the more common symptoms.
The three causes of phobias are identical to the three ways we learn - trauma, repetition, and modeling (conscious and unconscious).
Many controversial theories regarding phobias only add to the stress:
Current fears and phobias can run the gamut and cover all subjects:
If you suffer from excessive fear of a specific object or situation, you can visit the store, call the Stress Management Center/Phobia Institute at (828) 258-1311, or send an e-mail to Dr. Dossey.
An expert professional is an expert with disaster, trauma, phobia and stress. An expert professional can quickly and safely determine your needs, tell you specifically what they're going to do and how long it will take.
Are sufferers mentally ill? Not at all. They have learned maladaptive behavior and can unlearn it safely, quickly, affordably. Those people who have phobias, superstitions and maladaptive beliefs cut across all social, economic, emotional and intellectual boundaries. There is no verifiable proof that people who have phobias are superstitious are abnormal in any way, nor do they necessarily carry with them a history of neurotic, maladaptive behavior. They have simply lost control of their minds (they have not lost their minds) and bodily feelings to the extent that they have hindered their ability to handle their actions appropriately. It becomes problematic only if it interferes with their optimum performance in their jobs, relationships or happiness.
Even those with some symptoms should be very cautious about going to a psychiatrist, psychologist or counselor unless he or she is an expert in the field of phobias and anxiety disorders. As it says in KEYING: THE POWER OF POSITIVE FEELINGS: Overcoming Fears, Phobias and Stress, psychotherapy as it is often practiced can be injurious to your mental, emotional and physical health. Psychotherapy is not predictably effective and when it is, the results more often than not do not last.
Why are some therapies considered dangerous? As developed by authors R. Laing, D. Chopra, J. Haley, J. Hillman, G. Wood, T. Szasz, D. Jackson and others, traditional psychotherapy tends to go back into the past, and talk about the problem and hunt for possible “root causes.” This digging into the hurtful past creates physical feelings that are associated with the problem, and they are bad, negative feelings. As Dr. Dossey has said many times, “What you think about you begin to feel, what you feel generates what you do, and what you do creates how you will become.” If you talk about horrible things, you will begin to feel horrible things.
When you practice a part in a play or repeat over and over a piece on the piano, you become more proficient at it. That is called rehearsal, and practice makes permanence. Generally, people have “rehearsed” their phobic feelings so often, and so well, that they do not need any more of it. That is why some therapies can be so detrimental - they only call for more rehearsal.
Pharmacological treatments (that is, drug therapy) also have their drawbacks. Bad side-effects are often exactly the same as the symptoms being treated. When this happens, the practitioner could be treating the side-effects and not the real symptoms.
The following have been found to be controversial treatment modalities:
Use the same criteria you use for the television repairman. For safety's sake, it is imperative that the practitioner be a specialist in the field of anxiety disorders, specifically phobias.
A specialist will be able to tell not only what is wrong, but also how he or she is going to treat it, how long it will take (most likely within two or three weeks), and how much it is going to cost. If they cannot tell you those things, they they are not an expert. Do not hire them.
Taking the following actions can help get you through any kind of anxiety:
For more information, you can visit the store, call the Stress Management Center/Phobia Institute at (828) 258-1311, or send an e-mail to Dr. Dossey.
DISCLAIMER: These tests were developed by Dr. Dossey from his 20+ years of research in anxiety disorders, phobias and stress; the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; and the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III. The results of these tests should not, however, be construed as the final analysis. An appropriate health care professional - an expert in the area of PTSDs - should be consulted for positive diagnosis and treatment. The recommendations and suggestions included in this document are intended to improve psychological and physical preparedness in case of a crisis, disaster or trauma. However, they do not guarantee the safety of any individual or family member. Neither the publisher nor author assumes liability for any injury, psychological or physical, which may occur in connection with any disaster, trauma or crisis. Information based on material developed at the Stress Management Center/Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC.
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