SPECIFIC PHOBIA SELF-TEST (from adaa.org): The most common kind of anxiety disorder, specific phobias—illogical yet powerful fears—affect more than 19 millions American adults at some time in their lives. If you suspect that you might suffer from a specific phobia, complete the self-test below. Print out the results and share them with a health care professional.
How can I tell if I have a specific phobia? Yes or no: Are you troubled by ...
Yes No Fear of places or situations where getting help or escape might be difficult, such as in a crowd or on a bridge? Yes No Shortness of breath or a racing heart for no apparent reason when confronting certain situations? Yes No Persistent and unreasonable fear of an object or situation, such as flying, heights, animals, blood, etc.? Yes No Fear that interferes with your daily life?
Yes No Being unable to travel alone?
Having more than one illness at the same time can make it difficult to diagnose and treat the different conditions. Depression and substance abuse are among the conditions that occasionally complicate anxiety disorders.
In the last year have you experienced... Yes No Changes in sleeping or eating habits? Yes No Feeling sad or depressed more days than not? Yes No A disinterest in life more days than not? Yes No A feeling of worthlessness or guilt more days than not?
During the last year, has the use of alcohol or drugs... Yes No Resulted in failure at work or school, or difficulties with your family? Yes No Placed you in a dangerous situation, such as driving under the influence? Yes No Gotten you arrested? Yes No Continued despite causing problems for you or your loved ones? ____________________________________________________________________________________ THERAPY: Systematic Densitisation Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy have been shown to be effective in the treatment of phobia. Also worth considering are hypnotherapy, particularly from a reputable professional hypnotherapist, and EFT. Give EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at www.mercola.com "EFT" & "EFT therapists" or www.emofree.com Professional is best. - There is a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: "Even though I have a fear of ........ , I deeply and completely accept myself."
(USA/Canada): www.psychologytoday.com/ (by disorder type). For therapy for children, and teenagers: http://www.focusas.com/ I also suggest using the WebFerret search engine, Altavista, Entireweb, Yahoo, or your own, and typing the term: "therapist" followed by your country's 2 letter code; for example, if I was in New Zealand, I'd enter: "therapists; nz" ____________________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDED READING: Anxiety, Phobias, & Panic: A Step-by-Step Program for Regaining Control of Your Life by Reneau Z. Peurifoy, & Triumph Over Fear: A Book of Help and Hope for People with Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias by Jerilyn Ross, & The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition by Edmund J. Bourne, & *The Tapping Cure: A Revolutionary System for Rapid Relief from Phobias, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and More by Roberta Temes Ph.D., from your bookstore, Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com and enter "phobia; media" in their searchbars for more.
HYPNOTHERAPY: Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.comOvercome Fear & Anxiety Do you ever feel that your thoughts and emotions control you, rather than the other way round?
Sometimes, you can feel as if something bad is about to happen for no apparent reason. As if you are about to have to do something, but you don't know what.
This sort of general anxiety or fear is usually generated by an unconscious response to the 'misuse' of the imagination. Basically, the 'back part' of the mind is getting the message from the imagination that something bad is going to happen, and so creates a state of readiness in the mind and body: anxiety.
This can partly be due to experiences in the past, or a lack of an ability to tolerate uncertainty - not knowing what is going to happen, but whatever the reason, using anxiety hypnosis the mind can learn to relax and take things as they come.
And this is how this 'hypnosis for anxiety and fear' session works. Using hypnotherapy, anxiety melts away, enabling you to enter a calm and relaxed frame of mind. The unconscious mind can then learn to 're-set' its responses to things back to normal, allowing you to enjoy every day with less anxiety, and more comfort. ____________________________________________________________________________________ http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/ has Stop Fears and Phobias CD - MP3 Both of the above places have ones about many specific phobias, such as fear of death, etc. www.Instant-Hypnosis.com has a greater range, and will create customised tapes, but is more expensive, and both the above are reputable, and reliable. 20% of people are highly suggestible; a similar amount moderately so. Around 20% are not suggestible. You could try the free hypnosis weblink, perhaps for memory improvement, to establish which type you are, but keep in mind that an experienced hypnotherapist is well versed in using hypnotic induction techniques, then deepeners: http://www.freehypnosistreatment.com They rely on donations to keep the free service operating, so, if helped, kindly contribute a little. ____________________________________________________________________________________ SPECIFIC PHOBIAS: ____________________________________________________________________________________ ACROPHOBIA - FEAR OF HEIGHTS: Because acrophobia can cause debilitating panic attacks, you first need to learn, and practise an anti panic attack breathing technique, until proficient, when on the ground. From: http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/1.html about panic attacks (also see page H): Advice from a clinical psychologist is to breathe in to the count of 3: (one thousand one; one thousand two; one thousand three) each takes around a second to say to yourself, in your mind, and out to the count of 3. Repeat as necessary, until feeling better. If you experience a panic attack, when at any height, try to look neither up, nor down, but focus on employing the breathing technique which you have learned. Expect to still feel some level of fear, or anxiety, but now that you know that you can control any panic attack, it should give you the confidence to know that you can still act, even if afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear, but having the resolve; the determination to still act effectively.
Once you undergo the experience, you will eventually become accustomed to it, at least to some degree. One method: Start off from a low height, perhaps a couple of feet/ 60 cm above some mats, so you have the confidence that, even if you fall, you won't be hurt. Then move a little higher, the idea being to induce a panic attack that you can then practise your control techniques on. You may not even need to undergo the experience of a panic attack, depending on your psychological makeup, but some people do, and this is for them. Next, you could go and try rock climbing, with a rope attached for safety. At a fairly low height, you could even try looking down, and up, as a means of inducing a panic attack, which may, or may not occur, but you will be prepared for it, if it does. Then go even higher, and try the above again. If no panic attack, continue. I'd leave abseiling until later. Baby steps first. If you can climb a wall to the top, either without an attack, or by controlling any which happen, you are ready to try abseiling. You could also go to a pool, and jump from a low height, then higher.
Read: Overcoming Fear of Heights: How to Conquer Acrophobia & Live a Life Without Limits (Pocket Phobia) by Martin M. Antony and Karen, Ph.D. Rowa, & Handbook of Exposure Therapies by David C.S. Richard and Dean Lauterbach, from your bookstore, or amazon.com
Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind. 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, hypnosisdownloads.com has: Overcome Fear of Heights. "There have been a number of promising studies into using virtual reality as a treatment for acrophobia". ^ Emmelkamp, Paul; Mary Bruynzeel, Leonie Drost, Charles A. P. G van der Mast (1 June 2001). "Virtual Reality Treatment in Acrophobia: A Comparison with Exposure in Vivo". CyberPsychology & Behavior 4 (3): 335–339. doi:10.1089/109493101300210222. - from Wikipedia.org.
"Like most phobias, acrophobia is treated with a variety of therapies, most commonly exposure therapy. Under the guidance of professionals, the person is guided through staged experiences of height, often first starting with virtual reality views of high places. This can help to gradually desensitize the individual to the experience of being in high places. Sometimes, medication like tranquilizers or antidepressants are useful in the early stages of treatment, but when the person is able to recover, they may not be needed in the long term. Further, there’s some suggestion given the internal balance theory that psychiatric medication would do more harm than good, since many of these medicines affect balance". - Wisegeek.com
"Very short-term therapy with a benzodiazepine (eg, lorazepam Some Trade Names ATIVAN Click for Drug Monograph 0.5 to 1.0 mg po) or a β- blocker ( propranolol Some Trade Names INDERAL Click for Drug Monograph is generally preferred—10 to 40 mg po), ideally about 1 to 2 h before the exposure, is occasionally useful when exposure to an object or situation cannot be avoided (eg, when a person who has a phobia of flying must fly on short notice) or when cognitive-behavioral therapy is either unwanted or has not been successful". http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec15/ch196/ch196e.html#CHDHBJJC
I suggest using nothing more potent than a cup of (cooled, bottled?) chamomile tea, or Tension Tamer (from supermarkets; use no milk) an hour beforehand, to mildly relax you, if rock climbing, or abseiling. _____________________________________________________________________________________
AGORAPHOBIA: often occurs as a result of having had a panic attack in a public place, and not wanting to repeat that experience outside of a place where someone feels safe, which is usually at home, in a place where they feel exposed, and unable to get help quickly. Options: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com Agoraphobia & http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com Remedy for Agoraphobia: CD or MP3 & http://www.instant-hypnosis.com Beat Agoraphobia. At the first sign of one, employ an ANTI PANIC ATTACK breathing technique. Advice from a published psychiatrist on controlled breathing: (1.) Get a clock, or watch with a second timer. (2.) Practise for 5 minutes, 4 times daily, until proficient. (3.) Take a small breath in, and hold it, for 6 seconds. (4.) Think to yourself: "RELAX", just before breathing out. (5.) Try to feel a sense of releasing tension, as you breathe out. (6.) Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out, for 3 seconds. Try to make your breathing very smooth, and light, as you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, or nose. (7.) For the next minute, continue to breathe in, and out, every 3 seconds. (8.) Go back to step 3, at the end of the minute, and proceed through to step 7, doing this for 5 minutes. Use this at the very first sign of a panic attack starting, or any time you feel anxious, or tense. Similar, but simpler advice, from a clinical psychologist is to breathe in to the count of 3: (one thousand one; one thousand two; one thousand three) each takes around a second to say to yourself, in your mind, and out to the count of 3. Also see http://deeplyrelax.com & www.deepsloweasy.com/html/intro.htm Note: the controlled breathing only helps with the symptoms, as do medications/herbal remedies. Address the underlying cause, which requires some form of therapy; see http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/ re anxiety, & pages H, & I. Imagine that the cause of your panic; your anxieties, fears, your self doubts, self recriminations, all the agonizing "I'm-so-Stupids"; every painful "I-can't-do-it" are huge raging, hurtful bulls snorting and charging at you. You see them coming at you and you hold out your red matador's cape at arms length and simply let them charge right by. Every time they come at you, hold out your arm with the red cape and let them rage and snort and go right on past. Some people recommend nettle tea, with a little honey. Others use Lavender tea, Lemon Balm, Chamomile, but use no milk or cream with herbal teas, or Valerian (caution: use for 3 weeks; maximum!).
Know how these affect you before driving, or doing anything dangerous, and it is far better to use the treatments, rather than relying on herbal remedies. Free online PANIC COURSE - www.panic-attacks.co.uk also available by email. See the section on panic attacks at www.mind.org.uk also Ebooklet form. They recommend letting a panic attack run its course, without doing anything to treat it, so you KNOW you will survive it. The usual maximum is 30 minutes, until symptoms begin to subside. Also see www.anxietypanic.com/signs.html and http://www.onestepatatime.com (chatroom, and one free email is allowed to their resident expert on joining - free) and www.medicinenet.com/panic_disorder/artic… and www.squidoo.com/controlpanicattack/modul… and and www.healthyplace.com/communities and http://www.anxietynetwork.com 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option hypnosisdownloads.com has: Stop Panic Attacks & Breathing Exercise, or instant-hypnosis.com Stop Panic Attacks. Use a relaxation method daily, like http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or yoga. Because many people can't access/afford professional therapy, I include the EFT, and EMDR variant for them to try, free of charge. The following is a variant of EMDR therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from anxiety; it is easily learned, quick to use, yet can be very effective. Prior to using either of these methods, first sit comfortably, and take a deep breath. Then, without moving your head, move your eyes from the left, to the right, and back again, taking around a second to do so (say: "a thousand and one": this takes approximately a second).
Repeat this procedure (without the words, although you can count, subvocally, if you like) 20 times: "A thousand and one; a thousand and two... " and so on, to a thousand and twenty. Then close your eyes and relax. Become aware of any tension or discomfort you feel. Then open your eyes, and take another deep breath, and repeat step one, closing your eyes, and relaxing afterwards, in the same manner. Then, repeat the procedure one last time. Some people may find that this is all they need do. With experience, you may find that you can practise this in public, with your eyes closed, which greatly widens the window of opportunity for its use, and avoids attracting unwanted attention. I have found that the 2 - 3 minutes spent using the EMDR markedly reduces distractions to the relaxation process, and is repaid many times over. Try the EFT version for use in public, via www.mercola.com (also enter "EFT therapists" in their searchbar) or www.emofree.com Professional is best.
Some suitable books are: The Agoraphobia Workbook: A Comprehensive Program to End Your Fear of Symptom Attacks by C. Alec Pollard and Elke Zuercher-White, & Agoraphobia: Simple, Effective Treatment by Claire Weekes, & Freedom From Agoraphobia by Mark Eisenstadt, from your bookstore, or perhaps better delivered by Amazon.com for agoraphobics. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Aviophobia/aerophobia: It may be related to stress, panic, or anxiety, so check out those topics at http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/v.html (where this extract came from) and pages i, h, & m. View: http://www.uncommon-knowledge.co.uk/phobias/fear-of-flying-phobia.html?utm_source=unk&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tr_trauma_2010 & http://travel.qandas.com/flights/how-can-i-treat-my-fear-of-flying-phobia.html & at: http://www.wikihow.com/ enter: "fear of flying" & www.fearofflying.com/ & http://www.airsafe.com/issues/fear.htm Book an aisle seat, early, and warn the flight attendant of your aerophobia*. Read an interesting book, or play an electronic game at takeoff, and landing, or listen to music/wear an eye covering, or wraparound sunglasses sprayed black on the inside. One approach is to find a clinical psychologist who deals with phobia. Google: "clinical psychologists; (your location)" Closely examine the http://1-800-therapist.com & http://www.metanoia.org/choose websites. Learn about flying, and its safety, compared with the much more dangerous road travel, with so many people carrying permanent "sleep deficits" these days, resulting in microsleeps. Psychologists tell us that the visual impact of plane crashes that we have viewed over the years causes a greatly exaggerated estimation of their actual risks.
NeuroLinguistic Programming, or hypnotherapy may be effective. It is important, however, to address the cause of the problem, rather than just the symptom, or it may manifest again in a different form. Hypnotism is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which communication with your subconscious mind is facilitated. 85% of people are suggestible, to some extent, so consider professional hypnotherapy, or more alternatives along such lines are on page V, at Weebly, where this came from. There are medications which can help, such as benzodiazapenes, like Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, or Valium, which are addictive, with very long weaning off periods, so use them rarely. Some people prefer drinking cooled, bottled chamomile, or Tension Tamer tea (from supermarket tea aisles; use no milk) an hour beforehand, but the restrictions on taking liquids aboard stop the possibility of using it before landing, unless the flight attendant will provide hot water for your herbal tea bag. Ask early*. Valerian, or passionflower, from pharmacies, vitamin, health food stores, or (less preferably) supermarkets may be a better solution. Know their effects on you beforehand!
Understand what it is that you are afraid of. That way, you can start to deal with that fear.
Try reading self-help books. Books that focus on the fear of flying can be very helpful in dealing with and managing that fear, says Seif.
Understand that fear is normal. It's very normal to be afraid of something that you don’t do very often, particularly something that seems as unnatural as flying.
Visualize flying. Imagine yourself walking into an airport and boarding a plane. Try to simulate your anxious feelings and learn how to manage them with relaxation techniques.
Try taking a class or getting exposure therapy. There are many different courses that deal with the fear of flying and offer therapy that can help acclimate you to flying. One therapist's class meets at an airport and boards a plane for the experience. This allows for an even better simulation of what it's like to really fly on a plane and teaches participants to manage that anxiety. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ARACHNOPHOBIA: Fear of spiders: Treatment of many phobias using systematic desensitisation therapy has been demonstrated to be effective. It is always best to use a professional therapist, and clinical psychologists are a good choice, since they tend to rely less on the use of medication, except possibly in the early stages, in their more extreme cases. If you are unable to access the services of a professional, or need a quick result, you can try the following. You may wish to have something to help relax you, first. Short term only, try valerian root, (some people experience "valerian hangovers") or Tension Tamer, (supermarket tea/health food aisles) or chamomile tea. View: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupp… Once you feel it starting to become effective, look fleetingly, at a picture (it can be an illustration, drawing, photograph, or Google an image of it; for example: enter "spider; photo" in the searchbar) of the thing which causes your phobia, from a distance. Then look away, and observe how you feel. Uncomfortable? Afraid? Abject terror? Let that feeling subside. You survived that, didn't you? Next, (these steps need not all be done on the one day, depending on how well you respond, but I wouldn't leave any gaps, returning to it on the next day) look at it from the same distance, but longer. Next, focus intently on it. Always expect to experience some level of discomfort, as you follow these steps, but the idea is to gradually become used to that stimulus, and the knowledge that you have survived the previous steps helps give you the confidence to tackle the next one. Then, approach the image/picture a little closer. Next, closer still, until you are within an arm's length. Then reach out toward it, and, if feeling confident enough, possibly touch it lightly, and quickly. Next, touch it longer, and from closer up. Then look at a real version of it, from a distance. It can be small, or artificial, or both.
Next, approach it from closer up. Then touch it. Then leave your hand on it, or pick it up, and look at it. Then, according to what it actually is, you may need to go to where you can expose yourself to the real thing, in relative safety. Once again; view from a distance, then approach closer. Then as close as you can safely get, yet still reach out and attempt to touch it; just ensure you remain within the limits of safety (allow yourself to be guided in this by other, more experienced people). You can do any, or all of these in the company of a trusted friend, or family member, but if you do this, you will have to do it all over again, alone, because they won't always be there, and you need to develop your competence in such situations. The same thing applies with the use of anxiolytics, either herbal, O.T.C., or prescription. Alone, and unaided! Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind. 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, at hypnosisdownloads.com Spider Phobia Cure. At: instant-hypnosis.com there is: Fear of Spiders, Fear of Bugs, & Release Any Fear, and at www.hypnotictapes.com there is: SPIDERS, OVERCOME FEAR OF (Arachnophobia), and at: asktheinternettherapist.com - "Stop Fears and Phobias" CD - MP3. You could get a fake spider from a toy store (brown paper bag; open when ready). Repeat the above steps: distance, closer, then touch. Then suspend it slightly above a flat surface from a piece of "invisible" sewing thread, or thin cotton thread, and direct a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner exhaust, or fan on it, because REAL spiders often move. UNEXPECTEDLY! I quickly invert a glass jar over mine, then carefully, slowly slide a THIN piece of rigid cardboard underneath, forcing it on top, and sealing it in; then I carefully invert it, so the cardboard acts as a lid; hold it down with one hand, and WALK it some distance away, and release.
Try practicing this. Others prefer to dispatch them immediately, with a shoe, or rolled up newspaper, etc., but spiders are afraid of humans, and will try to flee, if given an opportunity (as long as they perceive you). They only bite us when they are attacked, or feel threatened. If it weren't for spiders, we would be overrun with insects. There are very few species which are deadly. Find out which ones, if any, those are, in your area. Google: "dangerous spiders; (your location); picture", or call the zoo. I ALWAYS kill these (they might kill someone else, otherwise, and capture is riskier than killing). The final step is with a real spider. Decide beforehand on your general approach, but be prepared to vary it according to the species; perhaps watch someone else do it, at first. _____________________________________________________________________________________ DEMOPHOBIA: or a fear of crowds may be treated with Exposure Therapy. In a similar manner to agoraphobia, it may be caused by having associated a panic attack in a crowd with the actual crowding situation. I regard the presence of a therapist as being even more important here. Learn an effective method for treating a panic attack first. View about panic, at http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/1.html and pages h, and i. Then come possible alternative solutions, depending on how many people the sufferer perceives as a crowd, and whether or not a large group of people that person knows is regarded by them as being a crowd, or not.
For example, it may be possible to throw a party, and gradually expose the sufferer to more and more people, by being the first there. If it is with unknown people, by going to a bar/pub/club early in the evening, when few people are there, and waiting for it to gradually fill up. Another alternative is by gradually reducing the distance from an already existing crowd, such as at a theatre, or sporting event. You could arrive early, and leave late. See http://www.onestepatatime.com/pdhome.html Most people are suggestible, to some extent, so consider professional hypnotherapy, or more alternatives along such lines are at your-mental-health.weebly.com/w.html________________________________________________________________________________________________ EMETOPHOBIA: Fear of vomit(ing)/throwing up, is the 7th most common of the phobias.
Hypnotherapy, or NeuroLinguistic Programming may be effective. It is important, however, to address the cause of the problem, rather than just the symptom, or it may manifest again in a different form. Most people are suggestible, to some extent, so consider professional hypnotherapy, or more along such lines is on page V, at Weebly. ~~~ Quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com has Perfect Partners: Perfect Partners: Fear of Vomiting + Keep a Cool Head, or http://www.instant-hypnosis.com has Fear of Vomiting, or (free) at: www.freehypnosistreatment.com - anxiety ~~~
Recommended reading: Living with Emetophobia: Coping with Extreme Fear of Vomiting, by Nicolette Heaton-harris, & The Emetophobia Eraser Program, by Jillian Stevens, & Beyond Anxiety and Phobia: A Step-by-Step Guide, by Edmund J. Bourne, & Phobias And How To Overcome Them: Understanding And Beating Your Fears by Art Bell Ph.D., & Conquering Panic and Anxiety Disorders: Success Stories, Strategies, and Other Good News by Jenna Glatzer and Ph.D. Paul Foxman Ph.D., from your bookstore, or Amazon.com. SUPPORT GROUPS: www.emetophobia-clinic.com/ & www.angelfire.com/ & http://dailystrength.org/ & http://health.groups.yahoo.com/ Also Myspace & Google Groups.
www.emetophobiaeraser.com/ (not free) & www.changethatsrightnow.com/ emetophobia (not free). Call: (USA) 1 800 828 7484. hypnotherapy: Quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com has Perfect Partners: Fear of Vomiting + Keep a Cool Head, or http://www.instant-hypnosis.com has Fear of Vomiting, or (free) at: www.freehypnosistreatment.com - anxiety ~~~
_____________________________________________________________________________________ MYSOPHOBIA - GERMOPHOBIA: An effective form of "talk therapy" such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy will get you to challenge the way that you have been thinking, which is, to some extent, erroneous. Tests have shown (and confirmed on Mythbusters) that fecal coliforms are on most surfaces, far from toilets, carried on tiny water droplets created in flushing (put the lid down, to minimise it). High sources of microbial contamination, often overlooked, are: (1.) Supermarket trolley handles. (2.) ATM keypads. (3.) Computer keys. Highest levels of bacteria are usually in the kitchen sink. View: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/02/26/how-to-keep-your-home-clean-naturally.aspx Exposure therapy, or immersion therapy may be even more effective.
Books: The Fear of Contamination: Assessment and Treatment (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Science and Practice) by Stanley Rachman, & If Germs Could Talk - The Other Side of the Story - Don't let your fear of germs ruin your life. Eye opening info like never before! (Kindle) by Dr. Cory Altabet, & Confronting the Bully of OCD: Winning Back Our Freedom One Day at a Time by Linda Maran, & Anxiety, Phobias, & Panic: A Step-by-Step Program for Regaining Control of Your Life by Reneau Z. Peurifoy, & The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition by Edmund J. Bourne, & *The Tapping Cure: A Revolutionary System for Rapid Relief from Phobias, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and More by Roberta Temes Ph.D., & Triumph Over Fear: A Book of Help and Hope for People with Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias by Jerilyn Ross, from your bookstore, Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com. Check out: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=germ+phobia for media specifically about mysphobia/germophobia.
Practise a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate or the Yoga Nidra, (a series of easy mental exercises, only; no flexibility required) on page L at 8m.com, below. Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or regular yoga may suit others better. Employ the acupressure technique; EFT* (there is also a version for use in public) for which you can reasonably claim that you have a headache, as you employ the acupressure massage/tapping on your temples, but it may be advisable to restrict yourself to subvocalising (saying it to yourself, in your mind; not aloud). "Even though I suffer from mysophobia/germophobia, I deeply and completely accept myself". Free from: http://www.mercola.com searchbar: "EFT", & "EFT therapists", or www.emofree.com - http://www.emofree.com/freevideos.aspx has one for phobias, or www.tapping.com or www.eftuniverse.com Professional EFT is best.
Phobia is addressed at: http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/v.html and view pages 1, and i, about anxiety. 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option hypnotictapes.com has one about overcoming fear of germs, or asktheinternettherapist.com has a CD on overcoming fears and phobias. Join a support group, such as www.dailystrength.org and Groups, at Yahoo, Google, and www.myspace.com Avoid antibacterial chemicals; they actually breed supergerms, which evolve resistance through natural selection. If you want to boost your immune system, (which is a far more efficient approach than trying to avoid germs) see: http://alternative-health.weebly.com/homemade-antiviral-antibacterial--antifungal-product.html _____________________________________________________________________________________ TRYPANOPHOBIA, or VACCINOPHOBIA is the extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. It is occasionally referred to incorrectly as aichmophobia, belonephobia, or enetophobia, (Fear of Needles).
It sometimes develops into a phobia, often from seeing a hypodermic needle as a child, before vaccinations/dental procedures, then experiencing pain, and coming to associate the sight of needles with pain; wanting to avoid the pain, resulting in the development of a phobia. Examine the http://1-800-therapist.com/ and http://www.metanoia.org/choose/ websites, and use the locators in the index pages at Weebly, below, and phone book (but only if necessary) to find a suitable therapist, preferably a clinical psychologist. Systematic Desensitisation Therapy is known to be an effective treatment.
I am informed that children are less likely to complain if they are given something sweet (it probably helps them get their mind off it). Some people ask to lie down for their shots. Others ask where it will be administered, and to be told just before, so that the person about to have the needle can smack that place, after which that tiny pinprick has considerably less effect: (the nerves which transmit pain have already started work, from over a considerable area, and the pain messages of the small additional amount of pain, from a very tiny area, tend to get flooded by the others).
Obviously this can't be used for dental procedures, but you could explain your phobia, and ask that they touch the sites for the injections with a tool, and you could could jab them lightly with the top of a pen, or pencil, to desensitise yourself. It may help to look away, and think of something pleasant, and promise yourself a nice reward, once it is over. Check out: http://www.emla.com.au I'm sure there would be similar lignocaine type dermal anaesthetics available locally that you could apply to your skin beforehand, to numb it. Google: "dermal anaesthetics; supplies" or ask your pharmacist, or the place providing the procedure.
As someone who doesn't like them, either; I consider that it is mostly the anticipation of pain, which is the problem, and once you take that away, by inflicting a little bit on yourself, the "shock value" is gone, in a similar way to how you can't tickle yourself. View: http://www.needlephobia.info/#treatments & http://www.anxietycure.org/
Read: "Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, And Dentists", by Martin M. Antony and Mark A., M.D. Watling (Paperback - Mar 3, 2006), from your bookstore, or Amazon.com has various other media about overcoming fear of needles. Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind. 85% of people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, more along such lines is at http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/v.html about phobias. Quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com has Cure Needle Phobia. Also, you may wish to check this website out: http://www.changethatsrightnow.com.. (costs $$$ for treatment. I have no information on its effectiveness, so would be interested in knowing the opinions of users, via email, through my profile, at Yahoo. _____________________________________________________________________________________