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[Alisha]

Fear is a normal part of life, and we encounter many things which can be dangerous, painful or frightening, such as car crashes, muggers, savage dogs, having operations.
This type of anxiety is very useful in that it warns us when danger threatens.
Fear releases adrenaline and other chemicals into the blood, and these speed up the heart-rate, sharpen our senses and heighten our physical powers.
This prepares us for what is known as 'fight or flight' - either to fight for our lives, or run for them.

Let's talk about phobias.
There can be someone has phobias. Share with us your fears.

[Alisha]

I will tell that I have a phobia.
I am afraid of insects. Especially spiders

WHAT EXACTLY IS A PHOBIA?

Anxiety is a human trait and most individuals will have experience of it. Anxiety helps with vigilance, learning and general performance but in excess, it starts to work against us as extreme self-focus and apprehension reduces this attention and performance. Anxiety at the minor symptom level is familiar to virtually all of us and from Anxiety Care's experience, this often seems to weigh against an acute sufferer seeking help.
Embarrassment and shame at an 'over reaction', perhaps aggravated by the particular blending of emotions (such as anger, shame, guilt or sadness mixing with a dominating fear) that make up their 'personal anxiety' keeps the problem hidden and prevents this person from understanding that their response doesn't mean they are weak, soft or immature.
It is often not understood that anxiety can follow a continuum from mild to acute that leaves some people with 'liveable' responses but others deeply disabled.
With animal phobias, the vast majority of people will be at, or close to, the mild end of the line where the problem is, at most, irritating, but in no way affects their everyday lives.
This can work against the severe phobic as people experiencing a similar fear at a low level very easily come to believe that the acute sufferer is weak or ‘over reacting’.

Severe anxiety releases adrenaline and other chemicals into our blood, and these speed up our heart-beat, sharpen our senses and heighten our physical powers.
These changes prepare us for what is called 'flight or fight'- either to fight for our lives, or to run for them.
A phobia is a disorder in which the body reacts in exactly the same way, and we experience the same feelings of anxiety and fear - but in situations where there is absolutely no need for 'flight or fight'.
The part of the mind that controls anxiety has, to all intents and purposes, lost all sense of proportion, and screams `danger!' when the situation is not threatening in any rational way.
No matter how harmless the feared creature may be, for a severely phobic person the fear reaction is every bit as real as if the cause was a major threat.
People with phobias usually realise all too well that their reaction is irrational, but this makes no difference to its effect.

THE SYMPTOMS OF PHOBIA


AInsect phobias can produce all the unpleasant symptoms of 'normal' extreme anxiety:

1.heart palpitations
2.feeling sick
3.chest pains
4.difficulty breathing
5.dizziness
6.'jelly legs'
7.feeling 'unreal'
8.intense sweating
9.feeling faint
10.dry throat
11.restricted or 'fuzzy' vision or hearing.

[Alisha]

Fear of spiders

Here is an example of how self-exposure steps for a serious fear of spiders (arachnophobia) could be 'graded':

Step 1: Draw a small circle on a piece of paper, then draw lines through the circle for legs.
Step 2: Work up to the biggest and most accurate version you can manage.
Step 3: Look at black and white photos of spiders.
Step 4: Look at colour photos.
Step 5: Look at videos.
Step 6: Look at a small dead spider in a sealed jar (first at a distance, then closer).
Step 7: Then at a live one in a sealed jar (first at a distance, then closer).
Step 8: Then in a partly opened jar; then more and more open, etc.


It is important to work out what exactly it is about spiders that frightens you. Is it their look? The long twiggy legs that some kinds have? The way they move? The thought that they might bite you? If you don't work out the precise nature of your fear you may waste time trying to overcome something that isn't a real problem.

... spiders have always lived with us, and they have never harmed a single person ...

You should also bear in mind that although phobias tend to strike 'across the board', possibly creating a fear of all kinds of spiders, and even all insects as well, overcoming these fears can be a much more piecemeal process. This does not mean that you have to go through a desensitisation programme for every kind of insect and spider you might possibly meet, but if you succeed with one particular species, such as house spiders, don't feel you have failed if you are still at a phobic level with other insects such as moths. Just start again on the moths, at whatever 'step level' you need. The skill and confidence you built up on the spiders will help you tackle the moths much more quickly.

It is worth remembering that none of the numerous species of spiders native to Britain is capable of harming a human being. On the contrary, they help us by catching flies and other insect pests


Thanks to http://www.anxietycare.org.uk/

[Lagoon]

Such spider, Im afraid too