The Supression of Fear.

[Tin Pot]

[QUOTE 3880862, member: 9609"]I would have thought we were all hard-wired to be scared of stuff like snakes and spiders, it is amazing how quickly we spot them, people who didn't spot them or had no natural fear didn't get to procreate. I think many animals are naturally wary, I remember my dogs first encounter with an adder, he suddenly stopped then slowly took a wide berth - he just naturally knew this was not a toy.[/QUOTE]

Not hard wired, at least not specifically. My son , 9, has gone from collecting insects to being screaming ab-dabs afraid of any bug in twelve months.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I'd find it more believable that a dog was to play or kill a snake than back away from it. Instinctively it knows to eat it. Not fear it.

Hmmm, it depends on the individual dog too, some animals do seem to have personalities.

 

[Crandoggler]

Hmm...That's your second post alluding to something that you're hesitant to iterate clearly: what is it that you think you may need to do, that the society you live in will ostracise you for?

Distraction activities and 'self medication' are types of coping mechanisms I suppose. And I'm not entirely for or against therapy, but there isn't the evidence to support the old notions that avoiding issues causes greater problems. Sometimes ignoring "it" and time passed makes daily life easier to cope with.

I mean that in the most bland of terms. I meant that If your anxiety means you can't go out your front door for apprehension of what may or may not happen, then you clearly cannot function correctly as a member of society.

Sorry to disappoint, but I most definitely have no skeletons in my closet .

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Not hard wired, at least not specifically. My son , 9, has gone from collecting insects to being screaming ab-dabs afraid of any bug in twelve months.

And how did that happen?

 

[Crandoggler]

And how did that happen?

I reckon:

Parents, friends, relatives, TV, media, magazines, Internet or injury. To name a few.

 

[Tin Pot]

And how did that happen?

I'm open to suggestions!

I suspect it's distraction anxiety - but I don't want to derail the thread.

The point is that if fears of creepy crawlers were hard wired, you would not see fears come and go.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I reckon:

Parents, friends, relatives, TV, media, magazines, Internet or injury. To name a few.

That is just sad.

I'm open to suggestions!

I suspect it's distraction anxiety - but I don't want to derail the thread.

The point is that if fears of creepy crawlers were hard wired, you would not see fears come and go.

Yes as I say, these things tend to be learned, hence why I asked.

 

[Crandoggler]

That is just sad.

Indeed. My wife hates spiders and I'm trying to teach my daughter not to hate spiders. It's a tough job lol.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I have a terrible confession, I was never scared of anything, but as a kid I used to kill insects just for fun/see what would happen.

Nowadays, I wouldn't hurt a fly, instead, I will try to get it outside to where it belongs, and, I have helped save the lives of many an insect and small animal, and I will continue too (including some slugs and snails from being trodden on last night), and many tiny flies, moths, beetles and so on from being drowned in things - Even if you think something is dead, leave it to dry off and you'd be surprised at how many come back to life. I even rescued a Spider's nest (the eggs) and Mum once from being destroyed, not to mention the old one of helping ailing Bees by feeding them wet sugar or honey, and I'll help wasps too, nothing is out of bounds to me.


Maybe one day I'll have saved more than I killed (in fact I probably did alone with that nest) and the equilibrium will have been restored in sorts, karma and all that.

I realise that 99 times out of 100, it is I who is the dangerous one, not them.

Its a funny old world.

 

[Tin Pot]

I mean that in the most bland of terms. I meant that If your anxiety means you can't go out your front door for apprehension of what may or may not happen, then you clearly cannot function correctly as a member of society.

Sorry to disappoint, but I most definitely have no skeletons in my closet .

No need to apologise - I sincerely hope none of us are so nosey!

That kind of anxiety sounds like the more complex issue - but doesn't mean it cannot be overcome. If someone feels unable to leave their home, there was a time when they could, right? It's unpicking the elements, recognising them, accepting them and then deciding to do something that we want to do. Not be stuck indoors.

Lets not forget the chemical - our feelings and thoughts are more guided by our blood chemistry than we would like to admit. I have two friends suffering from depression for no other reason than a neuro-chemical imbalance. Apply medication - No need for couches and talks about their mothers

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

By the way, talking of phobias....:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Albert_experiment

 

[Hitchington]

The way I see it we need fear so that we can internalise risk and make judgements for actions based on that. E.g. when I was scrambling along the top of Striding Edge (Helvellyn) in June with 5 metre visibility, rain and wind I was shoot scared of slipping on the wet rocks, falling 600 feet and being killed, smashed on the rocks below. I therefore adjusted my route, went slow and made it fine. However fear becomes a problems when you become frozen with it and can't move. The friend I was with nearly got into this situation but was able to overcome her fear by following me and listening to my instruction, little did she know how I was feeling, haha... felt great when we made it up and we wondered what all the fuss was about.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Mindful Meditation.....

The Yoga quiet mind? As a natural worrier its something I learnt that has been most useful.

 

[Drago]

And real people.

Mortals?

 

[Hitchington]

No need to apologise - I sincerely hope none of us are so nosey!

That kind of anxiety sounds like the more complex issue - but doesn't mean it cannot be overcome. If someone feels unable to leave their home, there was a time when they could, right? It's unpicking the elements, recognising them, accepting them and then deciding to do something that we want to do. Not be stuck indoors.

Lets not forget the chemical - our feelings and thoughts are more guided by our blood chemistry than we would like to admit. I have two friends suffering from depression for no other reason than a neuro-chemical imbalance. Apply medication - No need for couches and talks about their mothers

Most "talks" involve some kind of CBT or existential therapy which can be just as powerful as medicine with far fewer (i.e. no) side effects. I'm a big fan of talking therapies.