How to overcome fear: what it is and how it works

Having reached the end, people laugh at the fears that tormented them at the beginning.

How to overcome fear? What it is? We will tell you a lot of useful and interesting things about this irreplaceable feeling.

Living in fear is very unpleasant, because it is essentially a cage that limits us. When we start to be afraid of something, we stop acting, withdraw into ourselves, and try to run away from frightening situations.

Before we figure out how to overcome fear, let's find out what this natural instinct is and how it works.

Fear concept

The concept of fear is very multifaceted, since many of its processes remain not fully understood. It is quite difficult to say unequivocally what fear is, because it directly depends on the specific situation. At different times, the concept of fear was developed by many scientists, and each of them explained this emotion in different ways. Perhaps every person can give a generalized definition of fear. This phenomenon is a kind of signal of impending danger, which implements the instinct of self-preservation. The feeling of strong fear forces a person to perform actions that are normally beyond his control, for example: running at high speed, jumping over very large obstacles, increased mental ability.

From a scientific point of view, anxiety refers to standard emotional processes that are characteristic of humans from birth. It activates all the body’s protective resources, thereby preparing it to fight an impending threat or escape.

Fear and courage arose many centuries ago, simultaneously with humanity itself. Even in ancient times, the main functions of fear were to ensure the safety of a person and preserve his life in various situations. The very state of fear is inherent in the human consciousness for the purpose of prompt recognition of dangerous situations.

From birth to death, people tend to experience a feeling of fear. The intensity of such sensations may vary, but you cannot find a single person on earth who is not afraid of anything. Sometimes the nature of fear is completely understandable, but in some cases such a feeling arises for no apparent reason.

Types of phobias

At the moment, the classification of phobias is quite extensive. It includes more than 40,000 phobias, and their number is increasing all the time. Each of them is based on a traumatic event, which became the cause of subsequent restrictions and panic.

Among the most common phobias are claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces), aerophobia (fear of flying in any aircraft), acrophobia (fear of heights), dentophobia (fear of dentists), glossophobia (fear of public speaking), etc.

Nature and views

The feeling of fear, if it does not develop into horror and panic, is a natural reaction of the body to situations that may threaten any human values. In this case, the threat can be both real and imaginary.

The nature of fear is due to the unknown. When a person is unable to foresee what awaits him in the near future, he begins to experience severe fear, which can often be unjustified.

It is interesting that in psychology there are a huge number of types of this emotion. Therefore, it is impossible to fully consider the question of what fears are, because the list of their types is constantly growing, since each person experiences such a feeling of a different nature and etiology. Despite this, we can identify the main forms of fear that are most relevant in psychological practice:

1. Real - as a rule, anxiety of this nature appears under the influence of one or another real threat. In this case, the feeling of fear is inherent at the genetic level.
2. Neurotic - this type is usually formed in the subconscious of a person for no apparent reason. They may arise when meeting certain people or in specific situations. A person who has a fear problem prepares for the worst outcome of events in any situation.
3. Phobias - in this case, the internal psychology of fear lies in the fact that people invent it themselves, after which they cannot get rid of it for a long time. An example is the internal fear of visiting the dentist or flying on an airplane.
4. Fear of loneliness - this type is one of the most common. Most often, this feeling of fear develops in adults. It appears during those periods of life when a person begins to move away from society and, as a result, remains alone. In this case, the individual begins to feel that no one needs him at all, as a result of which he constantly experiences increasing fear.
5. Fear of trust - this type begins to develop in people during the period of falling in love or liking someone. In this case, the person experiences a strong fear of admitting his feelings. It seems to him that if he opens his soul, he will remain misunderstood. In most cases, girls are tormented by this fear.
6. Fear of change - as a rule, having become accustomed to a certain way of life, a person experiences fear of any changes. This is explained by the fact that change is always associated with the unknown, and the unknown causes a feeling of fear in 99% of people.
7. Fear of dependence - since a person is a very freedom-loving creature, any dependence on people or events provokes a fear syndrome. Examples include fear of dependence on loved ones, traditions and specific situations.

This classification does not fully answer the question of what fear is, but it highlights the most common types of phobias.

Causes of fear - why we are afraid

Fear does not appear in a person just like that. Typically, a number of reasons contribute to the occurrence of this condition.

Origin

Currently, scientists identify a multifactorial theory that explains where fear comes from. This means that several reasons at the same time can trigger the appearance of another attack of fear. Sometimes such a feeling can develop under the influence of only 1 factor, but this happens very rarely.

The origin of fear may be as follows:

1. Organic pathology - in this case, the formation of different phobias is caused by various injuries and infections. In this case, the causes of fear are changes in the structure of the brain.
2. Genetic factor - scientists have proven that some types of phobias can be inherited. So, if parents have neuroses, their children will have a tendency to develop phobias, both in childhood and in adulthood.
3. A strong stress factor - often the causes of fear lie in a one-time situation that had a very large impact on the person’s condition. In addition, the formation of phobias can be influenced by prolonged stress and frequent nervous strain.

The psychosomatics of fear and the process of its formation differs depending on the etiology of the mental state, which is the root cause of the phobia. Considering its neurophysiological origins, the physiology of fear involves the activation of specific neural regions in the brain. After this, the reticular formation is activated, which in turn transmits information through nerve fibers to the brain.

Any motivation of the body is satisfied in a certain order by specific areas of the cerebral cortex. The manifestation of fear can have a blocking effect on such a sequence. At the same time, the only thing a person worries about is fear and horror. In this case, stupor or, conversely, panic may develop.

Sometimes the answer to the question of why fear arises lies in the characteristics of the human endocrine system. The fear hormone, corticotropin, is responsible for the body's response to stressful situations. The release of this substance promotes the activation of the adrenal glands, due to which an increased amount of adrenaline and norepinephrine enters the blood. The fear hormone can constrict blood vessels, increase blood pressure and cause trembling in the limbs.

Patient "X"

This is an extremely rare disease; less than 300 cases have been recorded in medical practice. However, an anonymous patient, a resident of Iowa, was recently discovered who does not experience fear. At the time of discovery (she was 44 years old), the woman was threatened with a knife and attacked on various occasions. Interestingly, she has a self-preservation instinct and can experience emotions. However, in situations where her life is at risk, she remains calm.

Urbach-Wiethe disease in this case developed gradually. As a child, the woman was afraid of animals, which, in her opinion, could cause harm. However, over time, this important function atrophied, leaving no memories of the emotion of fear in her memory. She later came under the wing of a research group at the University of Iowa. It turned out that she completely lacks the amygdala.

“I wonder what it’s really like to be afraid of something.”

When researchers asked her to describe the emotion of fear, she threw up her hands. Patient “X” is an artist, and she was also asked to draw fear. As a result, she drew gaps. At the same time, she does not recognize scared faces; it is difficult for her to read this emotion on a person’s face and draw it. One day she was walking to the store and saw a man on a bench.

"Come here please."

After that, he grabbed her by the shirt, put a knife to her throat and announced his intention to cut her.

“Come on, stab me. I'll come back and hunt your ass."

She felt no fear. For some reason, the attacker let her go, and she simply went home. At the same time, she is not an idiot: patient “X” is fully aware that she may die, but she simply does not have the subconscious, primary, intuitive reaction that usually follows such an event for the majority. Researchers emphasize that in some ways she leads a charmed life: her world is full of good people who are incapable of evil. At the same time, she is exposed to risks: in addition to the usual emergency situations such as an attack, she can be bitten by a snake or a poisonous spider. She is characterized by natural curiosity, and due to the fact that she is devoid of “barriers”, she is literally drawn to danger.

During a series of experiments, she was shown horror films and was even locked in a “haunted house.” One day she was taken to a store with exotic animals. She held dangerous snakes in her hands and volunteered to pick up a tarantula herself. She was turned down because the risk of getting a venomous bite was too great.

“Patient “X” is not able to assess risks and dangers, and therefore, to avoid them.”

Main reasons

In order to overcome a phobia, you need to know what fear looks like and what provokes it. It should be remembered that the main condition for the formation of phobias is anxiety, which is the result of an internal conflict that arises regardless of the gender and age of the individual. The main reasons why human fears develop include:

1. Uncertainty about certain people or situations.
2. The presence of severe psychological trauma, which causes internal fear of specific events.
3. Conditioned reflex to the appearance of irritating factors.
4. An improperly organized upbringing process, which consists in excessively high demands of parents on the child and their increased emotionality. This causes constant anxiety and nervous tension in a son or daughter. As a result, this condition develops into a chronic form.
5. Lack of physical activity and poor diet.
6. Frequently being in a new and unfamiliar environment that seems dangerous to a person.
7. Having life experiences that cause a person to have unpleasant associations in certain situations.
8. Some features of the human psyche and character. For example, people with an asthenic type of psyche are by nature pessimists, as a result of which fear and horror become their constant companions. Such people are constantly susceptible to anxiety, which is why they are often tormented by insomnia.
9. Pathologies of a somatic nature, which are provoked by endocrine disorders and hormonal imbalance. Most often, this phenomenon is observed in female representatives.

Signs and symptoms

Strong fear can be recognized in a person by a set of external signs. The most common external manifestations are the following symptoms of fear:

1. Pupil enlargement. When a person experiences such a sensation, his body unconsciously sends a signal to the brain, demanding more detailed information about the environment and the impending danger. Since the most effective way to obtain it is through vision, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, which increases the production of adrenaline, thereby causing dilation of the pupils.

2. Decreased muscle tone. This manifestation of fear is explained by the fact that in a state of panic, all the body’s resources direct their strength to fight the threatening danger. The frightened person is overwhelmed with energy, which may result in numbness of the limbs. As a result, it becomes difficult for a person not only to run or resist, but even to stand on his feet.
3. Tremor and trembling in the limbs are signs of fear of this nature due to strong muscle spasms, which arise as a reaction of the body from excess energy. In this case, trembling of the chin, lips, upper or lower extremities may be observed.
4. Change in skin color on the face. The increasing fear experienced by a person in stressful situations causes activation of the body's defenses, which provoke increased blood supply to the heart and muscle tissue. As a result, other areas of the body become deprived of blood, which causes a pale or bluish tint to the skin.
5. Changing the timbre of your voice. All major forms of fear provoke physiological changes in the functioning of the human body, such as increased heart rate, increased sweating and dry mucous membranes in the mouth. All these phenomena provoke a change in the voice, which becomes hoarse or shrill.
6. Tightness or tightness. At the moment of impending danger, a person has a desire to become as inconspicuous as possible. Unconsciously, he begins to pull his head inward, shrink and wrap his arms around himself. Thus, he tries to protect himself from external threats.

Benefits and harms

The negative impact of fear on the human body is quite serious. First of all, the overall activity of the main systems decreases, and stupor develops. In a state of fear, it becomes difficult for a person to think about anything other than the impending danger. The perception of reality begins to distort.

If the state of fear affects a person for too long, depletion of all the resources of the body develops, which becomes tired of constantly being in a state of combat readiness.

However, when fear appears, benefit and harm are in very close contact, it all depends on which side you look at the current situation. For example, the advantages of fear are that this feeling lays the foundation for active action, forcing a person to leave his comfort zone, thereby contributing to personal development.

Some types of fear help maintain social order. The punishment that threatens for certain actions makes a person afraid to break the law.

Any type of fear allows the individual to accurately remember the situation in which this state arose. In this case, the benefits and harms of fear are equivalent, since in the future a person tries to avoid such situations, which often helps to avoid serious dangers to life.

However, in some cases, the benefits of fear can turn out to be rather harmful for a person. An example is a child being scared by a loud car horn. After this, the person may flinch at any sharp sounds, and feel internal anxiety and a desire to hide from danger.

All major forms of fear are an integral part of human life. Its effect on the body is constantly different, so it is almost impossible to say unequivocally why fear is useful. It all depends on the specific situation.

Where does fear end and phobia begin?

The feeling of fear, which is the norm, does not worsen the rhythm of a person’s life and does not entail somatic diseases. Phobias, unlike fear, interfere with the usual pace of life, imposing a ban on relevant activities and driving us into rigid boundaries. In addition, a person constantly mentally scrolls through thoughts related directly or indirectly to his phobia. And even with the power of thought it is possible to physiologically feel a whole complex of sensations inherent in a certain phobia that has taken possession of a person.

How to get rid of fear?

Currently, there is no universal remedy that can be used to get rid of fear quickly and effectively. The classification of fears is very broad, so the process of getting rid of phobias is individual in each case.

In order to overcome anxiety states, you need to do long and hard work on yourself. If a person cannot find the strength to confront his phobias on his own, no specialist will be able to help him. The effectiveness of treatment depends 99% on the patient himself and only 1% on the psychologist.

Therefore, it is quite possible to overcome many forms of fear on your own. Moreover, very often a person does not want to seek help from a specialist, but is determined.

The main forms of fear that accompany people throughout life are the fear of failure, loneliness and change. Despite the fact that these emotions are natural, it is necessary to fight them, since any phobias interfere with a person’s normal functioning, sometimes even causing him to withdraw into himself.

To combat fears, psychology provides the following methods:

1. First of all, a person needs to most accurately determine what fear means specifically for him, and also recognize his phobias. In some cases, this can be very difficult to do, because most people try to ignore their anxiety, pretending that they have no fear. The most important point when fear appears is to determine the cause that caused it.
2. After this, psychologists recommend writing them down. This will help materialize phobias and get rid of them faster.
3. You need to understand how fear works and feel it. When anxious feelings appear, there is no need to try to drive them away and ignore your feelings. You should try to gain control over your emotions.
4. After the fear has been fully felt, it is worth asking yourself what the worst outcome of this situation can happen. This will help you understand that any existing problem is surmountable. If you are afraid of being rejected by the opposite sex, you should explain to yourself that there is an opportunity to find a better person. If there is a fear of career failure, it is quite possible to find a more interesting and profitable job. It is necessary to understand that life does not end there.
5. Feeling inner fear, you do not need to give up your actions. To get rid of fear, you should meet it halfway, continuing to achieve your goal. Gradually the anxiety will decrease and then disappear altogether.
6. To reduce anxiety, you need to carefully develop your action plan in a situation that causes fear, be it meeting a new person, an exam or an interview.
7. Since all human fears are, to one degree or another, associated with anxiety about the unknown, psychologists recommend thinking as little as possible about the future and concentrating as much as possible on the present.

If a phobia is provoked by a serious life shock and a long-term depressive state arises against its background, it is quite difficult to get rid of anxiety on your own. In such cases, it is better to seek help from a qualified specialist.

In many cases, the origin of phobias lies deep inside a person’s subconscious, which is why it is almost impossible to understand their nature without the help of a psychologist.

Conclusion

Everyone has to face a frightening situation at least once in their life. You can get scared and run away. Or fight. Or go inside yourself for a while and rethink everything thoroughly. Everyone makes their own choice. There is no perfect recipe for dealing with fear.

The main thing is to do something . If you continue to work with your fear, do something and observe it, it begins to recede. You become freer.

And finally, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the strangest phobias, the existence of which you hardly knew.

Was there anything you didn’t like about this article, do you have anything to add, or did you find an error? Be sure to write about it in the comments. Not a single comment will be left unattended!

Drug treatment of fears

Drug treatment of anxiety and panic attacks involves the use of sedatives and psychotropic medications.

For these purposes, doctors usually prescribe the following drugs:

1. Tricyclic antidepressants - these medications are used to treat depressive conditions. The principle of their action is aimed at activating the activity of neurotransmitters. These specific substances help eliminate anxiety and normalize the functioning of the human central nervous system. The most common drugs in this group are Fluoxetine and Sertraline.
2. Benzodiazepines - these drugs belong to the group of mild tranquilizers. These include Phenazepam, Alprazolam. These drugs have a very good effect in combating panic attacks.
3. Beta blockers - medications in this group are commonly used in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. To combat phobias, such drugs are used to eliminate the physiological manifestations of obsessive states.
4. Psycholeptic medications - used to reduce anxiety and combat panic attacks. In this case, doctors usually prescribe the drug Buspirone.

It should be remembered that the choice of a drug that can be used to combat phobias should be made exclusively by a specialist. In this case, the doctor takes into account the patient’s age and gender, the nature of the anxiety and its severity.

The treatment method for phobias is also chosen by the attending physician individually for each case. Drug therapy is usually prescribed for the most severe forms of psychological disorders and panic manifestations, accompanied by complications such as depression or suicidal tendencies. In milder forms of phobias, doctors try to give preference to psychological methods of treatment.

Therapy of fears under the supervision of specialists

Sometimes the level of anxiety reaches a critical level, and working on yourself may not be enough. The help of professionals is especially urgently needed if a person has psychosomatic (“nervous”) diseases.

In psychology, there are a number of generally accepted methods for treating chronic anxiety and phobias, including:

1. Behavioral therapy (behavioral therapy) is a branch of modern psychiatry that aims to eliminate unwanted behavior and develop useful behavioral skills.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a complex form of psychotherapy that combines cognitive therapy with behavioral therapy.
3. Problem-focused therapy is a psychotherapy concept that combines elements of psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, behavioral therapy and body-oriented therapy.
4. Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is a direction in psychotherapy and practical psychology, based on the technique of modeling or copying successful behavior, and a set of connections between speech, eye movements, body and memory.
5. Psychoanalysis is a method of treating mental illness by identifying and analyzing repressed and traumatic experiences.
6. Hypnosis.
7. Autogenic training is a psychotherapeutic method aimed at restoring the dynamic balance of homeostatic mechanisms.

To treat severe forms of phobias and chronic anxiety, medications can also be used - antidepressants, tranquilizers, antipsychotics. Sometimes therapy is carried out in a hospital because the patient feels so bad that he needs constant medical supervision.

Benefits of drug treatment

The main advantages of drug therapy in the treatment of fear syndrome in adults are:

• high accessibility to any segment of the population;
• the fastest effect;
• the ability to very quickly eliminate a panic attack or anxiety;
• low cost of drugs;
• feasibility of application, regardless of the complexity of the situation;
• the possibility of long-term use of drugs in the most severe cases.

All modern medications that are used in the treatment of panic and anxiety have a very low level of toxicity. Therefore, if you follow the doctor’s instructions and dosage, the risk of complications is minimal.

Perhaps the only negative aspect of this method of treatment is that medications are not able to rid a person of the immediate cause of fear. The use of medications helps only temporarily reduce the physiological manifestations of anxiety. As a rule, after stopping the course of drugs, all symptoms return. In the case of long-term therapy, drug dependence develops over a couple of years, as a result of which a person is forced to constantly take one or another drug.

Any type of anxiety is an absolutely natural human emotion. Every individual is afraid of something, so there is no universal remedy for treating phobias. In order to get rid of anxious and obsessive feelings, you need to do hard work, and it is better to seek help from a specialist who will select a more effective method of therapy.

“I think I have a phobia...”

So what should we do if certain objects or actions (flights, riding in an elevator, dogs, going to the dentist, etc.) plunge us into an abyss of terrifying sensations and simply prevent us from living a peaceful life? Phobias are classified as mental disorders; therefore, a psychologist can provide the necessary assistance to a person. There is no point in experiencing another fear associated with going to a specialist. On the contrary, by taking a step towards getting rid of the burdensome shackles of panic and entrusting your problem to a specialist, you will experience long-awaited relief.