Odnośniki
- Indeks
- 501 Grammar and Writing Questions Learning Express
- Ian Watson Hard Questions
- John Barnes The Duke of Uranium
- jagodziśÂska(1)
- Animorphs 10 The Andro
- Billionaire Bodyguard 2 Defended & Desired Kristi Avalon
- 2.Krwawa bogini
- Sanderson Gill Pragne tylko Ciebie
- BOOK Cariadoc Recipes 4 more Misc9recipes
- Fallen Angel caśÂośÂćÂ
- zanotowane.pl
- doc.pisz.pl
- pdf.pisz.pl
- szostka.htw.pl
fear of needles to a fear of snakes to a fear of heights.
Many of the same principles that apply to one phobia
apply to another. A couple of the most common pho-
bias serve as examples to illustrate these ideas. For
example, the passenger with a flying phobia experi-
ences absolute horror at the idea of being trapped on
an airplane. This fear can handicap one s ability to take
business trips by airplane or can cause one to prohibit
family members from flying. A flying phobia may have
many roots, but often it involves a basic difficulty
trusting the world or trusting others with one s safety.
98
27172_CH02_Attwell.qxd 9/6/05 2:16 PM Page 99
1 0 0 Q U E S T I O N S & A N S W E R S A B O U T A N X I E T Y
In a more psychological approach, simply exploring
what comes to the patient s mind around flying and
inquiring about sexual desires and/or fears that the
patient potentially struggled with at the time of the
flying phobia s onset can provide symptom relief. If a
woman can connect her conscious fear of the plane s
crashing with an unconscious fear of being punished
for wishing to be sexual on the trip on which the pho-
bia commenced, then the conscious symptom can dis-
appear. Others might experience a genuine fear of
success, or of climbing to new heights in their lives. A
man might have panic attacks on the plane in conjunc-
tion with the feeling of permanently leaving home,
marrying, or taking an exciting trip. This sensed loss of
control can have sexual associations, in that the man
can feel that the excitement of going higher is linked
(often unconsciously) with sexual aspirations. If this
man can connect his conscious fear of blowing up
while on the plane with his feelings of his sexual or
financial potency (and his fears of sexual or financial
success), then flying on business trips might immedi-
ately feel less threatening. Other strategies, such as
medication or behavioral treatments, can provide
immediate symptom management (see Part III, Treat-
ment).
In claustrophobia (literally, fear of the claustrum, or
mother s womb), one becomes overwhelmingly fearful
of being trapped in a closed space and being unable to
get out. This fear can link to fantasies of being trapped
on a bridge or in a tunnel. However, fears of going on
a date, being stuck in a movie theater, riding in a car
without being the driver, or receiving treatment in a
hospital or clinic setting often elicit panic attacks or
99
The Many Faces of Anxiety
27172_CH02_Attwell.qxd 9/6/05 2:16 PM Page 100
1 0 0 Q U E S T I O N S & A N S W E R S A B O U T A N X I E T Y
anxious reactions. These psychological claustrophobias
might recreate an experience from earlier in life when
the patient felt overwhelmed and sensed that she could
not get out of a trapped situation or away from a cer-
tain person, such as from her mother or family, or from
an abusive relationship. Again, in almost any case,
these extremely common phobias are treatable (see
Part III, Treatment).
PANIC DISORDER, AGORAPHOBIA
65. What is a panic attack?
A panic attack occurs usually as a seemingly out-of-
the-blue sensation that transforms into an overwhelm-
ing, crippling, emotional tidal wave of nervousness.
Panic attacks have both mental and physical symp-
toms. Mental symptoms include a fear of doom, worry
that something horrible will happen, an overwhelming
sense of dread, or an immediate sense of pending
death.
Physical symptoms include chest pain, chest tightness,
numbness, tingling, nausea, sweating, or a feeling of
nearly passing out. The panic attack, if experienced
regularly in the same situation or with a consistent fre-
quency, can progress to what is known as panic disor-
der. The circumstances surrounding the panic attack
can take on a life of their own, thereby becoming hall-
mark triggers for further attacks. So, if someone has a
panic attack driving on the highway in the car, he may
come to fear driving on the highway in association
with the panic attack. He may then believe that the
highway itself or the situation of driving caused the
panic attack, rather than whatever underlying anxiety
100
27172_CH02_Attwell.qxd 9/6/05 2:16 PM Page 101
1 0 0 Q U E S T I O N S & A N S W E R S A B O U T A N X I E T Y
he experienced or was experiencing at the time. A
panic attack serves as the body s responding to the
mind s inability to handle an overwhelming feeling.
With close psychotherapeutic investigation, we usually
discover that the panic attack only appeared to occur
out of the blue, while a clear, identified stressor, which,
up until that point, had been largely unknown to the
patient emerges. Close exploration of the circum-
stances and the feelings surrounding a panic attack
help identify the root of the patient s suffering. In its
worst-case scenario, panic disorder will lead to agora-
phobia, or a fear of open spaces. This designation
means that the patient might become reclusive or stay
at home to avoid any situation in which she fears the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]