How Facing Your Fears Can Help You Conquer Them

You may have heard that facing your fears is the best way to overcome them, but there’s a little more to it than that.

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[DJNHmusic]

Social anxiety would be harder to treat because it's vastly more abstract and complex than most other fears. However, if one frequents a supportive, nonjudgmental, empathetic social milieu (such as with guided group therapy), it's effective as well (given that the person doesn't spend the rest of their time in a highly toxic environment).

[ZoeAlleyne]

This is what makes me roll my eyes when people say "if you're triggered by something you should FORCE YOURSELF to view it", because as this video demonstrates, that is not how expose therapy works.

It isn't just randomly throwing yourself into your trauma, it is slowly getting there. Building up your resistance to iocane powder.

[Brainstorm]

I think it's good to remember that basic fact about actual therapy. We need to feel safe but you can't isolate yourself from everything you fear. Exposure is important for growth.

[carissstewart]

I have a phobia of bees and wasps. I reasoned that perhaps if I had a more scientific understanding of bees and wasps they wouldn't be so scary. So I bought a book on Hymenoptera. It only confirmed my horror of that family of insects.

[dapperlittlewren]

I was diagnosed with GAD in around sixth grade. The first thing they tried was exposure therapy. My biggest stressor was school, and of course it's kind of hard to do gradation therapy for that, so the obvious choice was flooding. The problem was, I had no irrational fears, I was not afraid of anything happening, I was just afraid of school itself. (Yes, being afraid of school is not rational, but I wasn't afraid of anything specific like tests or grades or even shootings or disasters.) Therefore, when they tried to use exposure therapy, instead of reassuring me that my fear was unfounded, they assured me that it was. Partially because of the extra anxiety caused by being forced (physically) to go to school, I ended up missing almost an entire year, even with transitioning to a Montessori school where they could work with my needs. Although this method did not work with me, I believe that it can work for many people. However, I think that the patient, no matter how young, should be by default have their perspective on the treatment considered. Failing that, they should at least be believed unless they have been diagnosed as a compulsive liar or oppositional defiant. (Side note, one therapist thought I was oppositional defiant when in reality I was too shy to share anything, so my parents shared it and I only spoke to correct them when they were wrong. I can see how one would come to this conclusion, but I think that they should pay more attention to the stress level of the patient.) Sorry about this rant, but sometimes it got really frustrating when people kept pinning diagnoses and treatments on me that only made things worse.

[Master_Therion]

I'm afraid of dangerous radiation. Would exposure therapy help?

[mazorine]

I face my fears every time I look in the mirror

[lilyisnotamused]

I had really bad social anxiety, and at some point my parents sent me to another country for entire year to learn the language, and I was always stressed there, had panic attacks, depression (tho it began from my lack of B12), and only by the end of the year I could speak or feel a little bit relaxed about the setting despite being in a very friendly enviroment. Then I came back home, and it was much easier to talk to people in my nativa language. But the worst thing to go through was then I neded money real bad, and had to work at McDonalds for 8 months. That was the most stressful time of my life, I hated every day there for the first half a year, working the register was the most terrifying, because of directly interracting with people and handling money, so I would do anything else not to be a cashier. I eventually quit, saved enough of money, and now I feel like talking to people I don't know is much easier, I am better at problem solving, I started going out with people, playing bord games in game cafes, going on dates, and just in general. I used to be so terrified all the time, and living alone in another country for a year + later working at McDonalds, honestly, I might still be consious when giving a presentation in front of other people, but every day things? I don't suffer anymore.

[MasterFPunkt]

So, if I have a fear of dying alone, the exposure therapy would be to first die a little in a group, and gradually decrease the peers and increase the deadness ?

[nikkiwilliamson]

I managed to take myself through graded exposure therapy for spider phobia after a tonne of research because I couldn’t afford a therapist. I used to get full panic attacks just from seeing a spider. Started with photos, then videos, then real life from a distance, then real life closer, and eventually held a spider. There were always spiders in one area of my garden and they didn’t move much so I could control my exposure. It was difficult and took ages to go through but there has now been a spider living in the corner of my lounge for a few months and I haven’t bothered to move it because I’m lazy and it’s not bothering me.

[NewMessage]

I'm scared to death of dinosaur sweaters... that dinosaur sweater print t-shirt is a good first step down the road to recovery.

[mikegb]

I had performance anxiety as a musician. I tried overcoming this fear by performing frequently in recitals. I think that made it worse because my anxiety resulted in bad performances and each recital was just another embarrassing, bad experience to justify my fear. Years later, I got a prescription for propranolol (20 mg) and it was like an instant cure. It didn't directly stop the anxiety; it stopped the shaking (which resulted in a snowball effect of anxiety). If I didn't shake, then my anxiety would dissipate in the first few minutes of the performance. I got one bottle of 90 tablets and probably took about 20 of them in 3 years. I don't play music anymore, though. I spend most of my time writing computer programs now. I figure, if you have to take drugs to do your job, you should find another job.

[unicornswag]

The only thing in this world that I fear: Hustle Hank.

[LittleBitVic]

This is a tiny bit more difficult for a female with PTSD from sexual assault. Pain occurs with every exposure whether I think I'm ready or not. So far, even in a healthy relationship, I've only worsened the psychological aspect of it. This is definitely going to be a very long road to wellness.

[ChloePricesNumberOneSimp]

I have a fear of any insect that flys.
If a insect doesn't fly or if it doesn't have wings I'm completely fine with it.But as soon as that boi starts flying I be running the other way.

[esthermofet]

It's important to remember that any kind of psychological-treatment method simply won't work unless the patient is receptive to it. Or, to simplify: you can't force someone who isn't, of their own accord, prepared to change. Or, to simplify the simplification: people do what they want.

[Semmelein]

This really works! I was afraid of heights and back then I also was afraid of flying. Flying is no problem nowadays and my fear of heights was crushed and almost completely annihilated a few weeks ago. Can totally recommend it!

[eddiegarou]

I used virtual reality to overcome my fear of heights and it was incredibly effective! It actually surprised me with how well it worked.

[frostygenetics]

I've always told myself and others fears are a part of our lives for us to overcome them and make us stronger, I'm glad you guys have proven that I was right this whole time and me working all those years on ladders have paid off.

[iliketrainskid]

I have a pathological phobia of injections. I performed exposure therapy on myself by watching people get injections, giving injections, and visualizing myself getting them. Eventually I got to the point I needed my therapists help. He would poke me with insulin syringes and slowly I got desensitized. It really does work but it’s been months since he deemed me good enough and I feel myself falling backwards a little.