Are you afraid of ghosts? Are you afraid of spiders, cockroaches, mice and big roosters? Are you afraid of being alone in the elevator or crowded with many people? If none of the above is true, is there any specific object or scene in what that scares you? Have you ever thought that when we feel [fear], we are doing what? Fear is a whole-body reaction that you must have experienced before: All the hairs of his body stood up, The upper and lower teeth fought uncontrollably, Even a chill rose from the spine, I couldn’t help shivering. When we were afraid, The blood releases a lot of adrenaline, It affects almost all organs of the body: Pale-faced, Cold hands and feet: Blood from the skin, hands and toes flows to large muscle groups. In order to fight or escape. Breathe fast and the heart beats fast and heavy: Speed up the transportation of blood and oxygen, So as to facilitate energy supply. Pupil dilation: Expand the visual range, Easy to scan for danger. Sweating: Increasing heat production helps prevent the body from getting cold and makes the body active. Reduced sensitivity to pain: Release natural pain relievers and continue to fight or run away even if injured. Diarrhea, stomachache, nausea and dry mouth: Reduces the function of the digestive system, which helps the body concentrate energy on large muscle groups. Why are we afraid? After reading the above explanation, you may have some doubts: How does it feel like my cat encountered a mouse about its size? Evolutionary psychology holds that fear is the need for human survival. In primitive society, ancestors living in the wilderness not only had to collect food to fill their stomachs, but also had to fight against wild animals, poisonous snakes, etc. When they were in danger, an automatic response immediately appeared in their minds: run away or fight? At the same time, The body will also be accompanied by a series of changes described above. In order to prepare for the next escape or battle. To this day, This survival mechanism is still imprinted in our DNA, Even without the invasion of wild animals in modern times, Fear is still necessary. If a car passes you at an extremely fast speed, if you don’t have a little fear, don’t start the attack-escape reaction, don’t make immediate evasive actions, maybe you will be killed. Therefore, fear can protect us from danger, and it doesn’t hurt us in itself. Is this how timid people are born? Watson, an American psychologist, believes that Fear can be formed by learning, And eliminate it through relearning, This is the “behavioral theory”. In order to verify this theory, he (inhumanely) found Albert, an 11-month-old baby, and conducted a series of (frenzied) experiments on him. Albert has obvious fear reaction to the sound of steel bars, but he is not afraid of mice. In the first few weeks, Albert had fun with mice without any sign of fear. Later, when Albert played with mice, Watson would knock on the steel stick, making Albert feel very unhappy, so touching the mouse established a connection with the unhappy feeling. Whenever Albert played with the mouse, Watson would knock on the steel stick, which caused Albert’s mood to change: unhappy-not interested in the mouse-fear and evasive behavior. You know, before the experiment, Albert was not afraid of mice. I was just afraid, what should I do? Seeing this, you may want to think, saying that these are used by what, can they help me overcome my fear? Don’t worry, so much has been said before, Just to help people understand fear, Let’s take fear of caterpillars as an example. Tell you how to overcome the fear of specific things. Many girls are afraid of caterpillars. This may be due to their disgusting peristalsis. Or the whole body needle hair or glandular hair that makes people frighten, may be a natural reaction to escape danger, because some caterpillars are poisonous, the mild itching and tingling, the severe may die of allergy. It may be a good way to stay at a respectful distance from them and not provoke them. But if you are too afraid, you should not. If you are especially afraid of caterpillars, what should you do? The following actions, It is recommended that professionals lead you through it. 1. Practice relaxation techniques. This process usually takes 6-10 times. 20-30 minutes at a time. In this way, you can have better control and feeling of body tension, and can better stabilize body reactions and emotions during tension and fear in the future. 2. Establish a fear level ranking and imagine how scared you will feel in the following situations: A. Think about the caterpillar in your mind; B. seeing caterpillars from a distance; C. Encountering caterpillars at close range, such as caterpillars falling on their shoulders; D. take that initiative to provoke the caterpillar with a stick or even a finger. 3. Begin desensitization. When you are relaxed and happy, Imagine the caterpillar in your mind, Use relaxation exercises to stabilize physical reactions and emotions, And simulate the correct coping style in your mind, Continuous training. 4. Step by Step [Desensitization] After overcoming Grade A, Also perform item B in a relaxed and pleasant state, You know, Caterpillars can’t do anything to you at a long distance. You can rest assured. If physical or psychological discomfort occurs, The relaxation technique is used. The same is true for fear levels C and D. Through constant exposure to fear situations, With relaxation techniques, Confronting fear-provoking situations in a relaxed state, Repeated training has weakened the connection between previous fear situations and uncomfortable physical and psychological experiences. It strengthens the normal behavior pattern. Fear of other things or situations, such as being in crowded carriages, standing on the top of high towers, spiders, cockroaches, etc., can also be overcome in similar ways. Some people may ask, I am afraid of ghosts, but it seems that I can’t imagine it. The more I think about it, the more I am afraid. Don’t worry, let’s talk about it next time: what should we do if we are afraid of the dark and ghosts?
