Specific Phobias
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
This Manual is both a guide to treatment and a workbook for persons who suffer from specific phobias. During treatment, it is a workbook in which individuals can record their own experience of their disorder, together with the additional advice for their particular case given by their clinician. After treatment has concluded, this Manual will serve as a self-help resource enabling those who have recovered, but who encounter further stressors ... Read More
Relaxation training: Specific Phobias
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
The importance of relaxation training
Human beings have a built-in response to threat or stress known as the flight or fight response. Part of this flight or fight response involves the activation of muscle tension, which helps us to perform many tasks in a more alert and efficient manner. In normal circumstances, the muscles do not remain at a high level of tension all the time but become tensed and relaxed ... Read More
Graded Exposure: Specific Phobias
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
One of the hallmarks of a phobia is that the feared object or situation is avoided or endured with considerable distress. Remember that the sorts of avoidance that we are talking about are not only the obvious ones (e.g., running away from or not going near what you fear) but also the more subtle ones (e.g., thinking about something else). However, avoiding the feared object or situation is good in ... Read More
Thinking Straight
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
This part of the program is designed to help you to control the kinds of thoughts that occur when you are in the presence of something you fear. These thoughts not only accompany your anxiety reactions but can also promote them. You will achieve this control by learning procedures that reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of upsetting emotional reactions by labeling the situation more appropriately and accurately. Simply put, ... Read More
Blood and Injury Phobia
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
Fear and fainting
Blood and injury phobias are relatively common, being found in about 4% of people. People with blood and injury phobias can be divided into two overlapping groups. On the one hand, there are those who experience fear when faced with blood or injury. On the other hand, there are those who faint when faced with blood or injury. Therefore, some people experience only fear, some only fainting, ... Read More
Social Phobia
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
This Manual is both a guide to treatment and a workbook for people who suffer from social phobia. During treatment, it is a workbook in which individuals can record their own experience of social phobia, together with the additional advice for their particular case given by their clinician. After treatment has concluded, this Manual can serve as a self-help resource when challenges or difficulties are faced.
Social phobia is a treatable ... Read More
The Nature of Anxiety
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
Anxiety is part of an automatic response to threat that all animals share. It is known as the flight or fight response. A series of physiological changes is triggered that is designed to give the animal extra strength and speed in order to successfully escape from the threat, or, if trapped, to fight it.
Changes triggered by the flight or fight response
• Increase in alertness.
• Increase in heart rate and blood ... Read More
Anxiety-Management Strategies
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
By paying attention to these factors you can help to reduce your level of arousal - the degree of tension and alertness you feel - when this is excessive for your needs and your health.
Specific anxiety management strategies include:
• Hyperventilation control.
• Relaxation training.
Slow-breathing technique
It is known that even a slightly elevated rate or depth of breathing beyond what is required in the circumstances can contribute to feelings of anxiety. ... Read More
Cognitive Therapy for Social Phobia
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
People with social phobia experience anxiety in the company of others. However, there are marked variations between individuals in terms of the degree of anxiety that is experienced, and the number and types of situations that provoke anxiety. In order to overcome social phobia it is important to develop an understanding of the general sorts of underlying thoughts and anxieties in this condition, and your specific thoughts and fears in ... Read More
Graded Exposure
Posted By Kelly On Monday, August 15th 2011 under: Patient Treatment Manual
Ultimately, a phobia can be overcome only when an individual confronts his or her fears. This is called "exposure" to the feared situation. The most commonly used technique is to start by confronting the least anxiety-provoking situations. As confidence grows, increasingly more difficult situations are tackled. This process is known as "graded exposure" and research has shown that it is a powerfully effective technique in overcoming phobias. The aim of ... Read More