prehuman ancestors to recognize and avoid dangers. Reactions resembling
phobias are almost universal in animals.
Blood phobias tend to run in families and may lead to fainting rather
than panic. Phobias of doing things—like driving, crossing bridges, and
being in crowds or tightly enclosed spaces—tend to develop in the early
20s and are probably the result of panic disorder rather than an ingrained,
primordial fear.
Real phobias involve full-blown panic responses; the name is often
incorrectly applied to mild to moderate anxiety associated with a specific
object or situation. You’ve probably seen those unintentionally humorous
lists of Greek names for every conceivable phobia. They are a relic of the
heyday of psychoanalysis, when irrational fears of any sort were consid-
ered symbols of the unconscious processes that lay at the root of neuroses.
Unlike people with panic disorder, phobic people don’t wonder
what’s wrong with them; they know they’re afraid, but because they can
avoid the things they’re afraid of, they generally have few attacks. Avoidance,
not panic, becomes their biggest problem. Treatment involves helping
them face what they fear in small increments. Your job is to support that
goal, even when it’s easier and less stressful to just let them stay away. A
recent study suggests that almost half the families of phobic people rear-
range their lives in large and small ways to accommodate the phobia as if
it were a handicap rather than a hang-up.
Neil’s wife had given up on trying to get him to do anything out-
doors where there were overhanging trees or bushes that covered
the ground. Just to get him to go on a walk in the park, she’d
have to go up ahead under trees and sweep the air with her hand
lest he bump into a web. It was a lot of work, but she was willing
to do it. What she couldn’t endure was the terrified look on his
face. It made her feel selfish for asking him to do something that
caused him so much pain.If there is a phobic person in your life, you probably know how hard it
is to tell the difference between helping and hurting. Even though you know
they should face their fears, pushing them can seem cruel. The secret is to
make the steps smaller and more manageable. Before actually doingsome-
thing scary like walking in the park, phobic people can rehearse in their
Explosions into Fear ❧ 69