Carlington Wilmot photo WHAT ARE you afraid of? If you hear screaming, odds on are that it may be someone running away from a creature that is not even one-hundredth his or her size. It will either be a spider, a lizard, or a cockroach.
In some cases, it is a chicken. Sandra Brubreck, 45-year-old professional from Kingston is so terrified of the clucking creatures that she has regular nightmares of people chasing her with chickens. Once, she even broke a hand while running away from a little day-old chicken that was being friendly. The irony here is that she loves a good plate of curried or sweet and sour chicken.
Research done in the late 90s in Mumbai, India, reveals that more than half (50 per cent) of individuals interviewed, report being fearful of one or more animals or insects. Multiple fears was reported by one-fifth. Many more women than men have these phobias.
Lizard was the most commonly feared, followed by cockroaches, and rats.
Other animals or insects reported with lesser frequency were cats, spiders, butterflies and snakes. Locally, psychologist Dr. Barry Davidson notes that many of these irrational fears are learnt.
"It is the result of growing up in an environment in which parents and others behave in an irrational way towards these creatures. We adopt these fears without even checking them out for ourselves. There are generations which are afraid of lizards, roaches and rats, because they grow in an environment where this is the response.
"Another group want to kill these creatures as soon as they see them. This negative reaction is also learnt," the psychologist said.
In the case of the woman who fears chickens, he says that this irrational response may be associated with her being forced to feed them during childhood, or with the sight of them being killed.
In the Mumbai research project, response to creatures feared varied from screaming to immobilisation. Screaming was present in most, avoidance in about half and, help seeking in a little less, panic reaction in a quarter and immobilisation in a very small number. Research also shows that, in most cases, the onset of fear started in childhood. Not many people, however, seem to be able to recall the triggering incidence. Family history of similar fear was present in some, but even more had no such example.
Graham C. L. Davey of the City University, London comments in an online article on the fear of spiders.
"It is argued that the disgust-relevant status of the spider resulted from its association with disease and illness in European cultures, from the tenth century onward. The development of the association between spiders and illness appears to be linked to the many devastating and inexplicable epidemics that struck Europe from the Middle Ages onwards..."
Are our fears connected with the belief that insects are disease carriers? One woman confessed to Outlook that she feared that the lizard would climb into her nose while she was sleeping.
Still, whatever the source of our fear of reptiles and insects, many would give anything to have them removed from their minds.
Getting cured
As a rule, 80 per cent to 90 per cent of people who suffer from phobias recover with the proper therapy, the experts say. The treatment approach that has been proven most effective is cognitive behavioural therapy, combined with medication (antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs) if necessary.
During cognitive therapy, the phobic person is taught how to correct his or her thinking. The degree of fear that a person with a phobia has is distorted. Cognitive therapy retrains the thought process.
Psychologist Barry Davidson says that getting rid of our fears is most effectively dealt with in a behaviour modification process including desensitisation. In this process, one is exposed to the object of fear in a very gentle way. First you are shown the insect from a distance, and then you look at it in a cage. Later, you look at it dead and touch it.
"It is a slow process but it works," he says.
Face your fear
Therapy has also gone high-tech, with the use of virtual reality technology. A virtual reality system that uses computer technology, specially designed software, and a headset can simulate the real thing.
The length of time you may spend in therapy can range from three months to two say the experts, depending on the severity of the phobia.
Effective breathing techniques can also help you calm those troubling physical sensations. Breathe in through your nose, expanding your diaphragm, to the count of four. Breathe out slowly through your mouth to the count of seven.
Hold for two seconds. Repeat the exercise.
Taking a brisk walk will also help you burn extra oxygen and restore your body's equilibrium. Learn as much as you can on your own. Dr. Davidson says that reading about the object of your fear also helps.
Name changed on request.
