Forced to deal with your phobia..

[Household6]

I hate spiders more then anything else. Little ones, big ones, even ones on TV make me want to run away screaming. They make my stomach flip, make the back of my legs quiver. It's a straight up terror. I hate going into barns, basements, and outbuildings.

My husband feels the same way about snakes. He's a gristled combat vet, but he'll squeal and dance like a little girl if one gets close to him..

Has anyone been forced to push past and switch off a personal phobia while responding to a call? Like maybe a fear of heights? And more importantly, has anyone had to deal with spiders while on a call?

 

[AtlasFlyer]

Well, I have a major phobia of hypodermic needles.

And yes, here I am in EMT school! In Indiana, EMTs don't start IVs, so I don't have to face this fear just yet. I have, over the past several years, become able to be around them. I can deal with having my blood drawn and getting shots without a lot of anxiety.

I hope that being around them even more will continue to decrease the phobia. I think I could deal with giving shots to others, and starting IVs on others, though I don't know if I could deal with other students "practicing" starting IVs on me!

 

[eprex]

Why not try and get over the phobia instead of letting it impact your life? Not being judgmental, instead I'm offering a solution! I don't like heights so I jumped out of an airplane.

Obviously therapy is a little more subtle than that but there are ways to get over phobias. I agree that spiders are gross but learning more about them and exposing yourself (gradually) to them will help.

 

[Smoke14]

Fear comes from a lack of knowledge.

Study what spiders are in your area and which ones to avoid. I personally think spiders and snakes are cool.

 

[Household6]

Why not try and get over the phobia instead of letting it impact your life? Not being judgmental, instead I'm offering a solution! I don't like heights so I jumped out of an airplane.

Obviously therapy is a little more subtle than that but there are ways to get over phobias. I agree that spiders are gross but learning more about them and exposing yourself (gradually) to them will help.

Ahahahaha.....no.. :rofl:

 

[mycrofft]

There's fear and there's phobia. Phobias create a fear response, but you can be afraid without being phobic. (Ask a shrink, has to do with how you were treated when you got scared as a kid and other issues).

I'm not a big fan of spiders either, but after I unwittingly killed a black widow with my bare hands I'm not afraid, just cautious. No phobia, I was trained as a toddler to be afraid of the critters which could hurt me when we visited the desert or an old lakeside house we visited.

If the fear is setting you back, seek help. My experience is people with one phobia may develop more with time. (Such as: you're afraid of spiders, then one day you start to wonder if there are spiders at the mall, or in your car, so from then on you won't go to the mall or in your car, etc.).

Never had occasion to have trouble with spiders or snakes when working as an EMT.

 

[AtlasFlyer]

Phobias do often come from lack of logic and/or understanding. For me, my fear of needles started as a very young kid when I had to undergo massive allergy testing. Banks of needles were rammed in my arm on several occasions, and I grew up TERRIFIED of needles. I had to get a MMR booster before my senior year of high school and it took the threat of not being allowed back in school (ie no graduation) to get me to get that little shot!

What made the biggest step for me, in making strides towards getting over my fear was when I had my kids. Being pregnant means lots of blood draws, and giving birth means an IV and LOTS of needles. Particularly the one for the epidural! The desire for the epidural overcame my anxiety at the sight of that needle (and anyone who's seen the sheer length of the needles they use to put in an epidural knows what I mean!!). Thankfully I couldn't see the epidural needle going in, though to this day it is one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced.

By the time my 1st son was actually "born", I was sobbing, the epidural had worn off, and as the nurses & doctors were talking about "more medicines to be given" all I could say between the sobs was "No more pokies"... the nurse looked at my husband for a translation and he said "She doesn't want any more needles". Once I realized that with the epidural in place the medicine went in the tube that was already there then I stopped crying.

Having two kids made huge strides in me getting over my fear of needles. I realized that while it's not pleasant getting stuck with assorted syringes, it is something that I can deal with.

I got the required shots/vax for the EMT class last week, and didn't bat an eye. Though the tdap hurt like a SOB. Had the shots last Thursday and the arm the tdap went in finally stopped hurting yesterday, and is STILL bruised!

Bottom line, fears can be conquered. Little by little, but it CAN be done!

 

[eprex]

Ahahahaha.....no.. :rofl:

No, as in incorrect? Or no, as in not motivated?

 

[Achilles]

I had Glossophobia and Metathesiophobia :lol:

Honestly though, I used to have a fear of heights, but I stopped looking down when climbing high. Now I love heights.
I also have a fear of the little green box saying you have a private message (I always think it's a warning. :unsure:

 

[titmouse]

Fear comes from a lack of knowledge.

Study what spiders are in your area and which ones to avoid. I personally think spiders and snakes are cool.

+1. As for myself before school large amounts of blood would trip me out, but now thst I have a better understanding of it it doesnt freak me out. I find it interesting

 

[Household6]

There's fear and there's phobia. Phobias create a fear response, but you can be afraid without being phobic. (Ask a shrink, has to do with how you were treated when you got scared as a kid and other issues).

I'm not a big fan of spiders either, but after I unwittingly killed a black widow with my bare hands I'm not afraid, just cautious. No phobia, I was trained as a toddler to be afraid of the critters which could hurt me when we visited the desert or an old lakeside house we visited.

If the fear is setting you back, seek help. My experience is people with one phobia may develop more with time. (Such as: you're afraid of spiders, then one day you start to wonder if there are spiders at the mall, or in your car, so from then on you won't go to the mall or in your car, etc.).

Never had occasion to have trouble with spiders or snakes when working as an EMT.

Yes, three separate entities with different reactions and causes; anxiety, fear, and terror..

It seems *generally* anxiety comes from lack of knowledge, fear is learned, and terror comes from one or many past experiences.

Mine comes from an experience as a child... Bedroom in the basement with a boarded over crawl space in my room. The space flooded during a rain storm, sending all the 8 legged residents onto my bed while I was laying down..