Fear of fear: the key to anxiety disorders

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent health problems in today’s society. Those who suffer from it know that it can easily become chronic and completely invade their lives. And it is that, Once installed, these types of disorders tend to perpetuate themselves in the time. But why does this happen? What is the mechanism that makes the symptoms so difficult to eliminate? We explain the importance of the fear of fear.

If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, you have probably seen how some seemingly specific symptoms ended up becoming part of your identity. Without knowing exactly how it happened, fear has taken over your mind and your actions, limiting you in your daily life in multiple ways.

Maybe anxiety has been with you for decades or maybe its appearance is recent; In any case, you need to understand how it works so you can learn to deal with it.

Fear is the basis of anxiety

Fear is a basic emotion present in all human beings and necessary for survival.. Its function is to alert us of imminent danger and mobilize us to flee, defend ourselves or get to safety. Without it our physical or psychological integrity would be in danger, so we should not consider it an enemy.

The problem arises when this fear is triggered in the absence of risks. or in the face of stimuli or situations that are innocuous. In these circumstances, not only does it not provide us with anything positive, but it also limits us, paralyzes us and prevents us from functioning normally on a daily basis.

Therefore, we could say that It is irrational fear that is at the base of anxiety. A fear that arises from inadequate perceptions and interpretations of what is happening externally or internally.

What is the fear of fear?

As necessary as fear is for survival, we cannot deny that it is an unpleasant emotion. This generates worry, a feeling of loss of control and great physiological activation. This state is perceived as negative and, sometimes, even traumatic.. Therefore, people who suffer from anxiety begin to develop a fear of fear.

We no longer suffer only from having to face the situation that causes fear, but also from having to experience those unpleasant sensations. So, Anticipatory anxiety begins when remembering how distressing the fear felt and projecting how uncomfortable it will be to experience it again.. The fear of feeling afraid then becomes a central part of the problem.

This is a phenomenon that usually occurs very frequently in panic disorder and agoraphobia. After a first episode of extreme anxiety (panic crisis), the person begins to fear that this could happen again.

For the same, begins to constantly monitor his physical sensations. Paradoxically, its threshold is increasingly reduced, and each small sensation is interpreted as the beginning of a new episode and experienced with terror. Thus, it is the fear of fear itself that ends up triggering the symptoms.

On the other hand, this does not only happen in the previous cases. Something similar occurs in generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia or any other anxiety disorder. Added to the central fear is the fear of experiencing that anguish again.discomfort and discomfort typical of anxiety.

Why is this concept key in anxiety disorders?

Fear of fear is a key concept in anxiety disorders, not only because it intensifies discomfort or adds a new element of fear; but, above all, because It is what causes the disorder to persist over time and become generalized.

In all cases the fear is unfounded, irrational, or, at the very least, excessive. This is something that the person could experience if he faced the feared situations and experienced the harmlessness of it.

However, The fear of feeling afraid again makes people avoid exposing themselves by all means. to the situations that cause it; or, if they do, it is for very short periods of time and generally using safety behaviors (for example, always sitting next to the exit or carrying an amulet or a companion).

These types of avoidance attitudes only reinforce the fear and perpetuate it.since they deprive the person of the possibility of verifying that, in reality, nothing bad is happening.

Break free!

In view of all of the above, it is clear that addressing the fear of fear is essential to treating any anxiety disorder. For this, exposure therapy is the most used and effective. It consists of the person exposing themselves to the stimuli or situations that cause fear, in an organized manner and for a sufficient time for the anxiety to fade.

Thus, the individual verifies that the physical sensations are not a sign of an impending panic attackor he gets used to the discomfort that interacting socially produces, verifying that he is capable of dealing with it without anything terrible happening.

Due to the same negative and unpleasant quality of fear, this technique can initially cause rejection. However, daring to experience fear, to feel it without fleeing, has proven to be the best way to alleviate it.

In short, developing fear of fear is a frequent phenomenon and of key importance in anxiety disorders. If you identify that this is happening to you, or is starting to happen to you, Don’t hesitate to seek professional help. as soon as possible. It is possible to address it and work on it, obtaining good results and thus freeing yourself from the limitations that the disorder imposes on you.

You might be interested…