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Phobias occur
in several forms. A specific phobia is a fear of a particular
object or situation. Social phobia is a fear of being
painfully embarrassed in a social setting. And agoraphobia,
which often accompanies panic disorder, is a fear of being
in any situation that might provoke a panic attack, or
from which escape might be difficult if one occurred.
Specific
Phobia
"I'm scared to death of flying, and I never do it anymore.
It's an awful feeling when that airplane door closes and
I feel trapped. My heart pounds and I sweat bullets. If
somebody starts talking to me, I get very stiff and preoccupied.
When the airplane starts to ascend, it just reinforces
that feeling that I can't get out. I picture myself losing
control, freaking out, climbing the walls, but of course
I never do. I'm not afraid of crashing or hitting turbulence.
It's just that feeling of being trapped. Whenever I've
thought about changing jobs, I've had to think, "Would
I be under pressure to fly?" These days I only go places
where I can drive or take a train. My friends always point
out that I couldn't get off a train traveling at high
speeds either, so why don't trains bother me? I just tell
them it isn't a rational fear."
Social
Phobia
"I couldn't go on dates or to parties. For a while, I
couldn't even go to class. My sophomore year of college
I had to come home for a semester."
"My fear would
happen in any social situation. I would be anxious before
I even left the house, and it would escalate as I got
closer to class, a party, or whatever. I would feel sick
to my stomach—it almost felt like I had the flu. My heart
would pound, my palms would get sweaty, and I would get
this feeling of being removed from myself and from everybody
else."
"When I would
walk into a room full of people, I'd turn red and it would
feel like everybody's eyes were on me. I was too embarrassed
to stand off in a corner by myself, but I couldn't think
of anything to say to anybody. I felt so clumsy, I couldn't
wait to get out."
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