Do You Suffer From Cardiophobia? Symptoms of cardiophobia: Your fear of the heart can result in the following symptoms: breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of dying or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack. You are not the only one to suffer from cardiophobia. Most sufferers are surprised to learn that they are far from alone in this surprisingly common, although often unspoken, phobia. Cardiophobia is an intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. While adults with cardiophobia realize that these fears are irrational, they often find that facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety. There is a Way Out Imagine what your life will be like when you know that you are not "defective". When you can be confident and at ease in situations where you used to feel your cardiophobia. And when you can talk about your former cardiophobia symptoms as though you are describing a movie where the character is someone else, not you.

An Amazing Discovery Several years ago, a psychologist specializing in phobias like cardiophobia, made an amazing discovery. He kept up-to-date with all the leading therapies. And no matter what therapy modality he tried, the cure rate of phobias like cardiophobia was less than 5%. Oh sure, patients made progress. But it was only incremental. And therapy took years, not months. Then he made an amazing discovery and his ability to eliminate cardiophobia soared to over 80%. What was the discovery? It was so simple, but nobody thought of looking there before. Here it is, and it is called The Discovery Statement: "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system." Note what he didn't say. He didn't say that it was in your thoughts, habits, beliefs, strategies or any other thing (although they do play a factor). Those are "the branches". The energy system is "the root". And from this root the field of Energy Psychology was born. Since this discovery, other innovators have emerged in Energy Psychology. And they offer solutions to emotional issues such as cardiophobia. A really nice feature of Energy Psychology is that in many cases self-help is sufficient.

In cases where a therapist is desired or needed, Cardiophobia Live Help can be provided over the phone. And since not much talking is involved, the sessions are quick and affordable. Does It Work for Everyone? In a word, no it doesn't. It's not perfect. It only works about 85% of the time. But that is a radical shift from about 5% rate for some methods. A reason it may not work is that frankly some people are afraid to give up their cardiophobia. Their identity is wrapped up in it. They have had their cardiophobia so long that they don't know who they would be without it. Fortunately, the same methods can be used to eliminate this fear first, should it arise. Finally, some people just love to talk about their cardiophobia. That's one reason why some people may spend years in talk therapy. They love to have someone who cares about them listen to their cardiophobia problems. Energy Psychology isn't about talk. It's about results. Fast, effective, lasting results. A lot of talking about problems keeps people in the "stuck" state and is counterproductive.

So people who really want to talk about their cardiophobia because they are not really ready to let them go may not achieve optimal results. People like this may be better satisfied with talk therapy, even if it means extensive sessions, much higher expense and a lower success rate. Don't get me wrong. Effective Energy Therapists listen really well. And with compassion. It's just that their focus is on the "root", not the "branches". You may feel like you have truly been heard for the first time in your life. So Energy Psychology is not perfect. And it's not for everyone, perhaps only 80% or so of the population. Is it for you? Only you can decide. But it is worth a try. With the guarantees offered, the only thing you have to lose is your cardiophobia. Of course, success rates for elimination of cardiophobia will be higher with a therapist, Click here for Cardiophobia Live Help . But self-help is amazingly effective. Energy psychology is an emerging method that is rapidly gaining favor because in studies it is shown to be rapid, safe, effective and long-lasting. For more information on a safe and effective way to eliminate Cardiophobia click here for Self Help Solutions .

Cardiophobia can severely disrupt normal life, interfering with school, work, or social relationships. Don't suffer needlessly. Don't wait any longer to eliminate this unnecessary suffering from your life. Click here for Cardiophobia Self Help Solutions . What Causes Fear? What Causes Fear? A potential for pain, or an unrecognizable event, causes fear. The amygdalae, organs in the limbic system, detect such possibilities and send the signals which generate the fear emotion, which sets off avoidance activities. Unlike the rational brain, emotions trigger a variety of instinctual attitudes and behaviors. Each such emotion is chosen by the limbic brain to meet a particularly demanding contingency in life. The anger emotion switches on attitudes and behaviors which support confrontation. Fear, on the other hand, responds to danger by recalling fearful images, preparing the body for flight and by signaling avoidance activity, directing the muscles to freeze, or flee. Fear acts instantly. It will stiffen your muscles before you can walk to the edge of a precipice. While fear signals act swiftly to avoid danger, they intensify when danger is unavoidable.

In such situations, fear signals inhibit conscious thinking and set off subconscious searches for escape routes, while preparing the body to freeze, flee, or to defend itself. Those subconscious searches flash images of the results of failure. A lack of escape avenues intensifies the fear emotion. Together, the recalled images, the urges to escape and the bodily preparations for stress feel unpleasant. Fear, triggered by the amygdala, is one of nature's earliest survival mechanisms. A large part of fear is a response to the horror of painful experiences in life. Fear generates a chain of biological events in the body, which engulf the mind. Persistent attacks of fear lead to many health issues. Fear is caused by historically harmful events, pain experiences and the unknown. Fear begins with the startle response. Fear is essentially an outdated response in the modern world. Fear leads to many subconscious behaviors. Scientists have discovered chemicals, which may, one day, mitigate the effects of excessive fear. Self awareness is the key to dealing with fear. What Causes Fear – An Evolutionary Survival Mechanism During the early beginnings of life, nature developed the amygdalae as special purpose organs in the brain to remember and respond to danger signals. They become sensitive to sensory signals, which accompanied past painful events.

Such sensitivity in the amygdalae of animals has been extensively verified. In typical experiments, a rat is exposed to a painful foot shock accompanied by a sound. Later, when the sound alone is heard, its amygdalae will fire fear signals. Such painful experiences were seen to develop “speed dial ( LTP ) circuits,” which later responded instantly to the related sound signal. The organs became over sensitive to such signals. As essential as the vertebrae, these organs were early components of the brains of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. As the primary defense response mechanism, the amygdalae recognized danger patterns and impelled animals to fight, freeze, or escape. What Causes Fear – Terror & Horror Fear is expressed at increasing levels as worry, anxiety, dread, terror and panic. These levels are determined by the imminence of danger. Worry and anxiety are triggered by the anticipation of being harmed in the future. Dread, terror and panic concern the immediate present. At the highest levels, terror and panic overwhelm people, causing them to make irrational choices. While terror is an apprehension of impending danger, horror is a sickening and painful experience.

Horror is the emotion, which lays the foundations for the amygdalae to sense the backgrounds of painful events. The amygdalae remember the images, sounds, words and situations, which accompanied the horror of injury, ridicule, social rejection, loss of loved ones, or career failure. Subsequently, the detection of any related signals trigger fear, often without the person knowing the cause of her fear. What Causes Fear – Bodily Responses On receiving fear signals from the amygdalae, the hypothalamus, acts reflexively to control the reproductive, vegetative, endocrine, hormonal, visceral and autonomic functions of the body. Breathing, digestion, blood circulation, brain activity and body fluid flows are instantly affected. The signals from the amygdalae dilate pupils and increase brain wave frequency. They make hairs stand on end. They reduce saliva, drying the mouth. They cause sweating and a decrease in skin resistance. They decrease peripheral blood flow and cause hands to become cold. The signals speed breathing and dilate bronchial tubes to allow more air to the lungs. They tighten stomach muscles, slow digestion and close down the excretory system. They increase acids in the stomach, causing diarrhoea.

The signals travel to the adrenal gland, which produces cortisol, causing an increase in glucose production to provide additional fuel for the muscles and brain to deal with the potential stress. The signals increase blood pressure, release sugar into the blood and increases the tendency for blood clotting. The signals increase red blood cells. They tense postural muscles, causing hand and body tremors. They dilate blood vessels to skeletal muscles to allow greater blood flow. They slow the working of the immune system. The amygdalae trigger a chain of biological events and engulf the mind in the fear emotion, even before the conscious mind can assess the situation. In the modern world, such persistent fear signals are not set off by real physical danger. They are triggered by an instinctive brain, which tries to overcome social and career issues by foolishly preparing the body to freeze, flee or defend itself. What Causes Fear – Long Term Effects A persistent lack of escape routes from danger lead to the insistent fear signals of anxiety, which raise heart rate and blood pressure over time. Such conditions are believed to lead to heart palpitations, fatigue, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, or headaches.

Escalating fear signals trigger panic attacks, which have indications similar to the symptoms of heart attacks. Anxiety over the years has been linked to health issues, including arthritis, migraines, allergies, stomach ulcers and thyroid disease. What Causes Fear – Inherited, Acquired & The Unknown The amygdala triggers fear signals, which drive you to escape from danger. It responds to three types of events. The first inherited set of circuits fire on identifying historically harmful events. The second group of neurons develop LTP circuits, which learn to fire on identifying events, which accompanied painful experiences. The last group of circuits trigger fear, when the system is unable to identify the impact of an event. What Causes Fear – Historic Triggers Over millions of years, nature has assembled in the amygdala a memory for harmful events. On recognizing signals of such events, the amygdala instinctively responds by triggering fear. So, most people have an inherited fear of falling, of being suffocated in enclosed spaces, of drowning in water and of being attacked by rats, cockroaches, or snakes. Even stage fright and a fear of public speaking originate from an instinctive fear of becoming a focus of attention of predators.

The fear responses of the amygdala for such events are often accompanied by the startle response. What Causes Fear – Pain Experiences Over a lifetime, the amygdala builds an additional sensitivity to pain experiences. Pain may have been caused by physical injury, painful confrontations, loss of loved ones, loss of social status, or through social rejection. Mirror neurons also trigger pain within us, on seeing the painful experiences of others. Whenever such pain has been experienced, the amygdala stores memories of the related sensory signals. Fear can be triggered by the fleeting image of an angry face. People suffer fears of failing, of being ridiculed, of the loss of loved ones. If a person suffered trauma, when left alone as a child, she may fear loneliness. What Causes Fear – The Unknown Without the actual experience of such events, people fear death, nuclear wars, terrorism, or even threatened changes in their work environments. The inability to identify the significance of an event also triggers fear. Archy de Berker reports on the role of uncertainty in triggering fear. He tracked stress levels in subjects by measuring changes in pupil diameter, directly linked to the release of the stresss hormone noradrenaline in the brain.

He discovered that pain and uncertainty have roughly equal roles to play in stress. Subjects felt less fear when they knew that they were going to suffer pain than when they did do not know whether they would escape the pain experience. When fear envelops you for a reason you are unable to fathom, it is useful to list the issues, which bother you. You will find that by locating the cause of such fear and facing up to it will free you from the emotion. Even accepting uncertainty as an inevitable facet of your environment will also reduce your fear. What Causes Fear – The Startle Response Fear begins with the startle response . It is the fastest response (20 milliseconds) of the mind to danger through a direct amygdala fear pathway as reported by Joseph E. LeDoux. He identified a second route (300 milliseconds) through the reasoning processes of the cortex, which can proceed to still a sudden onset of fear. Mere movements, sounds or images can trigger the fearful startle response. The reflex is present from birth. When a newborn senses a possibility of falling, her back arches and her arms and legs flail out.

Doctors test the reflex to be sure of an infant's nervous system by simulating a sense of falling by allowing its head to drop slightly. The startle signals from the amygdala activates the sympathetic system, which heightens emotional arousal. Later, the cortical signals may energize the parasympathetic system, dampening down emotional tension. Unthinking fear set off by the startle response may be stilled by the reasoned cortical signals, such as when a coiled snake is identified to be just a garden hose. What Causes Fear – An Outdated Response While physical danger was ever present in the primitive world, it is less relevant today. Unfortunately, while justified by a tiger in the vicinity, fear responses are unsuitable and unhealthy for a person facing career problems. The possibility of dismissal from work requires a calm and collected reaction. Fear triggers images of unpaid bills and sets off a tightness in your chest, which serve no useful purpose. If a solution to the problem was available to you, you would immediately know it. Worry and anxiety set off by fear rarely find solutions, but affect your health. Except for avoiding sudden physical injury, fear is an irrelevant animal response.

The cause of such fear is a primitive neural signal from the amygdala, which can be stilled through the practice of self awareness . What Causes Fear – Subconscious Avoidance In the instant in which an animal senses danger, its mind identifies a course of action – possibly to slip under a rock. Fear is a creative process, which subconsciously searches your mind for ways to escape pain. Your impulsive decisions, when triggered by fear, may not present you with any conscious awareness of the particular pain that you wish to avoid. Pain is triggered by many social emotions, including sadness, disgust, contempt, embarrassment, guilt, and shame. A fear of being ridiculed can make a person decide not to take part in conversation. Fear of experiencing the fear emotion may make a person avoid challenging assignments. What Causes Fear – Chemical Links Fear is triggered within the amygdalae, because its nerve junctions develop special sensitivity to particular sensory signals. Even faint sounds may trigger unbearable fear reactions for patients suffering post-traumatic stress syndrome. Richard Huganir discovered that timely manipulation of specific molecules which regulate synaptic plasticity in the amygdalae of animals can remove the fear response.

He identified an unusual protein, which appeared in the amygdala of animals, which had been conditioned to respond to sounds accompanying a foot shock. That molecule, which remained for only a few days, appeared to strengthen the fear circuits in the amygdalae. When the researchers eliminated the protein during this period, the animals permanently lost those induced fearful memories. A combination of behavioral and pharmacological therapies aimed at those molecular targets may one day be used to help patients. Scientist from Zurich also found that the hormone oxytocin related to stress and sex also reduced amygdalae activity. What Causes Fear – Dealing With Fear Self awareness can reduce the causes of fear. The intense activity in the amygdalae, which causes the fear experience, can be reduced by the attention center of the brain – the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC). Columbia University researchers observed that when fear stimuli was perceived consciously, rACC acted to dampen down amygdalae activity. Self awareness and a few mind control practices can make the global effect of fear visible and so still its impact. For normal people, conscious awareness and acceptance of the fear experience will still amygdala activity.

With the conviction that fearlessness can become an acquired habit, the practice of self awareness can bring a calm and still mind. Creative management requires alertness, not fear. Fear tends to paralyze. Every vista appears dangerous and threatening. In any threatening situation, you can only do one of three things. Do something about it, avoid it, or live with it. A quiet evaluation will define your response and still the fear. The awareness of danger will still be present. Common sense appears, when fear is stilled. It is the ability to take those calculated risks, which make a project successful. This page was last updated on 01-Apr-2016 The Phobia List Amaxophobia- Fear of riding in a car. Ambulophobia- Fear of walking. Amychophobia- Fear of scratches or being scratched. Anablephobia- Fear of looking up. Ancraophobia- Fear of wind. (Anemophobia) Androphobia- Fear of men. Anemophobia- Fear of air drafts or wind.(Ancraophobia) Anginophobia- Fear of angina, choking or narrowness. Anglophobia- Fear of England or English culture, etc. Angrophobia - Fear of anger or of becoming angry.

Ankylophobia- Fear of immobility of a joint. Anthrophobia or Anthophobia- Fear of flowers. Anthropophobia- Fear of people or society. Antlophobia- Fear of floods. Anuptaphobia- Fear of staying single. Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity. Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched. (Haphephobia) Apiphobia- Fear of bees. Apotemnophobia- Fear of persons with amputations. Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders. Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers. Cainophobia or Cainotophobia- Fear of newness, novelty. Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women. Cancerophobia or Carcinophobia- Fear of cancer. Cardiophobia- Fear of the heart. Carnophobia- Fear of meat. Catagelophobia- Fear of being ridiculed. Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places. Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting. Cenophobia or Centophobia- Fear of new things or ideas.

Ceraunophobia or Keraunophobia- Fear of thunder and lightning.(Astraphobia, Astrapophobia) Chaetophobia- Fear of hair. Cheimaphobia or Cheimatophobia- Fear of cold.(Frigophobia, Psychophobia) Chemophobia- Fear of chemicals or working with chemicals. Cherophobia- Fear of gaiety. Chiraptophobia- Fear of being touched. Chirophobia- Fear of hands. Cholerophobia- Fear of anger or the fear of cholera. Chorophobia- Fear of dancing. Chrometophobia or Chrematophobia- Fear of money. Chromophobia or Chromatophobia- Fear of colors. Chronophobia- Fear of time. Cibophobia- Fear of food.(Sitophobia, Sitiophobia) Claustrophobia- Fear of confined spaces. Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia- Fear of being locked in an enclosed place. Cleptophobia- Fear of stealing. Climacophobia- Fear of stairs, climbing, or of falling downstairs. Clinophobia- Fear of going to bed. Clithrophobia or Cleithrophobia- Fear of being enclosed. Cnidophobia- Fear of stings.

Decidophobia- Fear of making decisions. Defecaloesiophobia- Fear of painful bowels movements. Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations. Dementophobia- Fear of insanity. Demonophobia or Daemonophobia- Fear of demons. Demophobia- Fear of crowds. (Agoraphobia) Dendrophobia- Fear of trees. Dermatophobia- Fear of skin lesions. Dermatosiophobia or Dermatophobia or Dermatopathophobia- Fear of skin disease. Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body. Diabetophobia- Fear of diabetes. Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school. Dikephobia- Fear of justice. Dinophobia- Fear of dizziness or whirlpools. Diplophobia- Fear of double vision. Dipsophobia- Fear of drinking. Dishabiliophobia- Fear of undressing in front of someone. Disposophobia- Fear of throwing stuff out. Hoarding. Domatophobia- Fear of houses or being in a house.(Eicophobia, Oikophobia) Doraphobia- Fear of fur or skins of animals. Doxophobia- Fear of expressing opinions or of receiving praise.

Dromophobia- Fear of crossing streets. Dutchphobia- Fear of the Dutch. Dysmorphophobia- Fear of deformity. Hagiophobia- Fear of saints or holy things. Hamartophobia- Fear of sinning. Haphephobia or Haptephobia- Fear of being touched. Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed. Hedonophobia- Fear of feeling pleasure. Heliophobia- Fear of the sun. Hellenologophobia- Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology. Helminthophobia- Fear of being infested with worms. Hemophobia or Hemaphobia or Hematophobia- Fear of blood. Heresyphobia or Hereiophobia- Fear of challenges to official doctrine or of radical deviation. Herpetophobia- Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things. Heterophobia- Fear of the opposite sex. (Sexophobia) Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- Fear of the number 666. Hierophobia- Fear of priests or sacred things. Hippophobia- Fear of horses. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia- Fear of long words.

Hobophobia- Fear of bums or beggars. Hodophobia- Fear of road travel. Hormephobia- Fear of shock. Homophobia- Fear of sameness, monotony or of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual. Hoplophobia- Fear of firearms. Hydrargyophobia- Fear of mercurial medicines. Hydrophobia- Fear of water or of rabies. Hydrophobophobia- Fear of rabies. Hyelophobia or Hyalophobia- Fear of glass. Hygrophobia- Fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture. Hylephobia- Fear of materialism or the fear of epilepsy. Hylophobia- Fear of forests. Hypengyophobia or Hypegiaphobia- Fear of responsibility. Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized. Hypsiphobia- Fear of height. Iatrophobia- Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors. Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish. Illyngophobia- Fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down. Iophobia- Fear of poison. Isolophobia- Fear of solitude, being alone. Isopterophobia- Fear of termites, insects that eat wood.

Ithyphallophobia- Fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis. Metrophobia- Fear or hatred of poetry. Microbiophobia- Fear of microbes. (Bacillophobia) Microphobia- Fear of small things. Misophobia or Mysophobia- Fear of being contaminated with dirt or germs. Mnemophobia- Fear of memories. Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia- Fear of dirt or contamination. Monophobia- Fear of solitude or being alone. Monopathophobia- Fear of definite disease. Motorphobia- Fear of automobiles. Musophobia or Muriphobia- Fear of mice. Mycophobia- Fear or aversion to mushrooms. Mycrophobia- Fear of small things. Myctophobia- Fear of darkness. Mythophobia- Fear of myths or stories or false statements. Myxophobia- Fear of slime. (Blennophobia) Nebulaphobia- Fear of fog. (Homichlophobia) Necrophobia- Fear of death or dead things. Nelophobia- Fear of glass. Neopharmaphobia- Fear of new drugs. Neophobia- Fear of anything new. Nephophobia- Fear of clouds.

Noctiphobia- Fear of the night. Nomatophobia- Fear of names. Nosophobia or Nosemaphobia- Fear of becoming ill. Nostophobia- Fear of returning home. Novercaphobia- Fear of your step-mother. Nucleomituphobia- Fear of nuclear weapons. Nudophobia- Fear of nudity. Nyctohylophobia- Fear of dark wooded areas or of forests at night Nyctophobia- Fear of the dark or of night. If you appreciate the Phobia List, please help support it. Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight.(Pocrescophobia) Ochlophobia- Fear of crowds or mobs. Ochophobia- Fear of vehicles. Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8. Odontophobia- Fear of teeth or dental surgery. Odynophobia or Odynephobia- Fear of pain. (Algophobia) Oenophobia- Fear of wines. Oikophobia- Fear of home surroundings, house.(Domatophobia, Eicophobia) Olfactophobia- Fear of smells. Ombrophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on. Ommetaphobia or Ommatophobia- Fear of eyes.

Omphalophobia- Fear of belly buttons. Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams. Oneirogmophobia- Fear of wet dreams. Onomatophobia- Fear of hearing a certain word or of names. Ophidiophobia- Fear of snakes. (Snakephobia) Ophthalmophobia- Fear of being stared at. Opiophobia- Fear medical doctors experience of prescribing needed pain medications for patients. Optophobia- Fear of opening one's eyes. Ornithophobia- Fear of birds. Osmophobia or Osphresiophobia- Fear of smells or odors. Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish. Peladophobia- Fear of bald people. Pellagrophobia- Fear of pellagra. Pentheraphobia- Fear of mother-in-law. (Novercaphobia) Phagophobia- Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten. Phalacrophobia- Fear of becoming bald. Phallophobia- Fear of a penis, esp erect. Pharmacophobia- Fear of taking medicine. Phasmophobia- Fear of ghosts. Phengophobia- Fear of daylight or sunshine. Philemaphobia or Philematophobia- Fear of kissing.

Philophobia- Fear of falling in love or being in love. Philosophobia- Fear of philosophy. Photoaugliaphobia- Fear of glaring lights. Photophobia- Fear of light. Phonophobia- Fear of noises or voices or one's own voice; of telephones. Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking. Phthiriophobia- Fear of lice. (Pediculophobia) Phthisiophobia- Fear of tuberculosis. Sarmassophobia- Fear of love play. (Malaxophobia) Satanophobia- Fear of Satan. Scatophobia- Fear of fecal matter. Scelerophibia- Fear of bad men, burglars. Sciophobia Sciaphobia- Fear of shadows. Scoleciphobia- Fear of worms. Scopophobia or Scoptophobia- Fear of being seen or stared at. Scotomaphobia- Fear of blindness in visual field. Scotophobia- Fear of darkness. (Achluophobia) Scriptophobia- Fear of writing in public. Selachophobia- Fear of sharks. Selaphobia- Fear of light flashes. Selenophobia- Fear of the moon. Seplophobia- Fear of decaying matter. Sesquipedalophobia- Fear of long words.

Sexophobia- Fear of the opposite sex. (Heterophobia) Siderodromophobia- Fear of trains, railroads or train travel. Siderophobia- Fear of stars. Sinistrophobia- Fear of things to the left or left-handed. Sinophobia- Fear of Chinese, Chinese culture. Sitophobia or Sitiophobia- Fear of food or eating. (Cibophobia) Snakephobia- Fear of snakes. (Ophidiophobia) Soceraphobia- Fear of parents-in-law. Social Phobia- Fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations. Sociophobia- Fear of society or people in general. Somniphobia- Fear of sleep. Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others. Spacephobia- Fear of outer space. Spectrophobia- Fear of specters or ghosts. Spermatophobia or Spermophobia- Fear of germs. Spheksophobia- Fear of wasps. Stasibasiphobia or Stasiphobia- Fear of standing or walking. (Ambulophobia) Staurophobia- Fear of crosses or the crucifix. Stenophobia- Fear of narrow things or places. Stygiophobia or Stigiophobia- Fear of hell.

Suriphobia- Fear of mice. Taeniophobia or Teniophobia- Fear of tapeworms. Taphephobia Taphophobia- Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries. Tapinophobia- Fear of being contagious. Taurophobia- Fear of bulls. Teleophobia- 1) Fear of definite plans. 2) Religious ceremony. Telephonophobia- Fear of telephones. Teratophobia- Fear of bearing a deformed child or fear of monsters or deformed people. Testophobia- Fear of taking tests. Tetanophobia- Fear of lockjaw, tetanus. Teutophobia- Fear of German or German things. Textophobia- Fear of certain fabrics. Thaasophobia- Fear of sitting. Thalassophobia- Fear of the sea. Thanatophobia or Thantophobia- Fear of death or dying. Theatrophobia- Fear of theatres. Theophobia- Fear of gods or religion. Thermophobia- Fear of heat. Tocophobia- Fear of pregnancy or childbirth. Tomophobia- Fear of surgical operations. Tonitrophobia- Fear of thunder. Topophobia- Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.

Toxiphobia or Toxophobia or Toxicophobia- Fear of poison or of being accidently poisoned. Traumatophobia- Fear of injury. Phobias: Yoga in the Treatment of Extreme Anxiety Phobias: Yoga in the Treatment of Extreme Anxiety Phobias: Yoga in the Treatment of Extreme Anxiety Jigyasu Yogamrit (Ingrid Fitzgerald, Australia) Automatic and involuntary circulation of psychic contents is at the root of all human misery. Automation gives us a sensation of imprisonment in our own mental cages. It robs us of the freedom to think, feel and choose. We feel that we are bound and driven to act. Shivaram Karikal Introduction Our habitual responses to the world around us are often the source of our suffering; we go through the same reactions time and time again, apparently unable to change. For people who experience extreme anxiety states, such as phobic anxiety, life is indeed a cage; they are unable to act freely, hedged about by terrors which, while they appear to be externally caused, most often come from within the mind. These people often despair, avoiding the situations which trigger the anxiety, and even coming to rely on the anxiety to secure the support and energy of others.

According to western therapists, fear is 'a normal physical response to an external threat', an 'appropriate' response to a really imminent danger, while anxiety is a fear reaction without a clear or 'sensible' cause, an 'inappropriate' response. Anxiety can be 'free-floating'  chronic and not attached to any specific situation or object  or phobic  attached to a particular object or situation. Anxiety states are also related to so called 'neurotic' disorders, psychosis and schizophrenia, and to organic brain syndromes. They are closely related to depression, which is often the 'flip side' of anxiety, a result of the imbalance caused in the endocrine and autonomic nervous system by the overuse and exhaustion of the 'flight' responses. It can also be argued that most of us live with a degree of anxiety or stress  understood as the overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system, which leads to exhaustion and disease. Sometimes the distinction between the 'real' external cause and the 'irrational' response is difficult to make  which fears are real and reasonable depends on the individual. In fact, a yogic approach would suggest that all fear, hatred, jealousy, anger, etc.

are in a sense 'neurotic': our avoidance of or aversion for things or situations is a result of our phobic attitude, and based on the illusion of a separate, egoic 'self'. Anxiety states are, therefore, a matter of degree, ranging from 'normal' stress to abnormal 'neurosis' or 'psychosis'  the extremes of states of ignorance and despair. Phobias  abnormal anxiety In our everyday experience, anxiety becomes 'abnormal', or phobic, when it prevents us from functioning fully in the world. A phobia can be defined as a persistent and irrational fear or dread, hatred or aversion for a specific object, activity or situation, resulting in a compelling desire to avoid the anxiety-inducing stimulus. The fear is recognized by the individual as excessive and unreasonable. There are three broad groups of phobias: (i) simple phobias, in which a situation or object provokes anticipatory anxiety and avoidance, and panic attack if sudden exposure occurs; (ii) social phobias, which develop in adolescence and in which the person is concerned about shameful, stupid or inept acts, and (iii) agoraphobia, the fear of crowds in public places.

Each of these phobias is incapacitating to the person, since it prevents them from engaging in ordinary activities, such as shopping, eating in public, etc. In contrast to free-floating or general anxiety, phobias are particularly characterized by a fear of fear: anticipation of the situation as bad as, or worse than, the event. Symptoms and causes Physical symptoms of phobic anxiety, which worsen during the acute stages of panic attack, include: chest pain, palpitations, drop beats, flushing, feeling faint, sighing, choking, yawning, dyspnoea, dry mouth, 'butterflies', nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, frequency/hesitancy of urination, sexual dysfunction, tension headaches, blurred vision, sweating, ringing in the ears, shaking, dilated pupils, teeth clenching and chronic jerks. Psychological symptoms include: feelings of impending disaster, worry, inability to relax, not being able to cope, restlessness, sense of 'not being yourself', insomnia, nightmares, depression and panic attack. Some of these symptoms are also experienced in chronic ongoing anxiety or stress. The person often believes they have a physical condition such as heart disease, and this contributes to their anxiety.

In physiological terms, anxiety states are a result of overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system. The limbic and psychic centres in the brain are highly sensitive to emotional states such as fear. They in turn stimulate the hypothalamus which triggers the ANS and endocrine system to respond to the threat. The parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems which control the automatic processes of the body, such as digestion, respiration, blood pressure, etc. are thrown into an imbalanced state; the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated and hormones are secreted  thyroxin from the thyroid and adrenaline from the adrenals  resulting in the symptoms listed above. Long term imbalance in the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system caused by high levels of panic and anxiety also leads to exhaustion and depression and can result in lowered immunity as in conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. According to western therapists, certain types of people are more prone to experience phobias. Agoraphobics, for example, tend to be introverted, prone to depression, obssessive, full of self-defeating and self-punishing thoughts, and afraid of loss of control.

They have difficulty expressing their feelings and communicating their needs and desires, especially anger and frustration. Agoraphobics, in particular, may tend to be female rather than male, a result, at least in part, of social conditioning which teaches women to be passive, introverted and fearful. Causes of phobic anxiety are said to include: inherited disposition, childhood experiences and conditioning, and may be related to conditions where the functioning of the brain is in some way impaired. However, phobic anxiety is usually psychogenic; it originates in the mind. A psychoanalytic perspective suggests that the anxiety response in phobias is not to the object or the event itself, but to the possibility that some unacceptable unconscious material is about to erupt into consciousness. Phobias are therefore understood as a result of repression: when the repressed event or content threatens to come to consciousness, the frontal passages of the brain are stimulated  the limbic and psychic centres  and a panic attack results. While the threat begins in the mind, the body responds as if it were real. Phobias thus illustrate the interdependence of the mind, body and the unconscious forces which shape our experience.

Conventional western therapies Western therapeutic treatment of phobic anxiety comes into three broad categories: psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and medication. Briefly, psychotherapy involves what is known as the 'talking cure', the attempt to bring unconscious material into consciousness through association, and discussion in a supportive environment. Behavioral therapy is aimed not at uncovering the causes of the phobia, but at the person's patterns of thinking and behavior, working to retrain the body and mind. Techniques include: desensitization, where the person works through the fears from least to worst, confronting them in their imagination; flooding, where the worst fear is imaginatively confronted; and exposure, where the person actually enters into the situation or approaches the object so that they can experience the fear lessening and passing away. Relaxation techniques are also taught in this method. Medication involves the short or long term use of drugs, mainly tranquilizers. Of these three methods, exposure has been found to be very effective. Facing, accepting and moving through the feared situation gives the person confidence and teaches them to live with the fear rather than avoiding it.

The least effective of these therapies is medication, which is at best a short term solution, and does not allow the person to solve their own difficulties. Psychotherapy offers mixed results, since it is not always possible to access the repressed material, and it does not address the physical aspects of the phobic anxiety. Finally, another limitation of many western therapeutic approaches is their emphasis on developing a healthy ego, surely a contradictory approach if the ego is seen to contribute to a sense of separateness  the fear of those things 'out there' or 'in here' which are not conscious or amenable to our control. Holistic approach of yoga What then can yoga offer the person with phobic anxiety? The advantages of yoga lie in its holistic approach to any so called 'mental' problem, since yoga views and treats the mind, body, emotions and energetic systems as a whole. In the case of phobias, the practices of asana, hatha yoga, pranayama, meditation and yoga nidra work to balance the nervous system and the endocrines, and the prana or energy in the body, bringing greater emotional and mental calm.

According to a yogic understanding, the body, mind and emotions are comprised of and sustained by 'prana', the subtle energy or force that creates all life. Our whole being is understood as energy vibrating at different levels of intensity. Solids such as the bones, liquids such as urine and blood, and gases such as wind and the oxygen we breathe are the more gross levels, while the more subtle levels include emotions, thoughts and the energy we experience in the body in practices such as acupuncture, healing with reiki and so on. The energy bodies are linked in and through the seven chakras, which correspond with nerve plexuses, and the nadis, currents of energy  meridians  which link the chakras and extend throughout the body. Role of the chakras and nadis If phobias are a product of repressed material, yoga suggests that the combination of genetic and environmental impressions is stored in the chakras, and in the flow or blockage of the nadis. These impressions form our karma, our emotional, mental and physical inheritance from past lifetimes, and samskaras, the knots or tensions in our unconscious mind.

Overactivity or underactivity in the chakras or nadis causes disease. Mooladhara chakra, at the perineum or cervix, is the site of these karmas and knots, and is also the location of our primal energy. When unbalanced, fear, insecurity, low vitality and self-esteem, depression and fear of the future result. Swadhisthana, at the coccyx/pubic bone, is related to the subconscious mind, pleasure and the repression of pleasure. Manipura, at the navel, is the site of all power, the desire to control, and self-assertion, and is related to the stomach and the adrenals. Anahata, the heart centre, and vishuddhi, the throat centre, are related to love and communication respectively. Ajna chakra, the eyebrow centre, controls the activity of the brain. Speculating, we can say that a phobia probably involves at least mooladhara  fear, anxiety, and manipura  the desire to control the anxiety, the fear of fear and need to control that characterizes panic and anxiety states.

Ajna chakra, the site of mental worry and anxiety, is also involved, as are the heart centre  palpitations, and the throat centre  inability to speak. The unconscious fears at mooladhara may be related to repression of primal energy, or sexuality, as Freud suggested. Of the nadis, ida and pingala are the most relevant here. Ida is linked to the left side of the body and the right side of the brain, moving in the left nostril, while pingala controls the right side of the body and left side of the brain and moves in the right nostril. Ida and pingala meet and cross at each of the chakras which are linked by sushumna moving in the central spinal column. Unhealthy ida is said to result in introversion, depression and paranoia, and ongoing mental tensions, while unhealthy pingala is related to lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle and overeating. Since ida relates to the parasympathetic nervous system and pingala to the sympathetic nervous system, an imbalance in these nadis will reflect an imbalance in the systems, as in panic attack.

The 'personality type' of a phobic person seems to be overactive ida. Asanas and pranayama in yoga therapy This brief analysis shows that the whole system from the unconscious mind, conscious mind, to the emotions and physical body is involved in phobic anxiety. Yoga treats each of these levels and the subtle interrelationships between them. Asanas are important in balancing the physical body, the endocrine system, and on a more subtle level, the chakras and prana in the body. Surya namaskara is of great benefit for all anxiety states because it works to balance the entire body and endocrine system. Shashankasana, marjariasana, ushtrasana, the trikonasana series, chakrasana and dhanurasana work on the adrenals. The shakti bandha series, spinal twists, paschimottanasana and bhujangasana are also recommended. The inverted poses: sarvangasana, vipareeta karani mudra, halasana and sirshasana can be practised by the more experienced student. The hatha yoga cleansing techniques are also advised.

Kunjal is especially beneficial for releasing tensions held in the manipura area. Neti and shankhaprakshalana are soothing and work to tone and balance the body. Kapalbhati works to remove impurities and makes the mind calm, while trataka, working on ajna chakra, influences the pineal gland, the hypothalamus and the sympathetic nervous system. Pranayama is an extremely important aspect of yoga therapy because it works to balance the nadis and chakras and, therefore, the physical body. Ujjayi, the 'psychic' breath, brings stillness, clarity and calm. Bhramari, the humming breath, is useful to alleviate mental tensions and worries. Nadi shodhana is especially beneficial because it works directly on the nadis, purifying the pranic system and bringing the whole body into balance. Since bhastrika revitalizes the sympathetic nervous system while kapalbhati tones the parasympathetic nervous system, these practices are complementary. People with anxiety will benefit from using these practices and determining which ones are most effective for general relaxation, and which, such as nadi shodhana, are suitable for use during a panic attack.

Yoga nidra and meditation Meditation and yoga nidra are key practices in the management of phobic anxiety. Yoga is not designed primarily as a therapy, but to bring us to greater awareness and calm, even to transformation. Yoga teaches us to change the inner environment so that all our fears, anxieties and miseries will gradually lessen. Meditation can bring some spaciousness into that inner cage. An important aspect of the practices of yoga is self-acceptance. Phobic anxiety is characterized by fear of one's own nature and by a denial of what we are actually feeling, in other words, by aversion. Phobics often go to great lengths to hide their fears from others, and indeed, many phobias are related to anxiety about how others will perceive us, reflecting our self-hatred. The practice of antar mouna, 'inner silence', allows us to watch the mind without judgement, allowing all thoughts to come to the mind and accepting all our experience as internally caused. 'External' conditions, such as sounds, are brought into the inner experience and we learn to observe our habitual reactions.

Antar mouna is a beneficial technique to use when the mind becomes disturbed by a situation, since the reaction, rather than being pushed away or avoided 'with fear, dread, hatred or aversion' is steadily observed: we face the fear. Ajapa japa is also recommended for anxiety. This practice, which involves the repetition of a mantra so that it becomes spontaneous, effectively takes the attention from the situation which has triggered the anxiety. It may be more effective than antar mouna when the feeling of aversion is overwhelming, since it distracts the mind from the situation  a technique also used by therapists in anxiety management. People experiencing phobias are often at a loss to explain why they are afraid of that object or situation. They know the anxiety is 'irrational', but cannot access the original causer, which may be deeply repressed. In my view, yoga nidra is probably the most powerful practice in the long term treatment of phobias and extreme anxiety. Not only does it provide the relaxation skills which are so helpful to the phobic person, it can also be used in the processes of exposure, desensitization and flooding.

Once they are familiar with the yoga nidra state, the person visualizes going through the feared experience in the imagination, while remaining in the relaxed state: either beginning with the easiest situation (desensitization), or the most frightening one (flooding). Similarly, when in the actual situation, the person can use yoga nidra techniques to relax and 'stay with' the fear. Yoga nidra also acts as a 'tranquilizer' to balance the hypothalamus and relieve anxiety states. Most importantly, the regular practice of yoga nidra gives access to the deep unconscious and subconscious forces which are the basis for the phobia and allows them to be released. In the advanced stages of yoga nidra, practitioners are asked to submit voluntarily to threatening emotions while preserving a state of deep relaxation and 'witness awareness' to the whole process. A specific program of yoga nidra, beginning with the basic technique and continuing into specific guided visualizations, should be constructed, with a teacher who can guide the person through this process. Therapy and yoga can work together well in this context. Conclusion A yogic approach to therapy for phobias and related anxiety states offers real benefits to the sufferer.

Yoga shifts the emphasis from the external environment to the inner attitude, and from 'fixing' the mind or ego to a systemic transformation. Finally, it empowers the person to become their own healer, teacher and psychoanalyst! Bibliography Saraswati, Swami Suryamani, Yogic Management of Stress, Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, 1990. Saraswati, Swami Satyananda, Kundalini Tantra, Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, 1984. Saraswati, Swami Satyananda, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, 1993. Saraswati, Swami Satyananda, Yoga Nidra, Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, 1984. Karikal, S., Vedic Thought and Western Psychology, Arathi Publications, Mangalore, 1994. Williams, W., The Current Management of Anxiety States, Modern Medicine of Australia, August, 1976. Molnar, B.

& Evans, L., The Management of Phobias, Patient Management, February, 1983. Williams, W., Understanding Sexual Phobias, Modern Medicine of Australia, July, 1984.

Question: Cardiophobia is the irrational fear of which organ in the body?
Answer: Heart