6. Phobia: let the spiders talk to you
If you have a phobia for spiders and you go to a therapist, there’s a big chance that he will subject you to a ‘systematic desensitization’. This is: you are gradually brought into contact with ‘spider’ until you can stand its presence or even touch the real thing. Simple procedure, no? And doesn’t it work? Just like that.
◊◊◊
Of course, your phobia itself is not generated by the spider. As with any fear/anxiety, this phobia exists inside you, not outside you. The spider is not inside your brain. The perception of spider is. Your phobia, in short, is generated by your perception of the spider.
◊◊◊
Well then, the question is important: is the phobia somewhere hidden inside a well circumscribed part of your brain (mind)? Or is it part of the way you are as a total person? In the first hypothesis, a plug-and-play change of this faulty part is possible and recommended. Someone else could do this for you, or almost. In the second hypothesis however, not so. Here, a growing-beyond is very clearly the only really worthwhile solution. Now, this is a totally different matter of course. You have to do this very much yourself. The help you can get for this is also of a completely different nature. You see: these are completely different points of view, with very different consequences.
◊◊◊
According to me, the second hypothesis is true. After all, human mind is nature’s product, not a technical product. This, together with its extreme complexity, makes it almost impossible for something like a phobia to exist as a distinct part, unrelated to the rest of mind. In the real world, mind is not a clockwork-like device.
◊◊◊
This means that you can best evolve beyond the phobia through changing as a total person. You do this inasmuch as you ‘let the spider talk to you’, whether or not you are involved in a systematic desensitization process. This means: let its meaning become clear to you in a natural way, by itself. You have the possibility to accomplish this. This means: not getting rid of it, but letting it ‘organically’ transform itself and you. Give it the energy and the support that are needed for this. A plug-and-play change is not enough.
◊◊◊
Use autosuggestion.
◊◊◊
Related Posts
Why We Need Serial Treatment Assumption Testing
In medicine – regular and alternative (CAM) – Serial Treatment Assumption Testing (STAT) is a feasible and necessary tool to open up what has always been medical science’s intention. What is STAT? Quite straightforwardly, in its essence, it’s about serially asking study subjects to guess in which of two study groups they are (active medication Read the full article…
Placebo Without Deception?
By definition impossible if one takes ‘deception’ as a necessary characteristic of the concept of placebo. Still, it’s worthwhile to take a closer look at the ethical side. Preliminary remarks This text is rather academic. The train of thought is interesting for all. This is not about empathy, but only about ‘the sugar pill that Read the full article…
Underlying Reality in Psychotherapy and Psycho-Somatics
In this animated video, you get an introduction to what underlies psychotherapy and psycho-somatics. [Psychotherapy video – 12:10′] You might want to read first: [see: “Psychotherapy vs. Psychotherapies”] If you want to cooperate, please contact us. If you have feedback, please let us know. Here is the full written text. Hi, my name is Jean-Luc Read the full article…