Overcoming Entomophobia.

[Random Encounter]

For a while now I have had an irrational fear of Roaches. I don't know what it is but I just feel incredibly uncomfotable and paranoid around them or even just seeing an image of one.

This has never really been much of a problem in the past but now the fear is starting to take over and needs to be to dealt with.

So I was wondering, is their anything I can do to overcome and help deal with this fear?

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Psychologists and Hypnotists have been proven therapies to help overcome certain fears, there's even a specialist for fears, cant remember what it is though.

 

[SiskoBlue]

First and foremost, face your fears and use a cognitive behaviourial therapist is what you need.

There are 1000s upon 1000s of people who will offer ways to get over a phobia that DOESN'T involve confronting your fears and NONE OF THEM WORK. But of course people with phobia will try just about anything except facing the fear. But a good cognitive behavioural therapist will ease you into it, make a safe place for you to confront the fear and after the first session you will feel a lot better.

I also have a theory when it comes to these type of phobias. I believe it's more disgust than fear. Feeling disgusted is a poweful emotion and most people can remember a key event when something occurred with the target of their phobia that truly disgusted them. So the fear isn't of the creature, it's of feeling that disgusted again.

If you don't see a therapist, or can't afford one, the best way to got over it is to do the 1-10 method. Get someone to get a roach in a jar, alive or dead, whichever you can deal with easier. Put it on the other side of a room from you. Now assess how anxious you feel on a scale of 1-10. Say it's 6. Just sit there, do some deep breathing ( breath in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5, then out for a count of 5).

After a while your anxiety level will drop down to about 1-2. When you feel ok again, move as close as you can until your anxiety is back up around 6-7. Again, breath. Relax. Keep telling yourself that it can't actually hurt you, it's just gross and that's fine. It helps to have someone there to support you, tell you you're doing well, keeping you calm.

Keeping doing these sessions and eventually you'll be able to pick up the jar containing the roach. You might even go as far as to get the roach out of the jar and onto your hand (apologies if this is making you uncomfortable reading this).

You just know that you can do it. Don't back out, you won't die, and you won't pass out.

Good luck.

 

[Antisigma]

Well, I can only offer my method of dealing with such fears. I used to feel the same way about spiders, doesn't bother me now.

The object of your fear is separate from you, incapable of affecting you. Look at it logically, objectively - just a nasty, skittering little creature that can't do much of anything to you.

Of course, this does mean that as soon as the spider does affect me (say, by crawling on my arm), I flip out. But as long as you can stay calm and maintain perspective about the object of your fear, it isn't so bad.

Now if only there was a better way to apply that principle to telephobia...

 

[Avistew]

Phobias get stronger because you're rewarded for avoiding the source of your fear (avoided by making the fear stop) and therefore in your brain the phobia is reinforced.
However when it's at phobia level you generally can't directly face it straight up.
SiskoBlue's solution is good, but I would recommend going with smaller baby steps. Make a list of things from scariest to least scary. Then start with the least scary (but still scary) until you're ok with it.

So for instance if the least scary thing is a drawing of a cockroach, or a photo of one, or a plush of one, just be around THAT first before trying with the live one.
There is a free game episode [http://www.telltalegames.com/samandmax/lincolnmustdie] that has a roach character in it. Maybe you can start with that, as it's cartoonish and the roach can talk, so it would be less scary?

Learning relaxation techniques would help too. Not just when facing your fear, but generally, it might make you less anxious and as a result your fears would be easier to deal with when they do pop up.

Don't go too fast or you'll just panic and make it worse. Go step by step. But every step does need to be something that scares you at least a little bit, or it won't help at all and is just an excuse to delay it.

Good luck!

 

[Conqueror Kenny]

You could just pick Terran and build lots of mauarders. The roaches won't be a problem anymore. Just make sure you remember stimpack for super fast roach killing.

 

[Accountfailed]

Psychologists and Hypnotists have been proven therapies to help overcome certain fears, there's even a specialist for fears, cant remember what it is though.

*mesmerized by hypnotic avatar*

flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap flap...

 

[SilentCom]

Stepping on one of those little creepers. You might overcome your fear =P

 

[Kingsnake661]

I got over a pretty bad fear of hights by riding roller coasters... I'm getting better with spiders because I've spent time at a friends house, who has one as a pet. My fear of desiease is harder to deal with, but i do it with logic and common since. In other words, i'm proactive about it, i work towards overcoming them, and eventually i do.

Now don't get me wrong... I still feel.. alittle uneasy when i'm really high up... A spider springing out of nowhere can still make me jump, and, well, i'm still a bit of a hypocontradic, but, I manage them, and they don't control me, at all anymore.

So.. face your fear. Be proactive about it. They may never fully go away, but you can manage them. And that's what matters.

 

[zefiewings]

The object of your fear is separate from you, incapable of affecting you. Look at it logically, objectively

But as long as you can stay calm and maintain perspective about the object of your fear, it isn't so bad.

I'm sorry but this is not applicable to a phobia. It is possible that this will help, but only if it is not a true phobia. Being very afraid of something is not the same as having a phobia, they are actually akin to mental illness.
I am not trying to downplay your fears, truly being very very afraid of something is horrible. But is still is not the same thing.
I have a phobia. I have often gone into hysterics, thinking (at random times) that I am pregnant and having a miscarriage. I am a virgin. There is no logic to my phobia, it is not even possible. It was very difficult to even type it...but I think it is important for people to understand the difference.
Many people mistakenly say they have a phobia when they are actually just very afraid. It is not that your fears are invalid, its just that you need a different sort of help and different methods of dealing with it.

 

[Ando85]

A lot of people are scared of roaches. I recall watching a Maury Povich episode with someone having a fear of pickles. Sorry, I can't provide much advice than taking solice into the fact that you aren't mortally afraid of pickles.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I also have a theory when it comes to these type of phobias. I believe it's more disgust than fear. Feeling disgusted is a poweful emotion and most people can remember a key event when something occurred with the target of their phobia that truly disgusted them. So the fear isn't of the creature, it's of feeling that disgusted again.

That's actually a pretty popular theory, from what I've read. Fear, supposedly, is not the base emotion we once though it was, it's merely a result of disgust (As is, supposedly, all forms of hate, in one form or another).