Firstly I wanted to know why people end up with Phobias and what they physiologically are?
I found a good article on the BBC News webpage about Phobias and I found out that...
- Phobias are linked strongly to anxiety because this is a very normal response when you are faced with stress or danger. This then spurs your body to pump adrenaline so that you are able to deal with whatever you are being faced with. However the problems can start when peoples bodies start reacting in this way disproportionally to the danger actually present or even when there is no danger at all.
- The 'National Phobics Society' has recognised different factors which can trigger your body to react how I described above and therefore causing a disorder/phobia to develop. These factors are...
- Stress
- Childhood Environment
- Genetic Predisposition
- Physical factors, such as thyroid problems
- Biochemical imbalances and changes in the levels of chemical messengers in the brain
Phobias will usually be linked to one of theses causes factoring into it however it could also be a combination of these factoring together to cause a phobia. Some of these surprise me especially the bottom two because I didn't realise that your body could cause you to have a Phobia even though it would seem that they wouldn't be linked. I always assumed it was a very physiological thing but it is good to know that it can be caused for other reasons too.
- Phobias can be described as anxiety disorder which is why Phobias can if someone is willing be controlled because it is like learning to control your anxiety which many people throughout life have to learn to do.
When people react to a stress, fear or danger like I spoke about before it can be called the 'flight or fight' response which can factor into their Phobia. I want to look more into this term and find out what that means?
I found some good definitions on Wikipedia which told me...
- The fight-or-flight response is also know as hyperarousal or acute stress response.
- Flight or Fight is a 'physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack or threat to survival.' This essentially means it is how you would react when in danger.
- When put in a situation of danger the adrenal medulla (part of the adrenaline gland) produces a massive hormonal release in your body and it is these hormones which effect how you react to stress which would determine weather you will fight or flight.
- The Flight or Fight response is mainly controlled by the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal and acts largely subconsciously. This is interesting because a lot of these components are effected by the anxiety you feel when encountering a dangerous or stressful situation. This then makes you fight or flight.
Now that I have an understanding of where phobias come from physiologically and how they cause the flight or fight repose I now wanted to look specifically at the phobias which our group are suing in the dance video. These are Arachnophobia, Claustrophobia and Astraphobia. Here is what I found out about each one..
Arachnophobia
(Information from an article on the 'Calm Clinic' Website)
- Roughly 50% of women and 10% of men display symptoms of Arachnophobia. It is one of the oldest and most common phobias in western culture.
- There are some theories as to why we fear spiders so much anyway. One theory is based on the idea of evolutionary phycology and the idea that because our ancestors feared spiders we do too. This could be linked to the fact that there are some poisonous species of spiders so a person who is likely to avoid spiders and keep away from them is actually more likely to survive than a person who is happy to be around them.
- Another theory about why we fear spiders is that it is culturally dependant. For example some cultures have spiders as a dietary staple were as our western cultures fears them together.
- Another much more common theory with phobias is that Arachnophobia has been taught to us by our parents in the way we are raised. By seeing a older family member like a parent show fear towards something such as a spider as a young child you would then learn that spiders are to be feared and reacted to like that. If this keeps happening then that would explain why our culture is so against spiders because we are constantly teaching the younger generation to be that way.
I then found a list of Arachnophobia facts on this website - http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/anxiety/phobias/arachnophobia-quick-facts.html
Here is the list:
Arachnophobia facts
- There are approximately 40,000 species of spiders.- Most spiders are not capable of penetrating human skin.
- Most spiders will bite humans only in self-defence.
- Most spider bites have no more effect than a bee sting or mosquito bite.
- Recent studies show that the ‘toxic effects’ of spider bites are often of no medical relevance.
- Most venomous spiders are not capable of injecting enough venom to warrant medical intervention and of those that can, only a few cases are recorded to be fatal.
- Most researchers agree that the Australian funnel web spider is the one to avoid because of its aggressive nature, but even so, there are only two recorded bites (not deaths) a year.
- In western society, around 55% of women and 18% of men experience a fear of spiders to some degree.
- In the 20th century there were around 100 reliably recorded deaths from spider bites (one a year on average), but there were 1500 deaths from jellyfish stings.
- The house spider – usually spotted during autumn running around our carpets looking for a female mate – is not harmful to us.
- Scientists are working with spider venom to create a less toxic pesticide alternative; spider venom can be deadly to insects but harmless to other animals such as pets. - So, not only do spiders catch flies and mites, they may help us further tend to our plants in future too.
- Arachnophobia, like many other ‘simple’ phobias, can be treated very effectively these days.
Claustrophobia
(Information found on the NHS Website)
- It is estimated that around 10% of the UK population suffer from claustrophobia at some point in there life.
- It is very normal for people to fear the idea of being trapped when there is danger present however people with Claustrophobia are fearful of confined spaces even if there is little or no danger present at all. It can sometimes be linked to the idea of loosing control.
- Some people with Claustrophobia as well as other phobias can suffer symptoms by just thinking about being in a confined situation or space.
- Common triggers of Claustrophobia can be: lifts, tunnels, tube trains, revolving doors, public toilets, cars with central locking, car washes, shop changing rooms, hotel rooms with sealed windows and planes.
- Panic Attacks are a common effect caused when suffering from Claustrophobia. This can include:
sweating
trembling
hot flushes or chills
shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
a choking sensation
rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
chest pain or a feeling of tightness in the chest
a sensation of butterflies in the stomach
nausea
headaches and dizziness
feeling faint
numbness or pins and needles
dry mouth
a need to go to the toilet
ringing in your ears
feeling confused or disorientated
sweating
trembling
hot flushes or chills
shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
a choking sensation
rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
chest pain or a feeling of tightness in the chest
a sensation of butterflies in the stomach
nausea
headaches and dizziness
feeling faint
numbness or pins and needles
dry mouth
a need to go to the toilet
ringing in your ears
feeling confused or disorientated
- There are some more severe physiological symptoms that people with severe claustrophobia can experience which are:
fear of losing control fear of fainting
feelings of dread
fear of dying
This seems to be very serious and dangerous thoughts to have which only emphasise how dangerous Claustrophobia can be on someones mental wellbeing.
-The main cause of Claustrophobia has been found to be a traumatic experience as a child however these are the main reasons people develop claustrophobia:
were trapped or kept in a confined space were bullied or abused
had a parent with claustrophobia
Even thought it seems they all stem from childhood problems Claustrophobia can occur to people and develop at any time. For example you could have a bad experience as an adult like being trapped in a lift and this could cause this to develop.
(Information found on Wikipedia)
- Astraphobia will mean that during a thunder storm the individual will feel extremely anxious even though they know there isn't a significant threat to them. They suffer a lot of common symptoms linked to other phobias and anxiety such as trembling, crying, sweating, panicked reactions, the sudden feeling of using the bathroom, nausea, the feeling of dread, and rapid heartbeat.
- There are symptoms of Astraphobia which are specific to this phobia such as reassurance being sought from others, symptoms worsening when alone, looking for extra shelter under a bed or in a cupboard etc, covering ears and trying to drown out the sound of Thunder, Pulling the curtains across to try and block out the lightening.
- People with Astraphobia can have a much larger interest in weather forecasts because they want to know when to expect a storm. Some people will even check the weather every time before they leave the house just to make sure that they are safe. This is why Astraphobia can actually lead to another phobia called Agoraphobia which is basically a fear of open outdoor spaces.
- Many children will suffer from a fear of thunder and lightening as they mature however it shouldn't be treated as a phobia or recognised as Astraphobia unless there symptoms persist for more than 6 months in which case they should get help to deal with it otherwise it could develop into a serious problem as they get older.
- The most common treatment for Astraphobia is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy where by they teach people to think and handle the idea of a storm differently in order to stay relaxed and eventually not feel fearful of thunder and lightening anymore.
This research has been really useful to me especially as Director because it will influence me in constructing how the dancers will represent the Phobias and now it ill come from a thought out place of knowledge which gives me much more confidence in the idea.
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