Phobia, Fear, Panic Attack, Hypochondria, OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

"Fear doesn't stop death, it stops life" - Neil Donald Walsh

There are all kinds of phobias and fears that each person deals with more or less successfully. Of course, there are also useful fears—those that protect us in order to survive. Fear becomes toxic when it no longer protects our life, but starts interfering with it! Such are, for example, hypochondriac fears—the fear of illness, infection, bacteria, dirt, etc. Paradoxically, the fear of getting sick actually begins to make us seriously ill! This is a widespread fear that often transforms into panic attacks, blocking the normal functioning of many people. Such a serious condition should not be underestimated and must be treated, because it significantly harms daily life, social relationships, and even the person’s physical health. It turns out we can, indeed, “die from fear,” or as the saying goes: “Fear doesn’t stop death, it stops life.” Strangely, a large number of these patients visit all sorts of doctors’ offices—except the one they actually need: the psychotherapist’s.

Obsessive Thoughts and Behaviors. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

This category also includes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), as this condition is often a form of generalized anxiety and a failed attempt to cope with it. All the rituals and control behaviors invented by the sufferer are, in fact, attempts to reduce their anxiety, their fear of disorder and impurity—but they are unsuccessful attempts. Why are they unsuccessful? Because absolute order and perfect hygiene are unachievable, unless we dedicate our entire life solely to this task—and even then, we are certain not to succeed. But the main reason these attempts fail is that the true source of the anxiety and fear has nothing to do with order or hygiene, but with many other serious issues the person seems to “not want to know anything about.”

Thus, life becomes a servant to perfectionism, which takes control and subjugates the entire daily routine of the person suffering from OCD, who feels powerless to resist. Paradoxically, such a person is never able to feel calm, even when fully obeying their fears. Life with such a person—and for such a person—becomes a nightmare. As with many other mental struggles, those suffering often do not fully accept that they have a problem. It’s as if they would prefer for everyone around them to become like them, to believe in the same values and adopt the same behaviors and habits. The person doesn’t seem to want to get better; rather, they want to “infect” everyone else. This is a stubborn disorder, where awareness of the problem is the hardest thing to achieve.

Panic Attacks

It turns out that many people who suffer from fears and panic attacks are actually men. However, culture has taught them to be discreet about this. Men are expected to always be strong and brave, and the moments when they are overtaken by overwhelming and illogical fear seem absurd and ridiculous—even to themselves. Psychotherapy offers a space where these fears can be spoken out loud, explored, and overcome. One of the main reasons these fears persist is precisely the sufferer’s effort to push them away! Fear has the peculiar quality of growing stronger when we try to chase it away or when we feel horror and disgust toward it. This creates an additional layer: the fear of fear, and the panic attack strikes like an avalanche.

In psychotherapy, we don’t learn to chase our fears—we learn to talk to them, get to know them, understand them, and tame them. There are numerous therapeutic techniques for this purpose, and they produce excellent results!