Eliminating Stressors\

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How important and desirable is it to eliminate the stressors in our life?\
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Our body responds to stress with an alarm reaction. This alarm reaction in ou
r brain signals our adrenal glands to produce a stream of stress hormones which
are chemical messengers that instantaneously increase our supply of energy, sust
ain blood pressure and assist other hormones in functioning more efficiently.\
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Our immune system, our autonomic nervous system and our brain are directly im
pacted by these hormones, helping our body to adapt to the stress. The body'92s
magnificent intelligence always serves us during stressful crises. If the stress
continues for a prolonged period of time, however, serious damage may be caused
as the production of stress hormones can and does get out of control. When thes
e stress hormones are out of control, our body'92s biochemical balance becomes u
pset and functions entirely out of harmony. This then impairs our immune system
and leaves us open and vulnerable to invasion of dangerous infections and cancer
cells. According to some scientists, stress hormones also hasten and compound t
he aging process, Cortisol being one of them.\
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To answer the original question, '93How important and desirable is it to elim
inate the stressors in our lives?'94, it is evident from the foregoing informati
on that we would be doing our bodies a favor if we were taught how to minimize o
r eliminate as many stressors as possible on a daily basis.\
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Phobias\
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There is a condition that extends beyond the usual and normal stresses in lif
e that is closely related to the stressors discussed in Chapter 14. This conditi
on often manifests in a person when unidentified and unresolved feelings'97deep
stressors'97are present in the body. This condition is known as a '93Phobia.'94
A phobia is an obsessive, irrational fear or anxiety which represents the ultima
te panic attack. For example: Phobias or panic attacks often begin to occur afte
r there has been a separation from a loved one or a major change in a person'92s
life.\
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Phobias are a result of unresolved feelings/emotions or beliefs which may hav
e been ticking inside you like a time-bomb for years. The '93seed'94 of the phob
ia could have been there since the very first incorrectly perceived, unconscious
belief you naturally established after having a bad experience. For instance, b
eing locked in a closet could cause claustrophobia; falling from something high
as a child could create a fear of heights. Each phobia has it'92s own personalit
y, but all phobias are involuntary, irrational, and inappropriate to the situati
on.\
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There are over 40 million people in the United States who suffer from a phobi
a. When a phobia is in control, it'92s an indication that we are not in present
time'97that is, subconsciously (unknowingly) we are either living in the past or
in the future. But a phobic person is mostly haunted by what has happened in th
e past and living with a horrendous fear of what can happen in the future. And..
.the othercharacteristic of a phobia is that it flourishes via illusion. The ill
usion is worry'97what if'97and our unconscious imagining takes it from there and
runs wild. In other words, our phobic reality is a figment of our imagination a
nd we are living in the past; we have moved in and are residing with our old fea
rs. Something happened in our mind that facilitated the phobic behavior-reaction
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 Whatever the feeling/belief may be that has created the phobia, it is usually
rooted in some kind of fear. This fear has been stored, for who knows how long,
in the subconscious mind which is connected to the nervous system. When this fe
ar is triggered by a sight, a smell, a touch or a sound it arouses feelings of a
nxiety, fright and panic'97almost like someone has a gun to one'92s head. The ne
rvous system jumps into action, responding to the trigger by supplying all the u
npleasant reactions that have been created by the fear stored in the subconsciou
s and an unschooled imagination.\
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Major trauma in a person'92s life can also establish a fear that causes a pho
bia. If the trauma, at the time of its occurrence, is more than the person can c
ope with emotionally, often the mind provides a block that keeps the person from
remembering the incident. Case in point is Sherry, a client who, at fourteen ye
ars of age, was left alone in a motel room by her parents for a short time. Two
men broke in, turned the radio up very loud and proceeded to rape her. This trau
ma not only caused Sherry to panic thereafter every time she heard the stirring
melody of America the Beautiful, (the piece that was playing on the radio as she
was being violated) but the trauma (not resolved until about 20 years later), a
lso caused her the phobia of being unable to drive on the freeway because she fe
lt so '93out of control.'94 Sherry'92s mind had blocked the incident from her re
membrance. Because her phobia caused her so much pain and was becoming continual
ly worse, she was willing to see if the Script could bring her any relief. So, S
herry used the Script to instruct her subconscious to locate the origin of her f
eelings that caused her to panic every time she heard America the Beautiful. She
also instructed her subconscious to locate the origin of her feelings that caus
ed her to be so out of control on the freeway. By doing this, the block was remo
ved and a remembrance of the incident returned. Several feelings associated with
these phobias were successfully addressed with the Script and a healing was aff
ected. Needless to say, Sherry was extremely relieved and grateful when she foun
d that she no longer was bothered by these old phobias.\
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Phobic victims are usually bound or locked up inside with two fears. First, t
hey may have the fear of '93driving on the freeway,'94 then they have the second
fear, '93the fear of the primary fear,'94 the fear that they will lose control,
die or do something that is dangerous or embarrassing.\
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Even though buried feelings/beliefs may not have created a full-blown phobia
yet, a person needs to be aware and recognize when one of their five senses trig
gers the start of a phobic reaction. At that very moment the feeling reaction (e
xactly what is being felt) needs to be faced, not resisted or denied. Resisting
or denying a feeling creates a block in the energy flow which makes it worse. St
ate exactly what is being felt and start processing those feelings that are comi
ng to the surface with the Script.\
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An example of how to facilitate relief from a phobia attack as it is happenin
g at the moment would be: Take a deep breath in through your nose, letting it ou
t through your mouth slowly. Do it a second time and hold your breath after you
inhale for 3 seconds, then let it out slowly allowing your body to totally relax
. Then say, '93Spirit, please locate the origin of the feelings that cause me to
feel like I'92m losing my mind!'94 (Or whatever.) Continue on through the rest
of the Script, coming to the replacement line;...to transform. I choose Be-ing p
erfectly sane, I feel perfectly sane, I am perfectly sane, calm, serene and tran
quil.'94 These are merely suggestions of phrases to use for the positive replace
ments. You may have something you feel is more appropriate or better suits you.
Use it. Here again, my suggestions are merely to assist you in processing with t
he Script.\
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Processing feelings at the onset of an attack can help relieve the phobia bef
ore it is fully developed. If a person is not able to process their feelings soo
n enough to have immediate positive results, they may want to recall their feeli
ngs at a later, calmer time and process each one of them with the Script then. E
very person affected by a phobia will have a different experience when doing thi
s, and there is no way to predict how many times it will be necessary to use the
Script in the process of eliminating a phobia. The important thing is to contin
ue with the processing and address any and every feeling surrounding the phobia.
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Oftentimes, the person who experiences a phobia is in a chronic state of neur
osis. The neurosis is due to the fact that they are being constantly irritated a
nd agitated by their own thinking patterns. (Talk about the Conscious'97thinking
, and the Subconscious'97feeling, being at war!) Fearful of when the next phobic
attack will occur, their neurosis is compounded by this added state of fear. (P
erhaps, if you haven'92t already, you now catch the vision and importance of '93
tuning'94 in to your feelings and thoughts immediately, if not sooner.)\
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What are some of the fears connected with phobias? The most common ones are:\
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Fear of abandonment\
Fear of being alone\
Fear of being suffocated\
Fear of bridges\
Fear of cancer\
Fear of cats\
Fear of cemeteries\
Fear of closed areas\
Fear of confrontation\
Fear of crime\
Fear of criticism\
Fear of crossing streets\
Fear of crowds\
Fear of the dark\
Fear of dogs\
Fear of driving\
Fear of driving on the freeway\
Fear of dying\
Fear of engulfment\
Fear of falling\
Fear of fires\
Fear of flying/airplanes\
Fear of going crazy\
Fear of heights\
Fear of illness\
Fear of insects\
Fear of loud voices\
Fear of mice\
Fear of meeting strangers\
Fear of people in authority\
Fear of public places\
Fear of rape\
Fear of rejection\
Fear of riding in buses or trains\
Fear of social interaction\
Fear of speaking in public\
Fear of tunnels\
Fear of water\
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People who experience these phobic fears usually feel trapped. This trapped f
eeling creates terror; they feel out of control or, they feel they have no contr
ol of what is going on in their life. They feel there is no escape from this sit
uation'97there is no way out.\
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The phobic person makes a concerted effort to avoid the place, situation or t
hing which triggers the phobia. A phobic also fears that what they are afraid of
will wake them up in their sleep'97and then no sleep can come because of the pa
nic, anxiety or terror of the situation, whatever it may be. Their plight become
s a '93Catch 22'94 situation, like a squirrel in a round cage, running endlessly
and getting nowhere.\
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A phobic attack can appear very quickly, and generally a person can not ident
ify how or where it started. The thought pattern then becomes a behavior pattern
'97a habit, and the squirrel is off and running again, with the rut getting deep
er and deeper.\
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Symptoms of a phobia are normal bodily reactions. They are just happening at
the wrong time. These symptoms may include palpitation of the heart or shortness
of breath, dizziness and light-headedness. A person may be very nervous and fid
gety. Or, they may have a difficult time swallowing or breathing and start to sw
eat. Often they experience rubbery legs, feel faint and tremble. They may experi
ence a strange tingling and their chest may hurt. A phobic often feels impending
death or like they'92re going to go crazy! As one phobic stated it, '93I feel l
ike I'92m sitting in the middle of a room that is raging with fire, but there ar
e no windows or doors.'94\
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If any of these symptoms occur three times a week, this is the first sign of
a phobia. Phobias usually happen in people from ages 25 to 45 years. If the phob
ia is not corrected, it increases in severity and eventually controls a person'9
2s life. Women are more prone to phobias than men and men will usually turn to a
lcohol in an attempt to minimize or avoid their phobia.\
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When a phobia starts to develop, there are several other things a person can
do to distract the phobia and keep it from progressing while they are going thro
ugh the Script:\
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'95 Focus on the present\
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'95 Wiggle the toes\
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'95 Tap on the table or lap with a pencil or fingers\
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'95 Massage the back of the neck\
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'95 Chew on the tongue\
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'95 Tense the hand and relax it\
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'95 Listen to music\
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'95 Carry a handkerchief sprayed with favorite perfume & smell it\
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'95 Draw an imaginary circle on the floor that represents present time and st
ep into the circle\
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Any of the foregoing will facilitate a person'92s ability to maintain their f
ocus and stay in present time. A positive affirmative statement that also helps
keep a person in present time is, '93I love myself just the way I am.'94 Perhaps
the most beneficial thing you can do, however, is go through the Script while s
tanding in the imaginary circle, addressing your feelings of the moment. Doing t
he Script at this time is effective and one of the best applications of all the
suggestions in this chapter to relieve or halt an attack.\
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Bear in mind that although the suggestions above have the ability to move one
successfully through a tense moment, addressing the feelings one experiences at
the time of the phobia is critical to eliminating the phobia.\
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Another factor valuable for your information is that hypoglycemia and phobias
may be linked, according to Philip Bate, Ph.D., psychologist and former directo
r of the Maitland Psychological Clinic in Maitland, Florida. Dr. Alan Goldstein,
Ph.D., director of the Temple University Medical School Agoraphobia and Anxiety
Center in Philadelphia made a similar observation. He says that the typical die
t of their patients includes lots of sweets, as high as ten cups of coffee a day
, and very few slow-release high-protein foods. Obviously, adequate, nutritious
foods are very important to your health, chemical balance and well-being. So, yo
u may want to evaluate your eating habits along with recognizing your feelings.\
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'93Owning'94 the phobia and accepting it is a fundamental requisite on your r
oad to overcoming the phobia. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health
tells us that two former phobics, when asked what their single most important ad
vice would be for other phobics, recommended turning to family and friends for s
upport rather than hiding the problem from them. They encourage phobics not to b
e embarrassed about telling others. It'92s important to believe that there is ho
pe and that you are not alone. If the person experiencing a phobia has someone w
ith them, they feel protected. Whereas, if the person is alone they feel isolate
d. The anxiety and apprehension they undergo from worrying that they will encoun
ter their worst possible imagining, becomes their reality. These feelings can ca
use a person to become mentally, emotionally and physically crippled. Hormones a
nd glands become imbalanced., and the longer the phobia continues the worse it b
ecomes until 18% of the people who experience phobias or panic attacks commit su
icide. So, help yourself by addressing your feelings as they occur.\
}