microeye
Member
Hello,
Here I would like to share with my experience and how I minimized my social phobia to a great extent, and I say minimized because I don’t want to sound dramatic and say eliminated (which is really what happened).
I’m posting it here because this is where I started, I will make it on three posts, if I can help even one person, then I have achieved my goal
Post 1
I will try for it to be short and sweet.
People for an extremely long time believed that emotions (feeling of anger, fear,…etc) were caused by outside events, someone provokes you and you become angry, something scares you and you become scared. However by closely studying this theory, they discovered that this is not as true as it sounds, they discovered that the same event happened to a group of people and their reactions were as different as their finger prints!
From here evolved the theory that it is our interpretation of the event that provokes different emotions in us. Aha ,…that is very important to understand in our steps towards recovery.
So it is the way we interpret the events that caused us to start having emotions…..wait a minute here…..so you mean to tell me that it is not an automatic process !!!!!....so when I meet people and stand there stunned or sweating or trembling, it is not an automatic reaction……my answer is YES it is not automatic, so by breaking up the process of what happens the minute you meet people or think you will meet people or even see them or answer the phone or think about that presentation you plan to make next week, you will be able to identify the broken piece and simply fix it……YES I is that simple !!!
Ummmm………….so how????
Ok first we need to understand something about our brain.
( Quote from “how to control your emotions” text)
Our brain is made of three parts:
R-complex or the reptilian brain:
The most ancient of the three brains is called the reptilian brain or the R-complex. The R-complex evolved around 200 million years ago, odd enough it still performs in much the same way as it did for our remote ancestors. Much of human behavior can be described in reptilian terms, especially those involving aggression and territoriality.
In addition, the R-complex also influences our emotions. Our brains are a kind of biological computer, then just like all computers, they are run by programs. Furthermore, the older and more primitive a brain, the fewer programs it has to choose from; it also tends to rely almost completely on genetic programs which have been "hard-wired" into the brain. The primitive reptile brain is basically a survival brain, possessing only a few dozen or so ancient programs to choose from.
The human body has a built-in ability to regulate itself; it maintains the settings of various bodily conditions within certain established parameters. Take, for example, body temperature. We have a kind of thermostat which regulates the temperature of the body, just like we have thermostats attached to the heating and air conditioning systems in our homes. We have many of these thermostats regulating and adjusting various bodily factors.
For the most part, the aim of these thermostats is to keep our various bodily systems in balance - something called "homeostasis." The oldest function of emotions was to change the bias or setting of our bodily systems. To illustrate this, imagine a rabbit feeding on some vegetation. In this quiet and calm state, its internal systems are biased at a low setting. Now imagine a fox suddenly shows up. Noticing this, the rabbit reacts by abruptly shifting its internal setting. It has rebiased its homeostasis setting to "emergency." This is similar to suddenly moving the thermostat pointer in your house from 78° to 44° and the heat (or cool air if it's summertime) starts pouring in. When the rabbit changes over to the emergency setting, the drastic changes in various bodily systems prepare the animal for immediate action. "This emergency shift of bias," says Hart, "lies at the heart of what we call emotion."
Now, it is important to keep in mind that in humans, although our reptile brains are fully functional, the various parts of the brain are all interconnected and, consequently, influence one another. Next, we take a look at the old mammalian brain, also known as the limbic system.
The Limbic System
The old mammalian brain, or the limbic system. This brain is about 60 million years old and is far more sensitive and sophisticated than the R-complex.
The limbic system is much concerned with the emotions. Brain physiologists have discovered that the amygdale, a small almond-shaped structure located in the limbic system, plays a major role in both aggression and fear. When the amygdale of a placid domestic animal is stimulated electrically, the animal is roused into a high degree of fear or frenzy. Conversely, if the amygdale of a naturally ferocious animal is surgically removed, it becomes docile and will even tolerate being petted.
The limbic system also seems to be the origin of altruistic behaviors.
As a biocomputer, the old mammalian brain contains a much greater number of programs than its predecessor, allowing it a far wider range of response. In addition, the limbic system plays a major part in the generation of our emotions; in fact, we could call it our "emotion brain."
The Neocortex
The newest brain, the neocortex or new mammalian brain, has only been around for a few million years. In humans the neocortex is also the largest of the three brains - accounting for about five-sixths of the entire brain.
In order to see what role the neocortex plays in our emotional responses we need to back up a little. The R-complex is essentially a survival brain; it is capable of only a handful of behaviors. The limbic system is capable of a much wider range of behaviors, especially those concerning the emotions. As we have already seen, a component of the limbic system, the amygdale, plays a major role in fear and rage. The limbic system is largely responsible for the resetting of various bodily systems during our emotional reactions.
But in order for me to react to something with fear, I need to perceive or interpret that situation as warranting a fearful response. A part of my brain needs to say: "If you've ever had the need to be afraid, it is right now!" If I am walking along the street and suddenly encounter a street gang wielding baseball bats, before I can feel afraid, I need to interpret this situation as a threat. By the same token, if I had been informed by someone that I would come across life-sized puppets in the form of a street gang, I would feel no fear at all; for I now interpret the situation as non-threatening. It is the job of the neocortex to detect patterns and interpret the "meanings" of situations.
End of post 1
Here I would like to share with my experience and how I minimized my social phobia to a great extent, and I say minimized because I don’t want to sound dramatic and say eliminated (which is really what happened).
I’m posting it here because this is where I started, I will make it on three posts, if I can help even one person, then I have achieved my goal
Post 1
I will try for it to be short and sweet.
People for an extremely long time believed that emotions (feeling of anger, fear,…etc) were caused by outside events, someone provokes you and you become angry, something scares you and you become scared. However by closely studying this theory, they discovered that this is not as true as it sounds, they discovered that the same event happened to a group of people and their reactions were as different as their finger prints!
From here evolved the theory that it is our interpretation of the event that provokes different emotions in us. Aha ,…that is very important to understand in our steps towards recovery.
So it is the way we interpret the events that caused us to start having emotions…..wait a minute here…..so you mean to tell me that it is not an automatic process !!!!!....so when I meet people and stand there stunned or sweating or trembling, it is not an automatic reaction……my answer is YES it is not automatic, so by breaking up the process of what happens the minute you meet people or think you will meet people or even see them or answer the phone or think about that presentation you plan to make next week, you will be able to identify the broken piece and simply fix it……YES I is that simple !!!
Ummmm………….so how????
Ok first we need to understand something about our brain.
( Quote from “how to control your emotions” text)
Our brain is made of three parts:
R-complex or the reptilian brain:
The most ancient of the three brains is called the reptilian brain or the R-complex. The R-complex evolved around 200 million years ago, odd enough it still performs in much the same way as it did for our remote ancestors. Much of human behavior can be described in reptilian terms, especially those involving aggression and territoriality.
In addition, the R-complex also influences our emotions. Our brains are a kind of biological computer, then just like all computers, they are run by programs. Furthermore, the older and more primitive a brain, the fewer programs it has to choose from; it also tends to rely almost completely on genetic programs which have been "hard-wired" into the brain. The primitive reptile brain is basically a survival brain, possessing only a few dozen or so ancient programs to choose from.
The human body has a built-in ability to regulate itself; it maintains the settings of various bodily conditions within certain established parameters. Take, for example, body temperature. We have a kind of thermostat which regulates the temperature of the body, just like we have thermostats attached to the heating and air conditioning systems in our homes. We have many of these thermostats regulating and adjusting various bodily factors.
For the most part, the aim of these thermostats is to keep our various bodily systems in balance - something called "homeostasis." The oldest function of emotions was to change the bias or setting of our bodily systems. To illustrate this, imagine a rabbit feeding on some vegetation. In this quiet and calm state, its internal systems are biased at a low setting. Now imagine a fox suddenly shows up. Noticing this, the rabbit reacts by abruptly shifting its internal setting. It has rebiased its homeostasis setting to "emergency." This is similar to suddenly moving the thermostat pointer in your house from 78° to 44° and the heat (or cool air if it's summertime) starts pouring in. When the rabbit changes over to the emergency setting, the drastic changes in various bodily systems prepare the animal for immediate action. "This emergency shift of bias," says Hart, "lies at the heart of what we call emotion."
Now, it is important to keep in mind that in humans, although our reptile brains are fully functional, the various parts of the brain are all interconnected and, consequently, influence one another. Next, we take a look at the old mammalian brain, also known as the limbic system.
The Limbic System
The old mammalian brain, or the limbic system. This brain is about 60 million years old and is far more sensitive and sophisticated than the R-complex.
The limbic system is much concerned with the emotions. Brain physiologists have discovered that the amygdale, a small almond-shaped structure located in the limbic system, plays a major role in both aggression and fear. When the amygdale of a placid domestic animal is stimulated electrically, the animal is roused into a high degree of fear or frenzy. Conversely, if the amygdale of a naturally ferocious animal is surgically removed, it becomes docile and will even tolerate being petted.
The limbic system also seems to be the origin of altruistic behaviors.
As a biocomputer, the old mammalian brain contains a much greater number of programs than its predecessor, allowing it a far wider range of response. In addition, the limbic system plays a major part in the generation of our emotions; in fact, we could call it our "emotion brain."
The Neocortex
The newest brain, the neocortex or new mammalian brain, has only been around for a few million years. In humans the neocortex is also the largest of the three brains - accounting for about five-sixths of the entire brain.
In order to see what role the neocortex plays in our emotional responses we need to back up a little. The R-complex is essentially a survival brain; it is capable of only a handful of behaviors. The limbic system is capable of a much wider range of behaviors, especially those concerning the emotions. As we have already seen, a component of the limbic system, the amygdale, plays a major role in fear and rage. The limbic system is largely responsible for the resetting of various bodily systems during our emotional reactions.
But in order for me to react to something with fear, I need to perceive or interpret that situation as warranting a fearful response. A part of my brain needs to say: "If you've ever had the need to be afraid, it is right now!" If I am walking along the street and suddenly encounter a street gang wielding baseball bats, before I can feel afraid, I need to interpret this situation as a threat. By the same token, if I had been informed by someone that I would come across life-sized puppets in the form of a street gang, I would feel no fear at all; for I now interpret the situation as non-threatening. It is the job of the neocortex to detect patterns and interpret the "meanings" of situations.
End of post 1