Things People With Phobias Wish You Knew

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I’m adding a taglist to start, but this post is open to absolutely everyone! <3

@jesusredeemedme2425 Thanks, Kiara for creating this thread 💕

People think phobia is a lack of knowledge or logic; but actually it’s more like a glitch in the brain’s alarm system that completely overrides the logic.

I have Trypanophobia and it’s been 19 years. Since childhood till now, it hasn’t changed at all
 For those who don’t know, it’s the phobia of needles and injections.

People often think it's just fear, but it isn’t. It’s something much bigger than the word "fear". Your heart starts racing like crazy, your body goes into panic mode ... and the part people don’t realize is that it’s completely involuntary. No matter how much we know it’s just a tiny thing, the brain reacts like it’s a huge threat.
And it doesn’t just feel intense; it physically is. Your pupils dilate, your breathing speeds up and you can feel shaky, lightheaded or hyper-aware of everything around you.
Now imagine that … every single time I had to get vaccinated 😭 I’m an adult now, but still a total needle-phobe *sighs

I really want people to understand: it’s not about being dramatic. We already know the facts, but logic just doesn’t work in that moment bcz one's brain is focused solely on the threat!! 

Also not all phobias show up the same way. While many phobias cause an adrenaline spike, needle phobia often triggers something called a vasovagal response
 lemme explain, it's a two-step reaction:

1- The spike: amygdala (a very small part of our brain) triggers a surge of adrenaline (fight or flight hormone) which causes the heart racing + panic rising 
2- The crash: the body overcorrects, suddenly dropping heart rate and blood pressure, which can cause dizziness or even fainting (in some extreme cases but hasn't happened in mine)

So the body is literally going through two extreme reactions back-to-back.
When people minimize it by saying things like “it’s just a little poke” or “be a big girl”, it doesn’t help, it actually makes it worse. If they can't understand somebody else's situation, then at least don't minimize it!

All phobias involve real physical reactions but from the outside, people only see behavior and compare it to their own experience. That’s why it’s easy to misunderstand what’s actually happening inside someone else’s body.

People need to understand the difference between fear and phobia (a lot of 'em lack knowledge about it sadly, there's just one universal word "fear" used for every behavior like this)
If somebody wants to understand more, they can check out the book The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne or watch videos on youtube including Difference Between Fear and Phobia

@jesusredeemedme2425

We know it's not rational but it still affects us greatly 🩷

@jesusredeemedme2425

first and foremost, please don't laugh at our phobias. unless I'm laughing or have established I don't mind lighthearted treatment of it, I don't want to be teased.

I wasn't sure whether I should comment or not. I don't know what to call it exactly. But several things in my past seem to cause freakouts.

People expect you to shake it off like it isn't a big deal because it didn't happen recently so why do I feel as though I'm going to pass out?

Why do people expect you to behave normally when you're frozen in fear. Time stops. It's hard to breathe. I can't move. I can't think straight.

It doesn't matter if it was caused by a big or lil thing. It still affects me in the same way. I lose the ability to function and that to me is a huge deal.

Losing control is not a thing I'm used too. Yet when I am in that environment. I'm not even me anymore.