Need help forgetting or overcoming a fear of something

[CreakyJoints]

That sounds like a difficult situation. Perhaps many other people here are also trying to grapple with the same thing; or maybe they at least have similar, insurmountable-seeming things hanging over them. I think I remember at least one or two people on this forum with terminal illnesses, for instance, if that's the same sort of magnitude.

I have a paper here you might be curious about, but please take it with a handful of salt. I do not recommend trying to emulate the unique model used in this study, but it might still be of interest. In fact, I strongly recommend not trying it alone. I believe it's been posted here before, but I think the conclusions people came to here were quite outlandish in my (uninformed) opinion. It is a sort of selective exposure related therapy using propanalol. There are some other studies like it, some are not as promising.

The concept might be reproducible without the use of the drug. I think the consensus here was that blocking adrenaline was a key factor, but I don't know enough about it. Essentially (reductively) the premise is to expose patients to the fear/trauma whilst being in a state of complete (drug-induced) calm, then on further exposures they ought not to be as afraid/traumatised. This was done by a simple shock stimulus rather than what you're describing, but the researchers evidently thought it was somewhat promising.

 

[LoryEl]

Any chance you could point us in the right direction of a good place to start regarding this? Sounds really useful, thank you!

Sorry for the late follow up on this. I needed to remember what was a very quick and effective book for me startingup with NLP. I believe this was a good one Amazon product ASIN 0007555938View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0007555938/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_P3YVEAE5R3Z3G3FJ1WE9
How to Take Charge of Your Life: The User’s Guide to NLP

 

[OccamzRazer]

I’m not going to mention what I read. It’s nothing illegal but it’s very disturbing, especially if you’re prone to anxiety. If you have any idea of what it is, I kindly ask that you don’t mention it in this thread but if you have very specific advice pertaining to it, please PM me instead.

Long story short, I read something online that I shouldn’t have when I was getting too deep into Internet rabbit holes.

Now I’m not sure if it’s affecting me in such a profoundly negative way because of a hormonal state or simply because I tend to overthink things, but I’d love some advice on either how to forget it or on what I can do to get over my fear of something that is likely completely irrational.

Thanks in advance.

Hey, sorry you're going through this!

I know how it feels...I fell into a research rabbit hole regarding some very disturbing topics this past week as well. To be honest it's really shaken me.

Here's what's helped :

- Ample caffeine/red light/nicotine, dosed every few hours
- Light workouts out in nature
- Flirting with girls lol
- Sharing feelings with trusted friends
- Moving outside of comfort zones in nonrelated areas
- Intentional, positive speech and prayer (some people would call this 'affirmations')

 

[OccamzRazer]

One more thing, which I can't really recommend for you but have really enjoyed personally:

Try to view life as an ongoing practical joke of some sort.

Going to Walmart and riding around in one of their motorized carts, acting like you've been 'vaccine damaged' along with some friends, can be very therapeutic. ?

 

[Michael Mohn]

Some foods & herbs can cause anxiety. As a child I tried to imagine eternity and I did imagine it, which was pretty unsettling and agonising.
I discovered that peppermint tea caused this anxiety and mental fixation. Confronting death in childhood like butchering animals and eating them can make one quite resilient to existential suffering, not sure if the experience in adulthood has the same effect.

 

[BearWithMe]

@Summer

 

[Cloudhands]

with the help of psychedelics and ketamine i truly believe in life after this life and no longer fear death, just pain. i used to like thinking about life after death and other mystical phenomena, but always had my doubts, it wasnt until i truly contemplated it and truly expect perception to continue that most of my anxiety has left.

 

[Summer]

That sounds like a difficult situation. Perhaps many other people here are also trying to grapple with the same thing; or maybe they at least have similar, insurmountable-seeming things hanging over them. I think I remember at least one or two people on this forum with terminal illnesses, for instance, if that's the same sort of magnitude.

I have a paper here you might be curious about, but please take it with a handful of salt. I do not recommend trying to emulate the unique model used in this study, but it might still be of interest. In fact, I strongly recommend not trying it alone. I believe it's been posted here before, but I think the conclusions people came to here were quite outlandish in my (uninformed) opinion. It is a sort of selective exposure related therapy using propanalol. There are some other studies like it, some are not as promising.

The concept might be reproducible without the use of the drug. I think the consensus here was that blocking adrenaline was a key factor, but I don't know enough about it. Essentially (reductively) the premise is to expose patients to the fear/trauma whilst being in a state of complete (drug-induced) calm, then on further exposures they ought not to be as afraid/traumatised. This was done by a simple shock stimulus rather than what you're describing, but the researchers evidently thought it was somewhat promising.

Sounds very interesting. Thanks. I’ll give it a read after work today!

Hey, sorry you're going through this!

I know how it feels...I fell into a research rabbit hole regarding some very disturbing topics this past week as well. To be honest it's really shaken me.

Here's what's helped :

- Ample caffeine/red light/nicotine, dosed every few hours
- Light workouts out in nature
- Flirting with girls lol
- Sharing feelings with trusted friends
- Moving outside of comfort zones in nonrelated areas
- Intentional, positive speech and prayer (some people would call this 'affirmations')

These are all very good things to do, no doubt. I have kind of shut myself away for unrelated reasons these past few years. Red light is something I can get started on right away though. Thanks.

One more thing, which I can't really recommend for you but have really enjoyed personally:

Try to view life as an ongoing practical joke of some sort.

Going to Walmart and riding around in one of their motorized carts, acting like you've been 'vaccine damaged' along with some friends, can be very therapeutic. ?

The powers that he have certainly made it a practical joke at this point. It’s not called clown world for nothing hahah.

Some foods & herbs can cause anxiety. As a child I tried to imagine eternity and I did imagine it, which was pretty unsettling and agonising.
I discovered that peppermint tea caused this anxiety and mental fixation. Confronting death in childhood like butchering animals and eating them can make one quite resilient to existential suffering, not sure if the experience in adulthood has the same effect.

I always have wanted to try an elimination diet to see if a certain food was affecting me negatively but I never follow through...

 

[Summer]

with the help of psychedelics and ketamine i truly believe in life after this life and no longer fear death, just pain. i used to like thinking about life after death and other mystical phenomena, but always had my doubts, it wasnt until i truly contemplated it and truly expect perception to continue that most of my anxiety has left.

I’ve heard similar things from people have done shrooms or DMT. The concept of eternity plays into my anxiety but maybe one day I should look into these to get an answer. Honestly I don’t think I’m in a proper state at the moment though.

 

[OccamzRazer]

I’ve heard similar things from people have done shrooms or DMT. The concept of eternity plays into my anxiety but maybe one day I should look into these to get an answer. Honestly I don’t think I’m in a proper state at the moment though.

You can always start off with microdosing! Very gentle effects that way, until you get a feel for the substance(s).

 

[Cloudhands]

You can always start off with microdosing! Very gentle effects that way, until you get a feel for the substance(s).

yeah man, 100%. getting high on psychedelics can instantly change your perspective even super low doses.

 

[OccamzRazer]

The powers that he have certainly made it a practical joke at this point. It’s not called clown world for nothing hahah.

What I'm suggesting is to turn this joke around so it works in your favour - at least on a microcosmic level!

 

[JamesGatz]

Sounds to me like elevated serotonin ... a quick way I say is if you wear a cap or headwear or tie a headband or shirt over your head you'll relax and stop caring about the things you have seen - a lot of people on this forum ridicule me for this method as 'broscience' but there is a VERY REAL serotonin-lowering effect I notice when I have something on my head - even if the shirt or headband is very loose it makes me feel very relaxed - if you feel your problem going away immediately after this then you know it was serotonin

 

[Kykeon]

i have found great success from "somatic experiencing"

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHVNUDPMeSY


View: https://youtu.be/26zoFKZzbQc?t=794
this is how the exercise works, just dont do it too long. I always found quick relief from anxious thinking patterns with this.
@JamesGatz

davinci was aware!! haha. but i dont think all problems related to human physiology can be fixed with heating up the head.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I’m not going to mention what I read. It’s nothing illegal but it’s very disturbing, especially if you’re prone to anxiety. If you have any idea of what it is, I kindly ask that you don’t mention it in this thread but if you have very specific advice pertaining to it, please PM me instead.

Long story short, I read something online that I shouldn’t have when I was getting too deep into Internet rabbit holes.

Now I’m not sure if it’s affecting me in such a profoundly negative way because of a hormonal state or simply because I tend to overthink things, but I’d love some advice on either how to forget it or on what I can do to get over my fear of something that is likely completely irrational.

Thanks in advance.

Would you consider this "unnamed" something to have given you PTSD?