You are not crazy, you are not psychotic, you are not immature, and you are not neurotic. You are phobic and phobias are easy to cure. You are obsessive and obsessions are easy to cure. You are compulsive, and compulsions are easy to cure.
THE THREE MYTHS:
All people with fears, phobias, or obsessive compulsive disorder share three myths:
1. "I'm the only one that has this." FACT: You and 46 million other Americans.
2. "I'm crazy" or "I will surely go crazy." FACT: People with phobias or OCD are annoyingly sane and do not go crazy.
3. "My case is unique, severe and incurable". FACT: If you do the work in this manual, you will be cured!
1. WHAT IS A PHOBIA? The American Psychiatric Association defines a phobia as an irrational fear. That bothered me. I was not irrational. I was a responsible physician, head of a rehabilitation center, logical and clear-headed, but I was severely phobic.
I came to realize that all fears are based on a rational premise. Phobic fears are created to protect your ego or to save your life. Your brain likes to stay alive and when it gets threatened, it warns you and tries to protect you by scaring you into safety. If your brain thinks your self-esteem is at risk, it will scare you into avoiding that situation.
...IT IS HUMAN TO BE AFRAID! It is estimated that 90 percent of humans have restrictive fears. Often phobias are hidden in terms such as "I don't like to, I don't like to go to funerals, hospitals, get on the dance floor first, speak in public or go to a public bathroom." It is normal to have fears, it is human to be phobic.
2. WHAT IS AN OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)? An obsession is a recurrent often persistent idea or thought. It is often senseless, absurd, intrusive, bothersome and embarrassing. They are never acted upon, but create intense anxiety.
A compulsion is a repetitive, intentional behavior that is done to relieve the anxiety produced by the obsessive thought. it often involves checking, counting, or washing.
OCDs are annoying because they appear senseless to the person that experiences them. They take lots of time and can interfere with many of your relationships.
OCD is often a zealously guarded secret because it seems crazy. In truth, phobocs and OCDs are absolutely sane! Since phobias and OCD are so similar in all respects, everything in this book applies to both. ..Every word in this book applies to your respective disorder. Whether you have generalized anxiety disorder, panic, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or an impulsive disorder, you will find your cure in this manual!
In the book you will learn how to switch off your fear responses, unlearn faulty thought processes, destructive brain programs and what to do about them, shyness tools, increase your self-esteem and how to be HAPPY! Also included to help encourage your victories, case victories of class graduates, complete workbook, suggested reading and phobia organizations to help you now. This book has helped transform the lives of thousands of people living in fear into thousands of people loving their lives!
Keep this number handy in case you need it.
HOTLINE FOR ACUTE PHOBIA ATTACKS
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
(1 800) 647-2642