Tackle Your Fears Without A Therapist
May 2, 2006
Martin Antony, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, estimates that 30 million
North Americans have some sort of medical phobia, which, as he states in the
introduction of his new book, makes the subject almost commonplace.
That's one of the reasons why Antony and his colleague Dr. Mark Watling wrote
Overcoming Medical Phobias. The book is part self-help and part case study, and
provides exercises and techniques on how to come to grips with many phobias. The
best strategy to deal with a phobia the doctors say is to tackle it head-on but
cautiously, using a multi-step hierarchy. "By taking small steps," the
authors write, "you stand a better chance of being successful. And success
at each small step will bring you closer to your ultimate goal."
The most common phobias, says Antony, deal with blood, needles, doctors and
dentists. These are often from a person's reactions to the first experience
which may include pain or fainting, or witnessing the reaction of a loved one.
While there is no shortage of people with medical phobias, Antony says there is
a surprising lack of helpful advice on the shelves. "No books are available
that talk about a particular fear," he says, "and yet the more
specific the information about a phobia, the more successful the solutions will
be in helping someone overcome them."
The book is not meant for the mildly squeamish; it is designed for those whom
their particular phobia presents an obstacle to normal daily living.
Based on techniques developed at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre at
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Antony's and Watling's approach is a
step-by-step method that requires the person, without the help of a therapist,
to track his or her progress in a methodical way.
"The centre uses a semi-structured interview to assess symptoms for each
anxiety disorder. We also use a series of other tools, such as self-report and
clinician-administered scales, diaries and monitoring forms, to assess the
various features of anxiety disorders, and determine the severity of the
problem," says Antony.
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Martin Anthony
Contact: Veronica McGuire
McMaster University