Did you know that there is a phobia called yellow color phobia? Or have you ever heard of someone who is afraid of their own body? We know people who are extremely afraid of getting on an airplane, heights, scorpions, snakes, speaking in public, holding door handles with the thought of getting infected, going to the toilet outside, being trapped in a place... Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Specialist Clinical Psychologist Çiğdem Demirsoy says that phobias can develop against everything and every situation. The good news is that technology is now at the disposal of the treatment of our phobias... Phobias are treated with a new method that combines biofeedback, which has been used in neurotherapy for years, with virtual reality.
FEAR IS A NATURAL EMOTION
Stating that fear is an extremely natural emotion in every human being, Çiğdem Demirsoy said, "It is a healthy emotion that allows people to survive. We will be afraid of fire so that we take precautions. We will be afraid of the thief so that we close our door. Phobia, on the other hand, is an extreme form of fear that renders the person dysfunctional. Fear has a logic. Phobia has no logic. For example, if you are afraid of a dog, you will change your path, but if you have a phobia of dogs, you will sweat intensely, you will be locked up or you will fall and faint." Demirsoy gave two cases as examples of phobias that are commonly encountered in daily life:
"I can't eat with my fiancé, I feel nauseous, dizzy and sweaty. We both complain a lot about this situation. I can eat comfortably when we are alone at home, but I can't eat outside with friends and his family. I'm going out of my mind, please help me, I've even thought about breaking up because of this."
Another example is as follows:
"I blush when I speak in public. Even though I know I have to deal with it, I can't handle it, I avoid speaking because I think I will blush. I am always nervous and worried that someone will ask me something, that it will be my turn to speak and I will have to speak. So much so that I break away from the conversation, and there are times when I feel embarrassed because I miss what is being said while struggling with my own thoughts."
INCREASES SUCCESS
When the fear leaves the person dysfunctional or starts to affect their normal life, it is called a phobia and needs to be treated. Whatever the cause, no matter how long it has lasted, virtual reality, which has recently been used in the treatment of phobias, increases the success of treatment. The aim of the method is to create the environment that scares the person in the therapy room in virtual reality, measure their reactions and gradually desensitize them to the source of fear. Virtual reality therapy combines three-dimensional glasses and biofeedback. I wanted to see for myself what virtual reality therapy is like.
HOW DID I OVERCOME MY PHOBIA OF HEIGHTS?
While trying the virtual reality method, clinical psychologist Çiğdem Demirsoy first asked me if I had a phobia. When I told her that I was afraid of heights, we based the experience on that. A kind of electrode was attached to my fingers to measure my reactions. Virtual reality goggles were put on my eyes. Thus, we tried to give the feeling of living that moment in that environment in three dimensions. Demirsoy, on the other hand, was following what I was seeing through my eyes in two dimensions on the computer screen. I was on top of a skyscraper, in an open space, and the other buildings below looked tiny. When I stepped forward with Demirsoy's guidance and looked down, I saw that I had reached the tip of the point I was at and that there was hundreds of meters of space below. The view was really scary. Demirsoy was able to track my fear through the incoming signals. I had taken the first step to get rid of my phobia of heights.
TALKING IS NOT ENOUGH, YOU NEED TO SEE
Çiğdem Demirsoy said that in order to get rid of anxiety and fear, not only talking is not enough but also confrontation is necessary, "In virtual reality, the person can experience that reality in three dimensions. Generally, the person runs away from situations that disturb him/her. In this method, he/she gets used to the situation under the guidance of the therapist, since he/she faces it when he/she is with the therapist. He manages to control his anxiety. At the same time, with the support of biofeedback, it is possible to measure the level of the person's fear while confronting their fears, anxieties and obsessions with their brain, respiration, body temperature and muscle movements. Sometimes people say they are afraid but their anxiety level is not very high. Or vice versa, they say they are not afraid, but their anxiety level is very high and they show physiological behaviors without realizing it. We can measure this. We can also measure when fears begin to fade."
I SAW MY EMOTIONS ON THE SCREEN
In biofeedback therapy, some sensors are connected to the person. I was also connected. These sensors measured what I saw, heard, breathed, skin temperature and heart rhythm and sent them to the computer. This time I didn't have glasses on, but I was able to follow my thoughts and emotions on the screen with graphs going up and down. Demirsoy says that in this way, it is possible to control one's own emotions. In other words, if you are afraid, it becomes possible to manage your fear, excitement and joy.
I LEARNED CONTROL
In biofeedback therapy, clients learn to recognize and control the connection between mind and body under the guidance of the therapist. When I thought about something negative, I saw with my own eyes that the graph in front of me turned into unhappiness.
