James Gardner - Phobias and How to Overcome Them: Understanding And Beating Your Fears

Copyright 2005 by James Gardner and Arthur H. Bell

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.

PHOBIAS AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

EDITED BY GINA M. CHESELKA

TYPESET BY KRISTEN PARKES

Cover design by Cheryl Cohan Finbow

Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gardner, James, 1959

Phobias and how to overcome them : understanding and beating your fears / by James Gardner and Arthur H. Bell.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-56414-766-5 (paper)

1. Phobias--Popular works. 2. Phobias--Treatment. I. Bell, Arthur H.

(Arthur Henry), 1946- II. Title.

RC535.G37 2005

616.85'225--dc22

2004058359

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This book contains information that the authors believe to be correct. However, no recommendation for any individual's treatment, therapy, or medical care is intended, expressed, or implied. No reader should act on the basis of any printed medical information, including the contents of this book, without consultation with a health professional.

FOR JAMES GARDNER, M.D.

This book is dedicated to my 18-month-old son, Jacob. Now that all the writing is complete, he can pluck the keys off my laptop and press the delete and backspace buttons all he wants. I can't wait to see his face when he realizes I am not an integral part of the ergonomic chair at my desk. With love and appreciation, I thank my wife, Patty; my mother-in-law, Julien Lin; my brother-in-law, Dr. Jackie Chen; and our long-time friend Chen Shihtang for their cooperation with my schedule and 24/7 loving care of Jacob.

FOR ARTHUR H. BELL, PH.D.

I dedicate my work with love to my wife, Dayle, and to my children, Art, Lauren, and Madeleine. They are in every sense my inspiration.

FOR JAMES GARDNER, M.D.

In the preparation of this book, I drew on the experience and knowledge of my friends, family, patients, and respected colleagues. In addition to case details woven together and fictionalized for privacy from many chart records, many patients filled out an office questionnaire designed to elicit insights into the genesis and propagation of their individual phobic experiences. Their stories, again with changes made for the protection of privacy, became an important part of the fabric of this text.

Several specialists in the field of psychology and psychiatry were central to my understanding and appreciation of the complexity of this subject. I would like to especially thank Brent Cox, M.D.; William Barton, Ph.D.; Stephen Drew, Ph.D.; Stephen M. Stahl, M.D., Ph.D.; Jaime Nissenbaum, Ph.D.; Jeffrey Humpfries, M.D.; Michael Freeman, M.D.; and Michael Vurel, Ph.D.

Colleagues and personal friends in a variety of medical and surgical specialties generously answered my many questions about their personal experiences with phobias or working with patients suffering from anxiety and phobic conditions. They include Alan Pont, M.D.; Terry DuBrow, M.D.; Tanya Atagi, M.D.; Robert Aycock, M.D.; Robert Hines, M.D.; Richard Printz, M.D.; Linda Gaudiani, M.D.; Michael Moskowitz, M.D.; Ilkan Cokgor, M.D.; Julie Griffith, M.D.; Robert Belknap, M.D.; Peggy Skilling, RN; and Nina Titova, RPT. As always, my friend and attorney, John Truxaw, was helpful and supportive throughout this project.

My father, the Rev. T.F. Gardner, is appreciated for fielding theological questions regarding the effects of emotional disorders on health, healing, spirituality, and personal fulfillment.

As with our last project, Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Depression (New Page Books, 2000), Dr. Bell and I enjoyed a stimulating and enthusiastic collaboration that made the process seem effortless.

I hope the real experiences that were drawn upon to create this book will help our readers connect with their own phobic suffering and begin to move toward a more fearless and fulfilled future.

FOR ARTHUR H. BELL, PH.D.

As a speech coach and professor of management communication, I work with students, managers, and executives whose fears frequently get in the way of their intended performance. For his insights and expertise in addressing such fears, I owe deep gratitude to my coauthor, James Gardner, M.D. In addition, I send a general note of thanks to my professors at Harvard and the University of Southern California, as well as to my valued colleagues at USC, Georgetown University, and the University of San Francisco. A special thanks also goes to the more than 500 managers, lawyers, executives, and other professionals for whom I have had the privilege of serving as a presentation coach and mentor. Their varied experiences with the fear of public speaking gave me a lifelong scholarly interest in phobias, although not as a medical practitioner. I am also grateful to my wonderful friends and relatives for their many kindnesses and expressions of encouragement during the development of this book.

Both authors would like to thank the talented editors at New Page Books for their admirable work: Michael Pye, Gina Cheselka, Kristen Parkes, Kate Henches, and Stacey A. Farkas.

Like our previous book together, Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Depression (New Page Books, 2000), this work focuses on you. We want the information, encouragement, alternatives, and insights in these pages to help free you from the burden of phobias and related fears.

Dozens of stories appear in this book (all thoroughly disguised and conflated, if from case files) to let you know that many, many other people have experienced what you are going through with phobias. These stories also reveal ways out of such sufferingand those ways differ significantly from person to person. Because our individual routes to recovery depend so much on our personalities, experiences, and even our genes, we have provided an entire Anxiety Toolbox in to help you phase out your phobias as quickly as possible. Not uncommonly, a combination of tools succeeds where no one tool alone proves adequate.

In addition, Dr. Gardner, along with a staff of medical specialists and experts in a wide range of relevant fields, has taken the concept of the Toolbox further to create a comprehensive program to help those suffering from all forms of anxiety. It is called the Anxiety Toolbox Program, and can be purchased as a download from www.anxietytoolbox.com. This Website offers descriptions of a wide range of anxiety symptoms and conditions, and explains how they can be conquered through an integrated strategy using tools from the Anxiety Toolbox. The download includes the Comprehensive Anxiety Screening Tool (CAST) self-test and the Personal Anxiety Assessment List (PAAL), both designed specifically for the Anxiety Toolbox Program to help you identify anxiety conditions and organize a personalized anxiety-busting plan of attack.