Our experiences colour everything. The events of the past can have a profound effect on how we see our lives now and what we choose to believe about our world. Our past experiences can also influence our emotional reactions and responses to present events. Each of us reacts to stimulus based on what we have learned as the result of past experience. When we understand those experiences, we can come that much closer to understanding our reactions and consciously change them.
Modifying your reaction by modifying your thoughts is difficult, but it can help you to see and experience formerly unpleasant situations in a whole new light. It allows you to stop reacting unconsciously. Your reactions and responses then become about what's happening in the present moment rather than about the past.
My Thoughts:
As a youngster I was never scared of anything as far as where nature was concerned and then, somewhere, at some time that I can no longer remember, something changed which has me now terrified of moths, and not too keen on butterflies.
They are totally beautiful and a quintessential trait of summer, but it is the flittering about with no regard for the fact that I am in their flight path that gets to me. I had a similar problem with humming birds on a zoo visit.
As I said, I have no idea where this phobia originated from. Casting my mind back I cannot remember any incident to trigger such a reaction, but then I suppose if it was traumatic then I could have simply blocked out the details. All I knew was that it is irrational and so a few years ago I enlisted the help of a fellow university student, who was studying psychology to see if I couldn’t at least contain the fear enough to stop me screaming and running from anywhere one dared to try and share the same room with me.
He started with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach. We had already established that I had no idea why I had this phobia or where it originated from so the he engaged me in some visualisation exercises.
- Sit in a room as far away from a shut window as possible and Imagine there was a moth on the other side of the pane of glass. Describe it.Right so I started off with all the negative stuff … fluttering being a huge issue. Even though I knew it was not there, just talking about it had my heart racing, my breath catching and the palms of my hands sweating. We did that every day until the physical reactions stopped.
- Then, I was to imagine that the window was open, but the butterfly was still on the outside. Again, this was done daily until I was calm about it.
- Gradually over the next few days he had my imaginary monster come closer, until I could visualise it with touching distance without panicking.
- The ultimate test was to walk through a butterfly house at the local park.
Now, I am no longer a screaming, psychotic maniac when I see one, even if it is the same room as me, but although I would never harm one and have been known to pluck-up enough courage to open a window and shoo them out … I would still prefer them to stay out of my living space. They are called wild-life for a reason, and as far as I am concerned that is just what they should be … out in the wild leaving me alone.