There is Hope in Fear and Anxiety

To say my wife was afraid of snakes, is an understatement. 

And…
We have a tradition of taking each of our grandchildren on a trip when they turn ten years old. For one week they can go anywhere they want in the continental United States.  One grandson sheepishly told my wife “You are not going to like this, but I want to go to the Reptile Gardens in South Dakota.  It’s supposed to have one of the largest collections of turtles, alligators, lizards, and… SNAKES.â€

(Just so you know, my wife did give me permission to talk about this 😊. )

Anytime the image of a snake came up on the television, she would pull her knees up to her chest, look away from the screen, and ask me to let her know when it was gone. The one time she ran over a snake with the lawn mower I was sure she was going to have a heart attack. This background will be important in a moment.

While also disliking snakes, we have an agreement about not using my counseling expertise with her.  However, when I started studying EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy, I think I saw her eyebrows raise to even higher levels. Because EMDR treatment is neurological rather than “talk therapy†per se I suggested doing some desensitization work before the trip, she was understandably concerned. “I don’t want to think of the ‘S’ word (snakes), or hold the image of one in my mind… Pass.† Then I attended a seminar on Flash Technique.  

Flash Technique is a form of EMDR intervention “for working with patients with highly disturbing memories.†   Specifically it has been found effective with object phobias like spiders and … Snakes!  Rather than focusing on a negative thought and being desensitized to that thought (as in standard EMDR Processing), in Flash the patient is specifically requested to NOT think of the thing they are afraid of.  Rather the Patient/Client is asked to focus on a Positive Engaging Focus (PET): “a person, pet, or memory of an activity that provides an immediate experience of pleasure, or is at least positive and engaging.†   Bilateral stimulation is initiated, the patient is asked to talk about the PET, and then asked to “flash†or blink their eyes for several seconds and then return to the discussion about the PET. Each “set†takes about 5-10 minutes.

It’s not a miracle cure. After 3 sets my wife was still not excited about being surrounded by cages of snakes.  However, she was able to enter the building, walk around and look at the animals, and even enter an area where a snake was loose in a tree overhead. Amazingly she was able to sit with her grandson during a demonstration of several kinds of snakes, out of their cages, even stepping up to the stage with her grandson to touch one!  

This technique is backed by research on how the brain reprograms neural subroutines designed to protect us based on past traumatic events, even when the memories are processed subliminally. What I find amazing is not only does science support the idea of taking ownership of our own bodies in order to heal, but so does God’s Word.

God created us to be biological as well as spiritual beings. This unique position in the animal world allows us to relate to the biological/animal part of ourselves – what Scriptures calls “the flesh†as well as a spiritual component that allows us to relate to the Divine in the form of the Spirit of God.  This is the reason why I believe it is important at Spirit Christian Counseling to approach our clients, and the issues they present, from as many of the multiple levels of existence as possible:

Biological (understanding impacts of pulse rate on brain functions, as well as application of EMDR and flash to memory networks).

Emotional (Understanding what emotions are actually indicating and what to do with them without allowing them to take control).

Cognitive (Thoughts, what they mean, and how to manage them)

Social (Connections with others – peers, friends, work relationships, romantic and love relationships.

Spiritual (Connection with God, and His connection with us).

It is amazing to me how our bodies have been created. There is a fragility to humans, and also a resilience. Not only have we have been created so that our bodies can begin the process of healing immediately after trauma, but we alone in the animal world are able to learn how to help heal each other.

If you have or are experiencing anxiety or specific phobias, it my hope that this message will help you in the process in some way. If you need help navigating anxiety, I hope you will call our clinic to learn more about how to navigate this place that is not our home.  

If you are interested in coming in to our clinic to learn more, please see our website at www.spiritcounselingtx.com.