TEMPORARY CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IN UNDERSTANDING HOW WE DEVELOP EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOUR. WHEN WE DEVELOP AN INITIAL FEAR, WE LEARN TO FEAR A STIMULUS THAT HAS BEEN COMBINED WITH ANOTHER FRIGHTENING STIMULI.

AN ANXIETY STATE DOES NOT HAPPEN PURPOSELY TO YOU, IT COULD BE LACK OF THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS PANICS, OR THE WORRYING APPROACH. WE HAVE A TENSE APPROACH TOWARDS PANIC SITUATIONS WHICH MAKES IT WORSE!! WE NEED THE CORRECT APPROACH WITH UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE. WE WILL CORRECT THE OLD PATTERN AND GRADUALLY THE NEW PATTERN WILL REMAIN (OVER-RIDE) ????ABOVE THE OLD ONES !!!!!

CHANGING YOUR MOOD AND ATTITUDE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS TO CONSCIOUSLY CONTROL THE SYMPTOMS OF STRESS.

UNDERSTANDING IS THE ONLY WAY TO START RECOVERY.

Agoraphobics have become conditioned in many ways (CLASSICAL CONDITIONING), conditioned to negative emotions, conditioned to negative thinking (not by choice), conditioned to negative attitude (not by choice), conditioned to MEMORY OF PAST SITUATIONS. One reason we do not get answers is because we do not get ready to, or believe we can receive freedom from panics. *WE ARE EXPERT ASKERS BUT NOT EXPERT RECEIVERS* Conditioning begins as action that a person is aware of. The more this happens, the easier it becomes to be conditioned. Conditioning to fear is now automatic and requires little thought about an actual panic; Despite cuts in the nervous system it has been proven, (experiments with rats) the conditioned of a learned fear does not depend on nerve connections, and does not only occur in particular parts of the brain. What happens in the brain when the learned emotion happened - no one on earth would know! WE HAVE READ HOW MARVELLOUS THE BRAIN IS: The brain is for learning and knowledge.

LEARNING IS THE FORMING OF HABITS When we learn, we connect a response to what did not exist before. Thus forming a new habit. For agorapobics this is a must! Habits can range from simple to complex ones that involves learning skills (GUESS WHICH ONE IS FOR AGORAPHOBICS!). Some agoraphobics under-estimate themselves, adding guilt; the confusion causes the prevention of learning. A tired mind can only learn and grasp bits and pieces of learning. TRUST YOUR BODY, RESPECT YOURSELF AND GET READY TO LEARN. Learning and conditioning new patterns will involve many changes for yourself and for your body. Your nervous system WILL adjust to this change, FOR THE BETTER. With a given amount of practice time, you can usually learn a task more rapidly and readily if you work in short practice sessions, space widely apart, instead of sessions held closer together.

(Knowledge Notes 1) Most sufferers of Agoraphobia have had distressing or traumatic things happen to them during childhood, then at a later time another similar event or situation happens and perhaps the body is at a low ebb as well, then a panic can occur.

Explained previously is the part the pituitary gland plays in a panic, the gland becomes overloaded and will then produce adrenalin when there is no life threatening situation occurring. The physical effects of this is heart racing, perspiring, legs shaking, irregular breathing, light headedness dizziness, a sense of unreality etc. The irregular breathing causes the imbalance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood stream and lungs.

A cycle of avoidance can begin when no solution is given

REMEMBER THAT THIS IS NOT A MENTAL ILLNESS OR A PHYSICAL DISEASE BUT A CLASSICAL CONDITIONING THAT CAN BE UNCONDITIONED.

YOU MUST ACCEPT AND UNDERSTAND- ACCEPT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT? The Physical Symptoms - The fact that you have them from time to time; that you suffer panic attacks in various forms and in various situations and places. Agoraphobia has a big physical aspect to it.

ACCEPTANCE THROUGH UNDERSTANDING IS NOT WEAKNESS BUT IS THE FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY for it reduces tension. Dr. Claire Weeks who is an imminent authority on Agoraphobia said "Far from being weak, they show courage and determination of their independence- fighting their fears and symptoms".

FIGHT THE RIGHT WAY Don't fight the symptoms but use the energies towards reversing the conditioning. HAVE YOU ACCEPTED THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS ? (You don't have to like them to accept them)

WHAT IS CONDITIONING? A REFLEX ACTION (through habit or training) which has been induced to follow a stimulus not naturally associated with it. example:- A child gets excited (reaction) when a favourite relative arrives. The aromatic small of incense always reminds Mary of her trip to India. A fierce dog frightens a child. These all work by association.

IT IS LEARNED IN AN AUTOMATIC WAY - IT HAPPENS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. This AUTOMATIC REACTION IS COMPLETELY NORMAL - not strange, peculiar or odd. CONDITIONING OF AVOIDANCE IS A NORMAL PROTECTIVE INSTINCT These four examples are normal bodily reactions to normal events. Example 1 A conditioned reaction occurs when a person' body is monitored when attached to a lie detector, the heart, blood pressure, perspiration, breathing, trembling are all tested when questions are asked. THE WHOLE BODY REACTS.

Example 2 Think of the reaction of a child when it meets a dog for the first time with eagerness to pat it but unfortunately the dog is fierce and attacks the child - the result is that the child is now terrified - this reaction is now a completely learned one. IT HAPPENED WHETHER THEY LIKED IT OR NOT;

Example 3 When anyone (agoraphobic sufferer, anxious person, anyone at all, friendly, casual, shy or confident) goes to the theatre or restaurant and while there dining or watching a performance for some reason, feels nauseated, or worried because of a sick relative or animal, not enough air and the room is stuffy, or maybe they come over with a feeling of physical weakness, they immediately leave. MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY FEAR IS ENFORCED.

Example 4 A small fire breaks our in a aeroplane - the oxygen becomes restricted and there is no way of escape. WHEN SOMEONE IS TRAPPED AND CANNOT ESCAPE FEAR IS ENFORCED MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. there are four kinds of conditioning, one concerning agoraphobia is :- CLASSICAL CONDITIONING.

This occurs when two fears are co-joined, the panic and the fear of the panic. This is a second stimulus that brings on behaviour similar to the first.

ASSOCIATION-FIRST STIMULUS -unknown but terrifying and brings bewilderment and confusion. SECOND STIMULUS - places and situations where panics have occurred or could occur.

THIS IS LEARNED IN A COMPLETELY NORMAL WAY! The result of repetitive drips of events that pull at the emotions (eg., run of anxieties, insomnia, disappointments, illnesses, malnutrition) or one strong event (eg., road accident, misdiagnosis of a major or minor physical illness or undergoing a major operation), creates oversensitivity of the nerves in the body, in the mind and emotions that leads to a panic reaction 'out of the blue'. This usually happens when the body is at a low ebb even though you may be un aware that you may be run down.The panic reaction begins to show itself in a physical form by constant irregular breathing, causing the imbalance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the lungs and blood stream. THIS LEADS TO THE CRITICAL BEHAVIOUR PATTERN OF AVOIDANCE of the place where the panic took place, then the condition becomes like a habit pattern (whether you like it or not).
This NORMAL PROTECTION REACTION of the body stays in that action because there has been no answer fed into the brain to stop this fear cycle.

EXAMBLE OF ANIMAL CONDITIONING RAT---BELL---SHOCK---ASSOCIATION.
A white rat was put in a box, a bell was sounded followed b a mild electric shock - this action was carried out a number of times until when the bell sounded the rat showed intense distress; becoming highly sensitised to the bell. FEAR WAS ENFORCED. This was the animal's normal body reaction. It became conditioned.

A lever attached to a switch was fitted into the box that would turn off the electricity when pressed. The rat by accident touched the lever and discovered its purpose so it learned to press it when the bell sounded. The rat addociated the shock with the lever and stoped himself from the shock. THIS IS A CONDITIONED RESPONSE The rat associated the shock with the lever and stopped himself from the shock THIS IS A CONDITIONED RESPONSE The rat learned to protect himself from the shock by pressing the leaver to remove the cause. To the agoraphobic AVOIDANCE is a NORMAL CONDITIOINED RESPONSE to protect the body from the sensations of panic that have happened so often.

There are two situations that bring on fear, The 'out of the blue' panic. Or where and when they could occur. The second fear is of being trapped with no way of escape in public places, in crowds, alone or isolated. THE FEAR OF LOOSING CONTROL (not of people or places) TRIGGERS OFF THE RESPONSES OF THE SECOND FEAR. It is the fear of the body letting you down or going hysterical because it has done so repeatedly in the past. This has been perpetuated because of no explanations.

ALL CONDITIONING CAN BE UNCONDITIONED

-DON'T LOOK BACK WITH REGRETS AND 'IF ONLY'S'- -LOOK AHEAD TO THE STEPS OF DESENSITISATION AND UNDONDITIONING- -USE YOUR MIND, EMOTIONS AND BODY TO WORK FOR AND WITH YOU - -THE BODY, NATURALLY, IS DOING ITS BEST TO COMBAT THIS DISABILITY SO WORK WITH IT AND GIVE YOURSELF TIME- -DONN'T BE IMPATIENT WITH YOUR SELF ITS NOT ALL 'UP TO YOU'- -THE BODY HAS IMMENSE RECUPERATIVE PROPERTIES-

REMEMBER THIS !!!!!! There is little benefit in knowing what events led to the second stage fear, in fact some never find out, but this does not stop them from recovering.

10 to one, a panic is not going to happen, but one becomes so conditioned that it MIGHT happen that fear grows and conditioning starts.

THIS IS MULTIPLE RESPONSE LEARNING. The rat became unconditioned when the stimulus was removed. Humans become unconditioned too but we have a higher intellect, reasoning powers, a need for answers and understanding - the person becomes confused and the conditioning lasts longer.

AGORAPHOBICS NEED TO LEARN SIMPLE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERNS TO BECOME UNCONDITIONED.

Example of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING Suppose a person tastes some lemon juice that makes the person salivate. While tasting it, a tone is sounded. If these two occur together many times eventually the tone by itself will make the person salivate. PLACES CAN BRING ON A PANIC BECAUSE OF CONDITIONING. Sometimes fear finds expression in going to other thoughts about ourselves (don't forget you have as active mind and the statistics point to a high I.Q.), this is normal when there is no answer.

WHAT IS THE NEW SIMPLE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN? IT IS A STEP BY STEP PROCESS OF KNOWING AND CARRYING OUT THE NEW PATTERN OF LIVING, THINKING AND FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES OF UNCONDITIONING. There are 7 steps to follow.

ALL CONDITIONING IS A NORMAL BODILY REACTION, an inbuilt bodily protection response. When the stimulus that caused the conditioning goes, the condition response passes. Why does this not happen to an agoraphobic ? Agoraphobia is unrelated to other psychological patterns - it contradicted the theories of behavioural patterns because THE CONDITIONED REACTION DOES NOT FADE AWAY.

A conditioned reaction, as this is, would go away if one kept going out.

WHAT KEEPS AGORAPHOBIA GOING? The natural reactionto anything one cannot understand is to AVOID therefore because there was no answers to why it was happening, the sufferers avoid places anda situiations connected with panic. FEAR REMAINS. Unfortunately the natural reaaction of AVOIDANCE sstrengthens the conditioned fear and strengthers the avoidnace pattern. It becomes a continuous bewilderment and confusion cycle of not knowing what is happening, The brain will dwell on something it has no answer to, until the solution id found, therfore with no answers it ends up with the fear of actual FEELINGS that one experiences.

SATISFACTION COMES WHEN AN ANSWER IS GIVEN i.e.: solving something or looking for something. Panic is an inexplicable terrifying fear, then follows the fear of having an attack in a public place or loosing control altogether. Because of this confusion the natural bodily reaction stays in aaction continuously. example: If someone is walking behind you, at night down a wuiet street, the natural protective reaaction occurs, but when you find out it is a friend, the reactioin goes away.

THE BRAIN IS SATISFIED WHEN AN ANSWER IS GIVEN AND THE REACTION IS STOPPED. In the case of Agoraphobia-THE SEDCOND STAGE OF FEAR CAN BECOME CHRONIC BECAUSE OF LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. If you were told reasons and understood your body's reactions, physically, it would not have built up to a critical chronic behaviour pattern of avoidance. De C laire Weeks had a patient, who, when knowledge and understanding was given, it removed the second fear with only the normal intensity left. Dr John Franklin had an 80 yr. old lady who was housebound and when she received knowledge aabout it she did not need any desensitisation for this had gone away 5 yrs before. Not understanding what was happening had kept her home.

SUMMARY
1) Usually starts with panics or panic reactions coming 'out of the blue', weakening the nervous system and causing a tenseness of the body. Panics are nore likely to happen when away from the home or a safe place, but they do occur evern in the home. These lead to avoidance of places and situations.

2) This is a CLASSICAL CONDITIONED EMOTIONAL REACTION and happens whether it is favourable or not. It is a normal body reaction, (fear on fear reaction).

3) Conditioning can be unconditioned. That will help bring back trust in yourself step by step, both physically, mentally and emotionally.

4) Learning step by step is MULTIPLE RESPONSE learning and requires much practise. It becomes the NEW CORRECT BRHAVIOURAL PATTERN.

STEPS * Knowledge on agoraphobia and understanding the conditioning of avoidance. * Accept, recognise and understand the physical symptoms. * Practise Isometric Relaxation * With correct knowledge, come positive attitudes towards panic and panic situations. * Graded exposure at your own pace builds confidence and trust in your body with new successes and goals that are achieved and block out the old memories of failure. * Use distraction methods. * Rationalisation, separating normal sensations from the agoraphobic sensations. e.g.: Accepting that normal tiredness is not the beginning of a panic situation or if you are shaking through lack of food it is not associated with a panic.

When an inbuilt bodily protection response was kept in action because of no answers, agoraphobics rarely understood what was happening.

CONFUSION BRINGS INDECISION. INDECISION LEADS TO LOSS OF CONFIDENCE. WITH NO INNERSELF FROM WHICH TO SEEK DIRECTION, EMOTIONAL ENERGIES SPENT IN BEWILDERMENT BRINGS SEVERS MENTAL FATIGUE.

THE BRAIN RARELY STOPS FROM STUDYING THE STATE OF BEWILDERMENT AND THE PHYSICAL SENSATIONS EXPERIENCED.

GO TO KNOWLEDGE NOTES TWO

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