As human beings, we are subject not only to physical pain, but also to emotional pain. A situation may cause us great emotional distress. Sometimes we deal with this quite simply. For example, we may cry, or blush, or break out in a sweat.

But sometimes, when the emotional stress is greater, or our power of resistance is weaker, we may develop other reactions for dealing with this pain. One such way is called a phobic reaction.

What it means is that the emotional pain we feel, or the anxiety, as it is called, becomes attached to a specific object or situation. By avoiding this object or situation, we are able to avoid the emotional pain or anxiety that it symbolizes.

Some of the common phobias are fear of small, enclosed places, of large wide-open spaces, of public gatherings, of high places, of the dark, of animals, and of germs.

Of course, the person who has this phobia (fear of heights, for example) doesn’t realize why he has it. He is not aware of the inner workings of his mind. All he knows is that he feels afraid in a certain situation, and so he avoids it. He may even recognize that his fear is unreasonable.

To illustrate our point, let’s take a child growing up in an average family; he loves his family but he is also sometimes afraid of some of them. He might be afraid of his father, for example, even though he loves him. He doesn’t like to feel afraid of his father, so he unconsciouslY hides this feeling. He may transfer it to something high and may thus develop a fear of high places.

It is important to know that many, many people have emotional pain and that with medical help, these anxieties can be treated. We should show sympathy and understanding for people who have phobias.