Fear of fainting.

[Issy_Bum]

Hey,
I posted another thread but no one got back to me so I thought I would try again.
Does anyone else have a similiar phobia? I am finding it difficult to manage and I don't want to end up in a position where I don't feel confident enough to go out at all.
I'd really love to hear from people who suffer from similiar phobias or whatev. :blush:
Thanks.

[Anjuta]

Hi Issy_Bum!

I have the same problem...I had inner ear infection which made me very ill (dizzy & wobbly) and since then i am scared to be left on my own in case i will faint. That really does affect my life, but fortunately i seem to get a bit better now, i am trying to ignore my fear and get on with my life...in the end of the day fainting isn't fatal and if i will faint...so what? When i was seeing a psychologist she even asked me if i can force myself to faint, she said it helped some of her patients, but i haven't tried that!!! That was obviously facing the fear.
I know that the best thing to do is not to give in to the fear as it will only make it stronger.
You can e-mail me anytime at anjuta777@hotmail.com if you want to chat

Anna.

[heths]

Hi Issy,

I too have a fear of fainting. I have fainted before some years ago and because it hadn't happened to me before then and I didn't know what was happening, I was scared.

I have other fears aswell and i'm agoraphobic, I'm trying each day to face my fear and I'm having therapy. My support lady who takes me out was talking to me about my fears this morning and i told her about my fears and my fear of fainting and she said to me that if it did happen it may feel uncomfortable but there will be people around that would help you.

Are you seeing a therapist or having any help for your fear?

Heather

[Dying_Swan]

Hello.

Yep, I too fear fainting. My fear also started after an inner ear infection which made me feel very dizzy. I have fainted a few times, but not for years, and never since I actually feared it. The only times I have ever fainted, I've known nothing about it. I've never felt dizzy before. It's always just happened so quickly I don't know until I wake up. That's helpful to know, because when I feel 'iffy', I can tell myself it's anxiety, and I won't faint.

I became agoraphobic and had quite severe panic disorder. I had lots of CBT and some meds, and finally got back on my feet and went back to college after a year out. It was hard but definitely worth it.

I still get anxious and feel dizzy and faint quite often. But I know that the more I let myself just accept those sensations and realise what they are, the more I will get over it. It is all about allowing yourself to experience those feelings, and not running away. It takes hard work and determination, but it really does improve if you keep at it.

One thing that might help is this: You are less likely to faint when panicking than at any other time. This is because your blood pressure rises when you panic, but fainting is cause by low blood pressure. So, it's virtually impossible to faint when having a panic attack :)

Do try to keep doing things and please don't give in to it. And therapy would be great if you can access it. Keep coming on here too....there are so many people who understand what you're going through and can help.

Best of luck and take care xxx

[Issy_Bum]

Thanks everyone.
The thing I'm scared of is the feeling of faintness, I mean if I was just up one minute and on the floor the next I wouldn't mind so much. I'm just terrified of my hearing and eyesight going. When I was younger I had an infection of the optic nerve which caused me to lose eyesight for about two months but just the feeling of losing that control again is so horrible for me.
I am in the process of arranging CBT.
How do you force yourself to faint? I won't try it because I'm far too nervous but I guess I'm interested really. I do wonder if I need to faint just to see that it's nothing scarey but I'd probably be so afraid that I'd never wake up again. It's so annoying because I've never actually had a bad experience with fainting, this whole thing has just started since I've managed to overcome my panic attacks. The therapist who is going to refer me to CBT said that my mind just decided to focus on a different fear but to be honest I really wish it hadn't.
I'm glad that you guys are starting to feel better.

[Dying_Swan]

Hi again.

I am not sure how you make yourself faint, other than holding your breath indefinitely, or taking lots of drugs which isn't probably wise.

What I was told to do was to bring on the sensations of feeling faint by doing the following (in turn, not all at once) : Holding you breath for as long as possible, Spinning around for 90 seconds, shake your head from side to side for 30 seconds, run on the spot for 90 seconds, tensing your body (90 seconds), Hyperventilate (60 seconds), go in a hot stuffy room (5 mins), focus on heart or breathing (2 mins), focus on most feared image (1 min) and 2 mins of straw breathing (stick a straw up one nostril...block the other and breathe through the straw).

These activities are aimed at bringing on the symptoms of panic as and when you choose, so that you can learn to deal with them in a 'safe place'. The terminology, I believe, is 'Interoceptive Exposure', and you are supposed to write down things after.....the sensations you experienced, how strong they were, how anxious you felt, and how similar they were to panic (all on a scale of 0-8).


Hope this helps! :)

[Issy_Bum]

Lol, ok, thanks.
I don't think I'll be trying any of those any time soon though. Even reading them made me feel a bit twitchy!

[eeyorelover]

I used to have this fear alot when I was out anywhere. When the 'what if' would hit me I would literally run out of whatever place I was in because of the fear of fainting in public. I think that more scared of looking like an idiot by fainting in front of anyone than I was of the act of fainting itself.

Eventually I overcame the fear by making myself face the fear. When I felt that fear wash over me I had to make myself stay in the situation and not run away. I would think to myself 'what is the worst that can really happen?' So what if I faint - why should I care what anyone would think of me anyway. I made myself work through it and it really did help.

I struggled for a little while and still felt the dizzy lightheaded feeling but it decreased a little every time I went out and eventually I was able to go shopping and really enjoy it instead of just making it through the experience.

I don't have the fear anymore and the dizzy lightheaded feeling only comes around every once in a blue moon and when it does I know that it's just a 'blip' (as some on here call it) and I will get through it!!

xxx
Sandy

[Issy_Bum]

Ah, that's great to hear.
That's what I'm trying to do tbh. Just not worry about it even if it does happen. Easier said than done though!

[amberbear]

i am epileptic and i always find that its is more frightening for the people around you then it is for me who actually ends up on the floor , i use to worry constantly about fitting in public , but now after so many fits i just pick myself up from the floor and walk away and never worry about it , it was the best advice i gave myself and it work ed i now hardly fit at all ,

[Jaco45er]

In Claire Weekes book, "hope and help for your nerves" she discusses fear of fainting in one of the chapters.

Might be worth a look, its a very good book generally.

Jaco

[Issy_Bum]

Thanks, maybe I'll have a look for it. Where can you buy it from?

[Danuella]

Hiya i'm the same,i stated being dizzy and having panic attaks when i was 4 years old,i coped fine with these,didnt know what they were but i felt dizzy sat down,rested and gt up again,no problem!!
Till i was 14 and i had a vestibular disorder(inner ear) very severe vertigo and ever since then its what i am terrified of,my whole life revolves around this.
I just cant believe i am the only one who feels this way,its such a relief after all this time to know i'm not alone,strange how many of us have got this after Inner ear things isnt it?
Hugs
xx

[Jaco45er]

Hi Issy

Try this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/203-0649662-5930345?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=claire+weekes

TC

Jaco

[Issy_Bum]

Thanks!