Brilliant Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, 2nd Edition

Facing your fears

‘One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.’

Winston Churchill

One of the main problems for anxious people is that we have a perfectly natural tendency to avoid the source of our fears. This may seem like a good idea but, as with all safety behaviours, there is a catch. Every time you avoid a perceived threat you unwittingly reinforce the notion that there is some very good reason for keeping out of its way. This belief then confirms in your mind that the threat is genuine with the result that next time you encounter a similar situation you are even more ...