1. Using a Substance Abuse Program to Cope With
Fear and Trauma
January 7, 2013
| Last Updated on Friday, 17 May, 2013 13:32
Fear can make us act in ways we normally wouldn’t and expose our innermost being . When you are
fleeing for your life, you’re not worried about how you look or act, your true self is on display for all to
see. I have seen some of the strongest men I have ever known, men who have fought and killed for the
things they believe in, men who have faced death and walked away; lose control from fear.
“Fear is an incredibly powerful force in the human psyche.”
Knowing the Fear
All people have fear, despite what they may claim. Fear is usually the result of some past experience
having created an association in your mind. An example would be if someone survived a horrific fire
but was severely burned in the process. That person would probably develop some kind of fear from
that traumatic experience. It could be some form of obsessive checking behavior, making sure the
stove is off, or it could be a fear of fire itself.
You can never really be sure how the human mind will react to trauma because every person is
different. Some people go through trauma and use that fear to ensure they will never go through it
again. Some are so paralyzed by what happened that they can’t seem to move past it and are forced to
re-live what happened over and over in their minds.
Analyzing Our Fears
One of the most common fears is the fear of the dark. Fear of the dark can result from any number of
things. At its most basic level, it is a fear of the unknown. The dark limits our ability to see and
discern what is present. We live in a highly visual world. Sight is our main way of identifying the
world around us. We need it for almost everything we do. If sight is lost, there are ways of
compensating, but life then becomes exponentially more difficult.
If we can’t tell what is or is not present, then our imagination can fill that space with anything. Having
a source of light present give us the ability to see that the space is empty and that limits what our
imagination can do with it, unless you’re particularly unlucky and you imagine invisible beings are out
to hurt you, in which case you’re pretty much screwed and probably won’t be sleeping any time soon.
Another common fear is that of humiliation. At some point in our lives, most of us have been
embarrassed or felt ashamed. Both of these things are humiliating and are unpleasant when they
happen. We act in accordance with cultural norms present in our society to avoid being humiliated.
Think about that. Our fear of others thinking poorly of us makes us act in accordance with what others
think is right and proper. The longer we live that way, the harder it is to break free of it. That means
that we voluntarily give up our right to act, dress, and speak how we choose in order to be accepted into
society and have them think well of us.
Another fear is fear of the unknown. This plays a part in numerous other fears, but is so big and varied

2. that it deserves its own category. This fear is developed when we realize that there are things that are
bad or can hurt us. If everything was good and safe, there would be no reason to be afraid of anything.
Once we realize that we can be hurt, we have to consider that if something is unknown, it could hurt
us. Fear of the unknown can also express itself as Fear of Change. We fear change because what
things will be like afterwards is unknown to us. Even positive change can be scary for people.
Knowing the Trauma
Traumatic experiences create associations in a person’s mind. Since all minds are different, all people
can interpret and react to trauma differently. There are techniques that can be applied to help remove
the associations created by trauma and I will mention a few here in case anyone would like to look into
them and have them applied in their own lives. Eye Movement Rapid Desensitization is a technique
that I have had some successes with. It doesn’t require any fancy equipment or expensive medicines,
but it should only be done by someone trained in its use.
Hypnosis is another good technique for resolving trauma. Hypnosis doesn’t necessarily mean that you
will be put to sleep or really even notice you are hypnotized. Yawning is a mild form of Hypnosis.
When you see someone yawn, talk about yawning, think about yawning, or hear someone yawn, there
is a good chance you will yawn. I’ve yawned three times while I was writing about yawning here.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is another method used to help deal with trauma and eliminate the
negative behaviors it can cause. The therapist analyzes both your spoken and body languages while
you tell them what your issue is and helps you change them both to improve your condition.