Pete grew up in a home with a lot of anxiety about germs, especially in the bathroom or the kitchen. When his son was two he had to go to the zoo and touched everything except the toilet. Peter: "I couldn't believe t i was ie, oh, my godcaus it was like a dare almost" We'll link to doctor elizabeth mac mann's advice on managing a fear of needles in the show.
Every year, around the same time, Peter’s apartment comes alive. The shadows begin to scuttle and the pipes creak with creepy crawlies. At least that’s how it feels. Peter is freaked out by Israel’s large flying cockroaches. Logically, he knows they don’t pose a threat. But he can’t control his visceral disgust at encountering one and his panicked vigilance in the days that follow. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Dr. Elizabeth McMahon, a clinical psychologist who has been treating phobias like these for the last 30 years. She has some very practical advice for Peter, and anyone else with an irrational fear they’d like to overcome. Elizabeth often uses virtual reality therapy with her clients, most recently to treat needle phobias. She’s made this needle phobia training available for licensed therapists or supervised trainees.
If you liked this episode, check out “How To Not Be Scared.”
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