Rational vs Irrational fears: A psychologist explains the difference

947’s Drive with Thando is in conversation with counselling psychologist Claire Myhill. 

Listen below:

From needles to spiders, heights and even clowns and balloons - irrational fears are real. 

These phobias may seem unfounded, but they cause some real distress for people.

“At the end of the day, our brains are incredibly designed and evolved to prioritise our survival, it’s wired to keep us alive.” 

– Claire Myhill, Psychologist

Combating these irrational fears will require you to assess what the fear is based on; is your brain trying to keep you alive, or is it limiting you?

“[Your] rational brain can never keep up with what your subconscious has stored in terms of the fight or flight response… it’s complicated.” 

– Claire Myhill, Psychologist

Myhill recommends talking to a therapist to unpack it, depending on how much it is impacting your life.

“We can basically rewrite those files that are stored… you can now go and change the information that your nervous system is going to react to, and that’s going to have a much better effect than trying to logic it out.” 

– Claire Myhill, Psychologist

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the discussion.