The biological basis of anxiety sensitivity
Anxiety sensitivity is the fear of arousal-related sensations, arising from beliefs that the sensations will have adverse consequences such as death, insanity, or social rejection.
Think about it as second fear. Whereas first fear is the automatic fight-or-flight reaction that arrives in response to a perceived threat, second fear is the interpretation that the sensations themselves are a threat.
Anxiety sensitivity amplifies the automatic anxiety reaction. The tendency to respond to arousal-related sensations with terror is heritable. Sensitivity runs in families and the thinking patterns that perpetuate terror are socialized. Taking responsibility for an anxiety disorder requires that you learn what sensitizes you and you make a plan for those situations.
The best way to disarm anxiety sensitivity is to get accurate information about your sensations.
Here are some common sensitizing situations and what you can say to yourself when they happen:
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“My mind might be sticky because I’m hungry. I should have a snack before I act on these thoughts.”
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“My mind is building a case, so I probably feel angry. In the presence of anger, rather than fueling my case, I should calm my body down. Then, I should decide whether my anger is a signal or noise, and if I need to take any action.”
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I am alone and I’m starting to ruminate about it. I probably feel lonely. I should allow this feeling, and either reach out to someone or make a plan to reach out to someone soon.”
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“My mind might be sticky because I’m tired. I should let my thoughts pass until I have a chance to rest.”
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“My mind is stickier due to (fill in the blank). It’s okay to be patient with myself as I try not to make my anxiety worse.”
Sometimes accurate information about anxiety disarms it.
For instance, learning that you will not faint during an anxious moment can disarm fear about what might happen. When accurate information and perspective about anxiety doesn’t disarm it, try switching to tolerating uncertainty.
