Author : Seymour Segnit
Last November scientists announced the discovery of a so-called "fear factor gene" – a gene that influences whether we feel panic and anxiety. Researchers found that a gene called stathmin controlled the way laboratory mice feel fear. In situations where normal mice were afraid, mice with low levels of a protein produced by stathmin gene were fearless.All of this re-opens the old nature versus nurture debate, asking how much of our behavior is determined by our genes and how much is acquired from our environment and our life experience. To put it another way, are some people biologically wired to be phobic or can we control our fears?I have a keen interest in this debate, because I've built a career out of helping people overcome chronic fears and phobias. I've personally helped hundreds of clients overcome common fears such as the fear of flying and fear of public speaking, as well as less common phobias such as the fear of bridges.While I think that it's wonderful news that scientists have made this genetic link, but there's a certain amount of risk in all the media attention their discovery has received.I worry that it could lead to a sense of futility among many people who suffer from phobias. After all, some people may say "I can't help it, it's in my genes," much like an obese person saying that their weight problem is rooted in genetics, when in fact there is a pattern of personal behavior that aggravates the problem.Science recognizes that our genes play a role in determining who we are, but scientists also consider environment to be a key factor, and the interaction between genes and environment is quite complex.I strongly believe that a range of environmental factors influence how people deal with fear. One big factor is a person's mental attitude.The first thing I teach my clients is to accept responsibility for their phobias, to claim ownership of them. You can only beat your fears if you do that. The problem with believing it's all rooted in genetics is that you are definitely not accepting responsibility. You accomplish nothing by saying "I can't help it. It's in my genes. Maybe they'll develop a drug I can take."With phobias, you're dealing with very strong reactions to what are in some cases quite minor stimuli. I teach people to break the negative association they have to the stimulus, and perhaps even associate it with a positive thing.People can change their lives and often in rapid and dramatic fashion. Your genes aren't your destiny.Seymour Segnit is President of CTRN, which stands for Change That's Right Now. He helped hundreds of people overcome chronic fears and phobias such as the fear of flying and stage fright.
Keyword : fear factor gene, phobias
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