A group approach to sociophobia
If someone is fearful of meeting people and feels convinced that he or she will make mistakes, if they are uncomfortable about being in the spotlight or making presentation, if they are worried and uneasy when eating and drinking in a social situation, then that person is probably a sociophobic.Those who are sociophobic are scared of being watched and scrutinized in social situations.
They try to avoid such situations, and their interpersonal relationships become difficult and their social life is troublesome.
However hard they try to establish good relationships with other people, however deep in their heart they want to be friendly, they cannot. When sociophobics encounter other people their faces turn red and they have trouble speaking.
How can these situations be dealt with?
There are solutions for sociophobia. The purpose of the treatment is to change the phobic’s ideas and approach to life.
Of course, advising them “to confront social situations without fear like other people” will not be helpful.
Instead, they should take their time to train themselves to eliminate their fears. The first stage is to expose sociophobic patients to less threatening situation. After overcoming these, they can be exposed to more challenging ones.
For the best result, they can go through treatment with people who have similar issues.
Group therapy is a way to look at themselves through the eyes of others. Watching other sociophobic patients making presentations, they can realize that they don’t need to suffer in the way that they do. Most participants in group therapy meet once a week for three months. If it does not produce results, they can try private consultations or take anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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