overcoming approach anxiety
Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 5:33 pm
So there are a lot of new guys on the board and I've decided to start posting information for you guys. Sometimes as someone who has been in the game for a long time I see this information simple but i also realize that the new guys don't have the field experience of the older members. So older members please feel free to add to this information and new guys feel free to ask questions.
Approach anxiety relief techniques
Approach anxiety is a phobia so we can use the already sizable body of knowledge on the treatment of phobias to help you overcome your AA.
Desensitization training
Go out and speak to one stranger (preferably an attractive woman) every day. Keep a journal and rate your AA on a scale of 1 to 10. With one being not a problem at all and ten being your feet glued to the floor. I conducted this experiment originally on my self and I posted the results on my blog. It took about a week for this feeling to reach a three or two consistently.
EFT- Emotional Freedom Technique
I personally have had very little luck with tapping myself; however I know several very good PUAs who swear by it… Works well for them; it could work well for you too. If you’d like more information on Tapping and EFT you can find it here. http://www.tapping.com/
Rationalization-Self Actualization
This is the preferred “community” treatment for Approach Anxiety and to be honest it does help…some. This principal is that we only fear what we do not understand. So let me give you’re the spiel
Your body is a biological machine…if albeit a very complicated one. You have two basic ‘needs’ as a machine, survival and reproduction. That’s it. All of your behaviors are geared toward accomplishing one of these two basic ‘needs’. So where does Approach Anxiety fit into these two basic needs?
Imagine for a minute that you are a caveman living in a small tribe of about 15 to 20 people. One day on a hunting party you come across a female you don’t know. She is a member of a different tribe. So now you’re faced with a choice. You can 1) go over and talk to her perhaps develop a sexual relationship and introduce her to your tribe. Your chances of reproduction are increased and her chances of survival are increased a win-win situation; However what if she already has mate and he takes offense to your sexual advances and kills you in combat? 2) You can leave the situation as it is not talk to the woman and your chances of survival stay the same but your chances of reproduction fall back off.
The possibility of loss is genetically hard wired into you from the past. Your ancestors that had no concept of the risk; died…some however had a hardwiring in their brains that allowed them to weigh the risks and those who were good at it or always took the safe bet survived and reproduced, passing that trait down to you. You are now faced with the same problem; however nature has already solved it for you…survival is more important than reproduction…survival equals reproduction.
Flash back to today. Those same instincts that protected your ancestors, the same instincts that are hardwired into your brains are at work now. With one caveat...No one is going to kill you for talking to their girlfriend. We live in a civilized society and people just don’t kill people for that. The worst that will happen is some alpha guy will beat you for talking to his girlfriend…however I have never had that happen. I’ve never known a PUA that that happened to. So realizing that your fear is really a misplaced program that is out of date will help you when it gets to be crunch time.
-RockStar
Approach anxiety relief techniques
Approach anxiety is a phobia so we can use the already sizable body of knowledge on the treatment of phobias to help you overcome your AA.
Desensitization training
Go out and speak to one stranger (preferably an attractive woman) every day. Keep a journal and rate your AA on a scale of 1 to 10. With one being not a problem at all and ten being your feet glued to the floor. I conducted this experiment originally on my self and I posted the results on my blog. It took about a week for this feeling to reach a three or two consistently.
EFT- Emotional Freedom Technique
I personally have had very little luck with tapping myself; however I know several very good PUAs who swear by it… Works well for them; it could work well for you too. If you’d like more information on Tapping and EFT you can find it here. http://www.tapping.com/
Rationalization-Self Actualization
This is the preferred “community” treatment for Approach Anxiety and to be honest it does help…some. This principal is that we only fear what we do not understand. So let me give you’re the spiel
Your body is a biological machine…if albeit a very complicated one. You have two basic ‘needs’ as a machine, survival and reproduction. That’s it. All of your behaviors are geared toward accomplishing one of these two basic ‘needs’. So where does Approach Anxiety fit into these two basic needs?
Imagine for a minute that you are a caveman living in a small tribe of about 15 to 20 people. One day on a hunting party you come across a female you don’t know. She is a member of a different tribe. So now you’re faced with a choice. You can 1) go over and talk to her perhaps develop a sexual relationship and introduce her to your tribe. Your chances of reproduction are increased and her chances of survival are increased a win-win situation; However what if she already has mate and he takes offense to your sexual advances and kills you in combat? 2) You can leave the situation as it is not talk to the woman and your chances of survival stay the same but your chances of reproduction fall back off.
The possibility of loss is genetically hard wired into you from the past. Your ancestors that had no concept of the risk; died…some however had a hardwiring in their brains that allowed them to weigh the risks and those who were good at it or always took the safe bet survived and reproduced, passing that trait down to you. You are now faced with the same problem; however nature has already solved it for you…survival is more important than reproduction…survival equals reproduction.
Flash back to today. Those same instincts that protected your ancestors, the same instincts that are hardwired into your brains are at work now. With one caveat...No one is going to kill you for talking to their girlfriend. We live in a civilized society and people just don’t kill people for that. The worst that will happen is some alpha guy will beat you for talking to his girlfriend…however I have never had that happen. I’ve never known a PUA that that happened to. So realizing that your fear is really a misplaced program that is out of date will help you when it gets to be crunch time.
-RockStar