Client Story 2: A Man Who Lived With The Crippling Fear Of Getting AIDS

This client was poked by a sharp object once and feared that it may have been contaminated by the HIV virus that could give him AIDS.

In my profession, I often come across people who have some common fears such as fear of illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, and other fears like rejection, failure, commitment, and in recent times- fear of Covid 19. But this was one of those rare cases where the fear was so extreme that I was challenged to my limits on how to tackle and eradicate it.

The cover-up

A 40 year-old-man walked into my cabin one day. He wore a black leather jacket, closed shoes, matching gloves, and a mask. He was covered head to toe, and the only part of his skin I could see was his eyes and a little bit of his neck. Usually, my clients who are afraid of coronavirus, are covered this way.

They want to ensure that no part of their body is exposed. Some of them even walk in with PPE kits. So I assumed he too is particular about it and is afraid of getting Covid-19. Soon into the consultation, he affirmed it but this fear was more deep-rooted than I assumed.

Halfway into our conversation, the man told me that years ago, he experienced a phase where he was ridden with the crippling fear of contracting AIDS. And while that fear was managed with therapy, his new fear of coronavirus is what is interfering now with his day-to-day life. “I’m extremely exhausted from living this way. This fear has taken over my life,” he said.

Before we come to what he went through earlier, let’s shed light now on what he had been experiencing during the pandemic.

A sanitizer a day, keeps the doctor away

The client told me that he goes through giant bottles of sanitizers within a day. He expressed that he’s so paranoid that he even sanitizes the soles of his shoes before entering a car and after exiting it.

“I’m a businessman, and because of my profession, I have to visit the office daily,” he said, adding, ” but the fear of stepping out gets to me. After returning home, I change my clothes outside at a hidden corner near the door, before entering my house. I fear that my clothes might be carrying the virus.”

He further said that nobody from his house is allowed to step out and if they have to, they have to follow all the same protocols as him.

All the parcels are in the quarantine zone for a week and are sanitized once again before being opened. He went on to talk about a lot more measures that he and his family have to take in order to be cautious. “It’s not like I want to do these things. I have to because I fear that If I don’t, I’m going to fall sick,” he stated with a tired sigh.

When in Africa

I need to keep prodding a client in order to get as many details as possible. And just when I thought I got the entire picture, he said, “Around 7-8 years ago, I had visited South Africa for an expo. When I was on site, something sharp had pricked me. As a result, I got extremely panicky, wondering what if the object that had pricked me was infected with the HIV virus?’ The fear stayed with me for nearly 5 years. I had to undergo therapy to feel better,” he concluded.

He also expressed that even though his fear of AIDS has reduced compared to earlier, he still goes into spirals when triggered. “There are times when I get into a panic mode thinking about my fear of AIDS. It all comes back rushing to me and I can go for hours thinking about it. I am unable to control it,” he added, also mentioning that he has issues with sleep and has been suffering from them for 20 years.

From paranoia to peace

That’s when I knew that aside from situations triggering the man’s fears, it’s also his brain’s makeup that contributes to the same. The client clearly was prone to developing fears. It was AIDS years ago, coronavirus presently, and could be some other fear later on. The key was to get to the root cause of the problem, that is the imbalance in his brainwaves. I suggested that he undergo Neurofeedback sessions at the earliest.

He has undergone 20 sessions as of now and his transformation has been a sheer pleasure to watch. Earlier, when he would come in for his sessions, he would be paranoid about touching surfaces. He would avoid touching handles, doors, etc., and would request my staff to sanitize all surfaces, repeatedly. Even though we practice this in general for our clients, we had to meet this man’s extra demands in order to make him feel comfortable.

Now, he is still cautious but certainly not paranoid. He has eased up and reports that his fear of Covid-19, as well as AIDS, has reduced drastically. He is able to sleep better and doesn’t go into panicky spirals like before. Even his dependency on sanitizers has reduced and he isn’t crippled with fear like before when he would step out of his house.

I myself can see the ease and relaxation in his body language. No longer does he come across as nervous and tense. He laughs more and is able to differentiate between being careful and fearful. He still has a lot many Neurofeedback sessions to go and I’m certain that with consistent brain training, there will soon come a day where he would look back at his fears and let out a victorious laugh.

To learn about how brain training can help you get rid of your mental illnesses and lead a happy, calm life, click here.