Target fixation

Someone pointed me to the concept of target fixation, a psychological phenomenon well known to the fighter pilots and race car drivers, or anybody else who operates fast-moving vehicles in stressful situations. They get fixated on the oncoming obstacle so much that they end up running into it. Their anxious mind can only focus on the obstacle and no longer allows any attention to the surroundings, so their will to change the focus and act is paralyzed.


It immediately reminded me of those who develop a troubling pain symptom and end up with chronic pain. Under normal circumstances, we switch our attention to something else, forget about pain, and it goes away. But in the situation of extreme stress we fall prey to the target fixation, also known as health anxiety, and then we are stuck.


Fixation does not have to be conscious. My CRPS story began with the symptoms that seemed quite innocuous, and I did not pay much attention to it, but subconsciously I was still fixated on it. Result? Full-blown CRPS two months later. Had I been in a less stressed-out mode at that period in my life, the pain would have come and left. But I wasn’t, and the pain stuck. Thanks to Dr. Sarno, I understood that I needed to get my mind out of this target fixation – and I have been symptom-free for 6 years.

 

This is so true. One small instance of a symptom can lead to catrastrophing and suddenly I am narrowly focused on my symptom. If I can catch it early, I can see it for what it is, my imagination over working. But if I am already in a stressed mood, the worry can settle in. Learning my triggers has helped. Sometimes it takes several days before I can identify the trigger. And I have been working on my psychological triggers for 5 years. Self compassion is so helpful. I know the process works and I eventually come through.