@naturegirl5 @gregy There is hope. I like the word "deprogram". None of us are born with fear and anxiety. It is something we learn. I say that if I learned this response, then I can "unlearn" this response. That was the day I began to ask myself questions to figure it all out, and find coping strategies in the interim, and it worked. This totally changed my life. I went from having daily panic attacks about having spine surgery to being calm the day of the surgery and having the same calmness for every additional surgical event thereafter. I was interviewed about this in a video podcast and you can find that at the beginning of this discussion.

"How can I defeat my anxiety about medical tests and surgery?"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-can-i-defeat-my-anxiety-about-medical-tests-and-surgery/
I used to think I could not change my anxiety, but I did, and it doing that, I became so much stronger and confident. You can do this too.

Jennifer