Phobia is a morbid fear or dread.
Sometimes people become so fearful of certain situations such as heights or open spaces or of creatures such as spiders that even just thinking about these things can result in strong feelings of panic.
Lives can become increasingly restricted. People may lose confidence and become distressed for long periods of time.
They may suffer high levels of anxiety which may include panic attacks when in certain situations, becoming hypersensitive and overly aware of any possible threats related to their fear. This can result in avoidance of certain situations or having to quickly leave a situation.
Some common phobias
- Isolated fears of particular things for example sharp knives
- Agoraphobia – a fear of public places and or open spaces
- Claustrophobia – fear of enclosed spaces
- Social phobias – encountering people
- Animal phobias – as of spiders, rats or dogs
- Fear of flying
- Fear of the dentist and needles
Phobias can be easily cured using cognitive hypnotherapy techniques to help learn new behaviour patterns. For instance, a calm reaction rather than a panic reaction.
Sometimes if a phobia is deeper and more disruptive as can be the case with severe agoraphobia or social phobia, then it may be necessary to look at some of the issues surrounding the onset of the phobia and work to resolve them. Phobias are often rooted in childhood misunderstanding. Children do not necessarily have the logical tools, knowledge and information to understand the meaning of a parent standing on a stool, screaming at a spider or small insect! They will almost certainly make a deep unconscious decision that the insect is dangerous.
Each hypnotherapist may have different approaches in the treatment of phobias. It is therefore important to speak to the therapist you have chosen and check that you are comfortable with the methods they use
