Hypnotherapy for Fears and Phobias

Phobias are relatively common and figures suggest that at least 6% of the population may suffer from one at any time. A phobia is defined as an intense or persistent fear of a situations or object which is accompanied by an excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared stimulus.

The individual suffering from the phobia will recognise that the fear they feel for the object or situation is out of proportion to the danger posed by the stimulus but will still do anything to avoid it. By modifying their life they will avoid coming into contact with the said object or situation but generally at the expense of something else.

As an example, if you have a fear of flying you may be interested in seeing other parts of the world but you will never be prepared to make the journey because it involves getting on a plane.

Phobias are often formed in early childhood and some of the reasons why they happen are outlined below:

Classic Conditioning

If you are bitten by a dog you will go out of your way to avoid all dogs rather than the one that caused the original injury.

Inherited Phobia

Many phobias can be inherited from our parents. If a child was constantly told by their parents that flying was dangerous and that planes crash it would be entirely possible that this fear could be passed on to the child.

Positive Reinforcement

Pretending that you were ill as a child to avoid going to school is relatively common place. If your parents however continually “rewarded” you for this behaviour by allowing you to stay at home it may be possible that the child begins to develop a phobia of people or the school.

Whatever the root cause phobias can be debilitating to the individual and create feelings of panic, anxiety and loss of control. There are literally thousands of phobias and so it is impossible to name them all but some common phobias include:

  • Fear of Flying
  • Fear of animals or insects
  • Fear of enclosed spaces
  • Fear of Driving
  • Fear of Dentists
  • Fear of vomiting
  • Fear of Lifts
  • Fear of Medical Procedures
  • Fear of Germs
  • Fear of Heights
  • Fear of open spaces
  • Fear of Crowds

Hypnotherapy helps to alleviate phobias by guiding the client through relaxation and visualisation techniques in order to aid desensitisation. You are taught to learn new habits and eventually retrain your brain to detach the object or the situation from the emotional response.