So what do you do? Run, freeze, feel sick or simply want to cry?
There are, in the main, two types of phobias. There is the simple phobia where a person reacts negatively when they come into contact with the thing that causes fear, i.e. dentists, needles or spiders. Sometimes a fear of something can be good, it can make you that bit more cautious walking along a ledge with a huge drop at the side! However, if it stops you doing the things in life you want to do, then possibly it’s time to do something about it – as Sonia, one of my clients did when she came to see me some years back in order to overcome her fear of heights. The picture on the right is Sonia on the London Eye and enjoying it!
Then there are more complex phobias which cause fear and anxiety continually, even when the problem isn’t around.
One such example is Emetophobia – a fear of being sick, and considered to be one of the most common phobias in the world. It can affect the sufferer in ways such as not wanting to collect their children from school in case that child is feeling ill, or maybe even putting off becoming pregnant because of the fear of sickness.
Another complex phobia is Social phobia, a fear of social situations, such as weddings, public speaking or simply going out to dinner with people – even if they’re friends! Sometimes people with a social phobia have a fear of embarrassing themselves or of being humiliated in public.
A phobia is defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding despite the fear, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational.
However, the good news is that your brain has an ability to learn, in fact you are constantly learning are you not? Learning new habits such as being more relaxed and calm can help overcome simple phobias very quickly. Now here’s an interesting fact, habits exist on the same subconscious level as phobias and hypnosis help create new habits or patterns of behaviour – see the connection?
The basic feature of any phobia is a conflict between the conscious and subconscious. Hypnotherapy communicates with the subconscious, filtering through how the client wants to be rather than how they currently are.
It has to be stated here that the client has to want to change their pattern of behaviour. They will also need to get on board with the treatment i.e. listening to a mind-strenthening download. It’s also worth noting that you don’t have to ‘believe’ you can change – the belief kicks in once you see yourself overcoming the fear.
Once I went to a local GP surgery with a delightful 16-year old I’d been working with on his fear of needles. It has to be said he had a reasonably severe reaction if someone came near him as he would simply want to escape and would lash out in order to do so. As he lay on the couch at the GP surgery, he was laughing at the technique I was using to enable him to overcome his fear. When we came out into the waiting room after he’d had his jabs, he was delighted that he’d accomplished something he’d originally thought impossible. There are some real highs to my job it has to be said!
Finally, I would like to state that I used to have two phobias – one was a fear of flying, the other was a fear of frogs. I’ve had hypnotherapy for both, so I speak from past experience when I say I know how those of you with phobias feel! The fact I can watch a frog in my garden, plus I’ve flown once a month for my job quite recently, proves it works!
Maybe it’s time for change for you? As I well know, it makes a lovely difference when you get it sorted.