Hypnotherapy in Telford

Phobias and Fears

Is there a difference between simple fears, and phobias?

A fear is a legitimate worry, a survival instinct which warns us that we are being confronted by real or likely danger. it is an essential 'fight, flight or freeze' instinct, which makes us prepare to either run away from that danger, stick around and fight it out, or simply freeze into immobility - the 'rabbit in the headlights' syndrome.

Some fears are reasonable or even sensible to have. Some fears we are born with, such as the fear of falling (a sensible thing to have, in moderation). Other fears we acquire, and they can be useful, or obstructive and unhelpful: being fearful of getting hit by a car when we cross the street can makes us do so far more carefully than if we weren't at all fearful; but in extreme cases, can prevent us leaving the house. Some fears can therefore become phobias - extreme irrational fears which have been 'symbolically attached' to an object, or situation; usually evidenced as strong avoidance behaviour of the object or situation, which will run alongside intense feelings of anxiety, loss of control, and panic. Although we may consciously understand that the fear or phobia is irrational, it can overshadow our rational mind and control our thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. And so oone of the most common reasons for people to seek hypnotherapy is for help overcoming their phobia. The basic feature of any phobia is a conflict between conscious and unconscious processes of the mind; and hypnotherapy is an efficient way to alleviate phobias because it can communicate with these unconscious processes.

It is estimated that 1.8 million people suffer from agoraphobia alone, and about 19.2 million people over the age of 18 suffer from some type of specific phobia in any year.

Author N.D.Walsch described a fear as "False Evidence Appearing Real"; and there are probably as many phobias arising from this false evidence, as there are people - or more!

SPECIFIC AND COMPLEX PHOBIAS

Specific phobias can be categorised into five main types:

Animal: such as rats/mice, spiders, insects, snakes, flying creatures, dogs, cats and reptiles

Natural Environment: such as water, thunderstorms, heights, fire, and the dark

Blood / Injury /Needles: such as injections, the sight of blood, dentistry, surgical operations, or other invasive medical procedures

Situational: such as flying, lifts, driving, tunnels, bridges, enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), or being sick; relating to the fear of being trapped and unable to get away

Other: such as illness, germs, choking, vomiting

As well as the specific phobias, there are also the Complex phobias of social phobia/anxiety, and agoraphobia; which can also be very distressing and debilitating, in a wide range of situations.

The most common phobias are those such as fear of spiders and fear of flying, (but there are many more) which can be easily resolved using hypnotherapy techniques to help learn new behaviour patterns i.e. to experience 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, because a child doesn't necessarily have the logical tools and information to understand why for instance, a parent is standing on a stool screaming at a small creature. They will almost certainly make a deep unconscious decision that the creature is dangerous.

How can Hypnotherapy help if you are troubled by a Phobia or Fear?

Hypnotherapy can help you resolve phobias in several ways, including:

- Relaxation and visualisation techniques for systematic desensitisation

- Learning new habits such as being more relaxed and calm

- Coming to an internal understanding and acceptance of how the phobia may once have served a useful purpose but has now become an unnecessary behaviour pattern

Using appropriate hypnotherapeutic techniques, the issue can resolve itself below your conscious level of awareness. Hypnosis simply and easily accelerates the internal ability we have to get over our irrational fears.

Some of the more common phobias include fear of:

• public places
• being in an enclosed space
• flying
• public speaking
• crowds
• animals, or a particular kind of animal
• darkness
• crossing bridges
• heights
• driving
• water
• illness
• having a panic attack
• eating in public
• clowns
• lifts or escalators

but there are many, many more; so if your phobia isn't in this list, don't worry - hypnotherapy can still help you to address and resolve your particular phobia or fear.

"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood" Marie Curie

Do you avoid doing things, or other people, because of your fears?

Are fears forcing you to change how you would choose to behave if only you didn't have your phobia?

Are you tired of letting your fears control you in this way?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, hypnotherapy can help you to address and conquer your fears now.

Every phobia has an origin:

1. Stress can show itself in physical illnesses, such as headaches, stomach problems, heart problems, cancers; and as phobias.

Are you experiencing significant stress in your life arising from a particular issue or situation? For instance, extreme stress in your job can lead to a fear of social situations, or fear of driving.

Stress can be unconsciously repressed especially if there is a conscious reason for the stressful situation to be dealt with. To show stress at work might be considered a sign of incompetence for instance; or someone might be an overachiever, unwilling to perform at other than a level deemed by others to be abnormally high.

2. A phobia can be learnt or 'modelled', from someone else.

Did a parent always react extremely to the presence of spiders?
Did a sibling always hide in fear when there was a thunderstorm?
Did a friend scream and run from the room every time they saw a mouse?
Thinking about it now, did you, in turn, begin to act the same way?

3. A negative experience occurring once or recurring over time can cause excessive anxiety which can exhibit itself as a phobia in some other area of your life.

For example, if as a child you were picked on, you might have become afraid and did everything you could to avoid the unpleasantness. Then when you went to senior school, you might have been bullied, and the cycle of avoidance continued. On top of that, if relatives teased you, your self-esteem might have taken a blow. This sequence or pattern of negative experiences could lead to feelings of low self esteem, discomfort & anxiety, or even social phobia.

4. You may be afraid of fear.

This type of fear can extend to every aspect of your life because you approach situations based on being afraid of your fear. You may gradually avoid everything that could possibly make you feel fearful, perhaps becoming increasingly reclusive.

5. Physical, emotional, or mental trauma can result in phobia.

Childhood traumas and other key major life events such as a divorce, loss of a loved one, or moving from a familiar place can be so painful that a phobia is developed as a reaction and way of dealing with the subsequent emotion.

Sometimes the cause or trigger of the phobia is forgotten, or not known consciously, and getting to the REASON for the phobia can be an important part of your therapy. In other cases, the cause is known (but not necessarily understood, or even directly linked to the phobia).

In either case, changing how you respond to, and are affected by the cause of your phobia, is the key to conquering your fears.

Deciding to get help to master your fear is the first positive step towards conquering it.

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life." Ralph Waldo