Hypnotherapy for Phobias
What Is A Phobia?
A phobia is a kind of anxiety disorder that can develop when someone starts to organise their life around avoiding the very thing they are fearful of. Wether it’s an object, an activity, a situation, a place , an animal or an insect. If you have a phobia you will feel the compulsion to avoid any contact with the origin of your anxiety.
What Can Cause A Phobia?
Phobias do not appear to have a single cause; however, there are many associated factors.
A phobia can be associated with a trauma or even an incident in a person’s life for example if someone was bitten by a dog during childhood this results in a phobia of this animal.
It could be a learned response from a parent or elder sibling for example if a child watches a parent fearing flying this can result in the same fear.
Genetics sometimes can play a part in this…some people are born with a leaning to be more anxious or over think everything.
Diagnosing Phobias
Sometimes there is no need to diagnose a phobia formally, most people are fully aware that they have a problem. These people will choose to live with their phobia and will take care to avoid the situation or object of their fears.
However, if you choose this route, then it could increase the power of the phobia overwhelming their lives.
How Common Are Phobias?
Phobias are a very common type of anxiety disorder. Some of the most common are;
- Agoraphobia….a fear of open spaces
- Social phobia….a fear of social situations
- Acrophobia……a fear of heights
- Glossophobia…a fear of public speaking
- Claustrophobia..a fear of confined spaces
- Aerophobia…….a fear of flying
What Are The Symptoms Of Phobias?
Phobias can limit your daily activities and can cause anxiety and depression. In certain cases you can develop a phobia where you become fearful of experiencing anxiety itself because it causes discomfort. You will develop a fear of the fear which can result in panic attacks and you don’t actually have to be in the situation you are afraid of. The brain is able to create a reaction to fearful situations just by making you think of your phobia.
What Are The Physical Symptoms Of Phobias?
People with phobias can have panic attacks, which can be very frightening and distressing, particularly with the most common symptom, which is experiencing an increase in the heart rate.
When this occurs for the first time, it may feel like they are having a heart attack. The symptoms often happen suddenly and without warning.
In addition to overwhelming feelings of anxiety, the following symptoms are very common;
- Sweating.
- Trembling.
- Heart racing.
- Shaky legs.
- Hot flushes.
- Choking sensation.
- Pain or tightness in the chest.
- Difficulty in swallowing.
- Dry mouth.
- A sensation of butterflies in the stomach.
- Feeling sick.
- Headaches and dizziness.
- Feeling faint.
- The need to go to the toilet.
Complex Phobias.
Complex phobias such as agoraphobia and social phobia can have a very detrimental effect on a person’s daily life and can impede their enjoyment of life. This often involves a mixture of several interlinked phobias. For example, someone with a fear of going outside or leaving their house might also fear being left alone (monophobia) or of places where they feel trapped eg in a lift or an aeroplane.
If you have a social phobia, this may be linked to a lack of self-confidence.
Can Hypnotherapy Help You Overcome Your Phobia?
The simple answer is yes. By helping you to recognise and understand your fear, uncovering where it derived from and helping you overcome the symptoms of your panic attacks through hypnosis, you can be rid of your fears and live your best life.
If any of this resonates with how you feel currently, contact me or call me on 07710 564 456. Let’s have an informal no obligation chat to see how Hypnotherapy can help with your phobias.
