What Is A Phobia?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) ICD 10 defines phobia or phobic anxiety disorders as “disorders in which anxiety is evoked … in certain well-defined situations that are not currently dangerous.”

(from the Greek: φόβος,phóbos, meaning "fear" or "morbid fear") is an irrational, intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared stimulus. When the fear is beyond one's control, and if the fear is interfering with daily life, then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made. (Wikipedia 25/10/10)

That means that people who suffer from phobia experience strong feelings of fear about things which do not tend to be inherently dangerous, such as normal house spiders, birds, public speaking or meeting and socialising with new people.

We must remember that fear is a natural defence mechanism designed to protect us, so we would never want to completely do away with the emotion. For the most people, phobia does not interfere with daily life, however if allowed, it can develop into a full blown anxiety disorder such as agoraphobia which is not only distressing for the sufferer but can be limiting in the individuals ability to live a normal and healthy life.

How Can Hypnotherapy Be Used In The Treatment Of Phobia?

If you want to overcome the fear or phobia, hypnotherapy (or hypnosis) can often help quickly, efficiently and often in just a few sessions. Hypnosis can help you to manage fears and phobia by;

• Helping you become less sensitive of the stimulus i.e. spiders, flying, dentist Learning new and more relaxed habits
  
  
• Helping you to become much more calm in situations where you are likely to encounter the stimulus
  
  
• Going back to the cause of the problem and re-framing the event for a more

What can I expect to happen at a hypnotherapy session for the treatment of phobia?

Well the first step to getting help with dealing with a phobia can be to identify and address the original source of the fear, however some people do not know how the phobia started.
So we will discuss your symptoms, causes and history of phoba and develop some goals and desirable outcomes to aim for from the hypnotherapy treatment for the fear or phobia. I may well ask you to rate the levels of stress you experience in different situations when you are exposed to the phobic stimulus on a scale of 1-10, so that we can track your progress, but don't worry, although I use integrative techniques from various psychotherapeutic modalities, I do not use techniques like flooding (A CBT technique where you are exposed to the frightening stimulus) and we take things at your pace to ensure that the outcome of your treatment for phobia is as effective as it can be.
The hypnotherapy treatment for phobia session itself is usually very relaxing in its own right and most clients find it very enjoyable.
So if you need help with dealing with a phobia, why not book an appointment for a consultation, or if you would to experience the type of relaxations session I use to help with fear and phobia, click here to listen to a free taster session.

Do contact me if you have any questions or queries of click here to book your appointment today.