A phobia is a form of anxiety disorder affecting about 1 in 23 people. In the U.K., it is estimated that about 2.5 million people suffered from phobias. While these phobias may seem silly for some but for those affected by it, it’s a serious condition affecting almost every aspect of their lives. There are several ways to overcome phobias and hypnotherapy is one of them. Published by Hypnosis in London on 6 June 2016, written by Malminder Gill.

What are Phobias?

A phobia is an irrational fear on which a person has a persistent dread of a particular situation, creature, or activity. This relentless fear leads the person to avoid what he/she perceives as a danger to the point of changing his/her lifestyle.

For many people, these phobias don’t make sense but for those who have these phobias, they do. When confronted with their source of fear, these people can suffer from great amount of distress. They can experience difficulty in breathing, feel that their heart is racing, suffer from profuse sweating, dry mouth, lightheadedness, and feel a sense of doom. These disabling symptoms will make the person avoid the situation, creature, or activity as much as he/she can.

Causes of Phobias

A person can develop an irrational fear of something as a result of past experience. Researchers found out that most cases of phobia result from experiences in childhood or early adulthood.

Simple or specific types of phobia usually develop during early childhood, between the ages 4 and 8. It can be a result of unpleasant experiences or while being fully aware and witnessing how one’s parent suffered from a particular type of fear.

As with complex or social phobia, scientists could still not pinpoint the exact cause of it though they believed it’s a combination of brain chemistry, genetics, and life experiences.

Types of Phobias

There are over 100 types of phobias but the most common ones are the following:

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the fear of places or situations that one can’t escape from. It’s usually perceived as the “fear of everything” as those who have it have this intense fear of situations or places they feel they can’t leave without difficulty or feeling of embarrassment.

It’s a paralyzing kind of fear that people with agoraphobia find themselves prison of their own home – unable to leave it to socialize or even do simple tasks like picking their kids from school.

Social Phobia

Also known as social anxiety, people with social phobia have intense fear of social situations that they would avoid them as much as possible. This is different from just being shy as their fear often disrupts their way of living. In can be so severe that they would avoid doing even the simplest social interactions like answering one’s phone in public places without having a panic attack.

Social phobia eventually takes a toll in one’s relationship, career, and life in general. This intense fear of social situations keep people from going to school, heading out to meet other people, or attending a job interview. Like other forms of phobia, this usually begins at childhood or adolescence.

Specific Phobias

Normally, each of us has a thing or two that we dislike but for people with specific phobias, the fear with these things can be so intense that it interferes with their daily lives. The following are some examples of specific phobias: acrophobia (fear of heights), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), dentophobia (fear of dental procedures), cynophobia (fear of dogs), and nyctophobia (fear of darkness or of nighttime).

Overcoming Phobias Through Hypnotherapy

Phobias can be managed through therapeutic techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and through medications. There’s also a growing number of studies^[1] showing that hypnotherapy is a good way to help one manage his/her phobia.

Hypnotherapy involves the process of getting you to a completely relaxed state. It is only through the relaxed mind that the subconscious brain can be engaged.

Guided hypnosis allows you to overcome your fears and phobias as it works with your mind in helping you change the way you react to your triggers. Under the hypnotic state, the subconscious mind is more receptive for suggestions and implementations for positive changes.

Hypnotherapy is unlike what you usually see in movies because although you are in a completely relaxed state, you still have full control with yourself and hence, cannot be forced to do something.

The techniques used in hypnotherapy for dealing with phobia depend on the hypnotherapist and the client. A good hypnotherapist should be able to adjust his/her techniques depending on his/her client’s needs.

At Hypnotherapy in London, the hypnotherapy sessions with clients suffering from phobias are highly personalized. This is attested by the clients I’ve worked with. Through hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), I help clients deal the root cause and symptoms of their fears and phobias.

Phobias can make you feel like you’re a prisoner. But know that you can get out of that prison and start living life the way you want to. Break free from that fear through hypnosis. At Hypnosis in London, I can help you use the power of your own mind to overcome your phobia and regain control of your life.

Reference:
[1] “Hypnosis In The Treatment Of Phobias: A Review Of The Literature”. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis (2016): n. pag. Web. 2 June 2016.

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