Phobias & Fears

Phobias develop when a person has an exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object. Phobias are very common – we all know someone who is afraid of flying or of spiders or heights. For some people their phobia can begin to affect their day to day life so that they organise their life around avoiding the situation or object that is causing them anxiety. Even thinking about the phobia can be enough to make some people feel anxious.

Common examples of phobias include:
• animal phobias – such as dogs, spiders, snakes or rodents
• environmental phobias – such as heights, deep water, open spaces
• situational phobias – such as visiting the dentist or flying
• bodily phobias – such as blood, vomit or having injections

Due to advances in brain based therapy we now understand how phobias develop. Phobias stem from the subconscious, which at some time in the past was given a compelling reason to believe the object of the fear was something that was a real threat to their safety. The reason it is difficult to overcome a phobia yourself is because it exists in the subconscious part of your mind.

Hypnotherapy uses a variety of techniques for overcoming phobias which are effective, very gentle and non-threatening. During your initial consultation I will explain how the brain works, how we create these phobic responses and how we overcome them. You will also receive a FREE relaxation CD at your initial consultation. Three further sessions are then required to help you overcome your phobia using relaxation, rewind and reframe techniques to take the unhelpful fearful emotion out of the experience of the situation or object which has caused you distress.