Fears and Phobias

Almost everyone has a concern about something, if they choose to admit it!

Whether it be mice, spiders, dentists or fear of flying, the thought of having to somehow engage with the source of that fear can cause a mild case of anxiety. But sometimes that fear can be so extreme that it affects someone’s life or even livelihood. Then the fear is known as a phobia.
A fear is a natural response to a situation which could be painful, damaging or dangerous. For example, having a diagnostic blood test, getting butterflies when you look down from a high building or when confronted by a snarling dog.

Your mind’s negative sensors are immediately triggered to release the stress hormones which put you into flight, fright or freeze mode. But they then disappear once the situation has been dealt with or has passed.

But phobias are different to normal fears. Phobias are extreme responses to a situation or an object, where a Future Event Appears Really dangerous, yet the actual situation or object poses little or no actual danger. A phobia is an anxiety state where the sufferer is constantly worried that they will encounter the situation or object that they fear - and if they do meet it, their stress response can be so extreme that they can have a panic attack which can mimic a heart attack.

So they do all they can to avoid the situation. This can include complete disruption of lifestyles!

Phobias often develop in childhood, but by no means all of them do. Illness, strangers, loud noises, and fear of the dark are common fears in small children which usually disappear as they grow up. But social anxiety, fear of public speaking, fear of driving, bridges and even fear of holes tend to develop through childhood and beyond as a response to both real andimaginary stimuli.

Here are ten common phobias!
1. Arachnophobia - fear of spiders
2. Ophidiophobia - fear of snakes
3. Acrophobia - fear of heights
4. Agoraphobia - fear of open spaces
5. Cynophobia - fear of dogs
6. Emetophobia - fear of vomiting
7. Astraphobia - fear of storms
8. Claustrophobia - fear of confined spaces
9. Mysophobia - fear of germs
10. Aerophobia - fear of flying

The good news is that phobias can be helped enormously through hypnotherapy. Phobias are constructs of the subconscious mind and hypnotherapy can tap into the subconscious to change thinking and response. Using a technique called Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) along with hypnotherapy is particularly powerful.

Positive visualisation, reprogramming the amagdylla (which is the brain’s negativity sensor) to prevent automatic release of stress hormones and re-imagining the stressor as nondangerous can all lead to removing the phobia. Many clients* need only a single session of hypnotherapy to get the result they need - freedom to get on with their life!

If you suffer with a phobia, why not give me a call to see if I can help. Wouldn’t it be great if you could take control and get your life back? Or you may know someone who could benefit - do let them know about me!

Be happy!

Linda
www.releaseyourpotential.co.uk
Tel: 07585 802035

*Hypnotherapy, as with any talking therapy, cannot be guaranteed as everyone is different.