Do you have an intense fear of something that may seem quite irrational and even though there is little or no danger you feel overwhelemed and debilitated.
A phobia is an intense fear of something that may seem quite irrational and can pose little or no actual danger, but it can be overwhelming and debilitating and can be developed at a young age as a learned response to a particular situation.
Sometimes a phobia can be so pronounced that a person may organise their life around avoiding the thing that’s causing them anxiety which can be very restricting in day-to-day life and cause lots of distress together with symptoms such as:
- shaking and dizziness
- nausea and sweating
- palpitations and shortness of breath
- upset stomach and digestive disorders.
Phobias can be simple and complex, some of the more simple ones I work with in my clinic are animal phobias such as dogs, snakes and spiders, fear of flying, blood, vomit, injections and white coat syndrome, performance anxiety, fear of heights and deep water.
Complex phobias can be more disabling and develop during adulthood like agoraphobia, claustrophobia and social phobia and may prevent you from carrying out everyday activities such as:
- meeting friends
- travelling on public transport
- being in crowded places
- speaking in front of people
- fear of being humiliated in public.
Both simple and complex phobias can be treated with a combination of talk therapies, hypnotherapy and EFT exercises that you can use as self-help tools exactly when you need to, enabling you to build up your confidence enough to put you back in control of mind and body when you are in those tricky situations.