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What
is a phobia?
The dictionary definition is: -
- A
persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing
or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the
awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.
- A
strong fear, dislike, or aversion.
We
can elaborate on this definition too. We know it is not a
“mental illness”, neither is it a sign of weakness. Phobias
affect all types of people in all walks of life.
There
are different degrees and forms of phobias. It may surprise some
people to learn that phobias can be formed around literally
anything. One of the questions I ask my clients during their
consultations is whether or not they suffer with any irrational
fears or phobic responses. About 60% of people I see will have
something they dislike or fear. Of that 60% approximately 50% of
those people will name spiders as the number one dislike. I point
this out because if spiders trouble you, it may help to know that
you’re not alone! Public speaking and social situations follow a
close second. It may help others to know that people can develop
phobic responses to everyday things like mashed potatoes, sponges,
or rubber, for instance. The list is endless. If you’ve been
worried about seeking help with your phobia, please be assured
that these problems are extremely common (approximately 10% of
Western populations), quite normal, and usually respond very
readily to a short course of treatment. Most of us will have a
natural fear response towards snakes, sharks, heights, crocodiles,
spiders, etc…anything which is (or is perceived to be)
potentially life threatening. A phobia is simply an extension of
this natural defence system to an object of focus where the
response pattern is neither necessary nor helpful (and is usually
therefore classed as “irrational”). This illustrates that far
from being some kind of exotic affliction, phobic responses are
actually a very natural part of being human.
How
are phobias created?
You
can think of your mind as being both conscious and subconscious.
There is a part of your mind that thinks, deliberates, and
rationalises. This is your conscious mind….your intellectual
mind if you will. Then there is your subconscious mind. Your
subconscious mind operates instinctively, emotionally, and
automatically. This is the part of your mind which makes your
eyelids close automatically when there is an explosion in order to
protect your eyes. This instinctive part of the mind can be
considered to be quite primitive in its nature since it was the
first area of consciousness to develop. Since survival is any
organism’s first priority, then the primitive instinctive
responses to danger will always override the intellect when the
organism (you) is threatened.
Now,
if we are unlucky enough to experience an event in our lives which
is extremely stressful or frightening, then the subconscious mind
can “read” that stress and fear as danger. A connection is
made by the subconscious mind in light of the overloaded stress
levels that the event or object in view must be something which is
life threatening and this creates a template which is then stored
in the subconscious mind for future reference. Now, anytime we are
faced with a similar situation or object, the powerful instinctive
mind recognises the apparent danger and delivers a powerful fear
response designed to remove us, or prevent us from entering, the
situation. This is the panic a phobia sufferer will experience.
Sometimes, however, an incorrect connection is made, and this is
how people can retain phobic templates around apparently harmless
objects. The stress (perceived danger) levels at the moment that
they were focused on that object were high enough to create the
template, but the source of the stress may well have been
something else. The subconscious mind being a non-deliberating
mind simply makes the connection between what is in sight and what
is being experienced, and assumes that the object or situation in
sight must be the source of danger. Once this connection is made,
it is difficult to remove it unless you know how to do so, since
it is considered to be essential to survival that the template
remains in place for future reference. This means that the matter
is closed as far as intellectual intervention is concerned. Since
the responses are instinctive, they override the intellect (our
sense of control), and anyone who has ever experienced these
feelings will know that they can be extreme and refuse to respond
to rational intervention..
Phobias
can also form slowly over time too. A vague concern can become an
increasing worry as time passes. The same process of formation
applies, but the template here is formed by repeated worry rather
than a single event. The subconscious mind responds to what we
think. Sometimes, we can create a phobic response simply with the
power of our imagination…..simply put… we worry too much! The
subconscious mind sees little difference between what actually IS
and what we IMAGINE is. So, if we begin with a vague sense of
concern about something and then go on to worry (imagine
negatively) over and over about that something, then we are
effectively sending a message back to the subconscious mind that
this is something to be worried about! If it’s something to be
worried about, then, the subconscious mind sensibly assumes that
it must be dangerous. If it is dangerous, then it requires a
response pattern which will ensure that we do not enter the
situation…and there we have the fear. A phobia is born.
Considerations
Though
clinically, one can speak of all kinds of phobias, I find it
helpful to simplify into two broad categories. A “simple” or
“specific” phobia is a phobia such as fear of flying, or fear
of snakes. As long as one avoids going on an aeroplane or
travelling to the desert, then by and large, apart from the
inconvenience of not being able to do these things, the phobia has
a limited impact on that person’s life. One can easily avoid the
phobic stimulus and lead a relatively normal life. The phobia
really is strictly limited to one particular area of concern.
Anxiety created generally in day to day life by such a phobia will
usually be minimal and in most cases can be treated quite easily
in a three session programme.
Then
there are more complex cases. Phobias such as emetophobia, which
is a fear of vomiting, can have a major impact on a person’s
life. An emetophobe will worry constantly about running into
somebody being sick, and this can result in not wanting to or not
being able to leave the house. Agoraphobia, which is the fear of
going outside….of open spaces and crowds, is common and
obviously debilitating. Often these types of phobic responses are
advanced and have been compounded over and over by repeated
anxiety. In these cases, there is likely to be a high level of
generalised anxiety, and it is necessary therefore to take some
time to reduce the level of generalised anxiety before attempting
to remove the phobic template. Depending on the seriousness of the
complaint, one might expect to use between five and ten sessions
of hypnotherapy to tackle this kind of phobic response, since
essentially there are two jobs to be done here. Often, in a case
like this the actual problem is anxiety generally, which has
become “focused” on the phobic response, though it may not be
obvious that this is the case. Each case must be assessed
carefully according to the context of the problem.
Treatment
The
good news is that all phobias are treatable. A simple phobia can
be easily treated in a three session programme. The process
involves reducing anxiety generally, disempowering the negative
charge held around the phobic response template (using advanced
effective NLP techniques), and then finally, replacing that
template with a new image/perspective of the object or situation
in question. This is a thorough approach which contains all of the
necessary elements for success. If you have understood from
reading the above how powerful the imagination can be in learning
negative responses, you will follow the logic then that we also
use the imagination to unlearn those responses, to learn positive
responses instead. Essentially we are showing the subconscious
mind that there is another way to deal with those situations which
have been a source of concern, which is both effective, safe, and
infinitely more pleasant. Your subconscious mind is your friend
and protector, but its current belief is that the situation in
question demands a fear response to ensure survival. This is a
misunderstanding. Using hypnosis however, it is possible to
communicate much more directly than usual with the subconscious
mind, and we are therefore able to demonstrate that there is
another much more effective way to respond!
As
outlined above, if the phobia (anxiety) has spilled out into life
generally, then it is necessary to ensure that the subconscious
mind is returned to a place of feeling “safe” about life again
before it will be willing to relinquish control to the intellect
as far as the object of the fear is concerned, so here we will
need to work on anxiety generally before addressing the template
directly. This is also true for people with “simple” phobic
responses who are very anxious generally. This is work well worth
doing however, and it should be noted that these things cannot and
will not be rushed….not if you want to do the job properly.
The
information offered here is a basic understanding in principle,
but is by no means exhaustive of what we know about phobias and
their successful treatment. Hypnotherapy is a very safe and
effective way of addressing problems with phobic responses. It is
much quicker than desensitisation methods which involve you taking
tiny steps to get used to your fear and overcome it by repeated
controlled exposure. Desensitisation methods do the same thing
that hypnotherapy does but in a much slower way…essentially
drip-feeding the message to the subconscious rather than just
coming right out and showing it directly. The programme I use is
as thorough as one needs to be and includes the NLP techniques you
will undoubtedly read about elsewhere, but also has the added
dimension of re-framing which is essential for success and often
overlooked by other therapies. As with all of the treatments I
offer, the emphasis is on understanding, and self empowerment. I
aim to ensure that you have a thorough understanding of your
problem…it’s origins, it’s continuation, it’s healing, and
of course, most importantly how to prevent similar problems
occurring again in the future.
If
you would like to come in to discuss your problem with a view to
getting started with treatment, then please contact
me to arrange a free initial consultation.
Please do check back
periodically for new information. These articles will be replaced
and updated over
time with new articles and info.
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