Does a particular fear stop you from doing things you would love to do? Perhaps you avoid flying, feel anxious around spiders, dread visiting the dentist or find that a fear of heights limits your everyday life.
A phobia can feel overwhelming, even when you know that the situation is unlikely to cause you harm. You might find yourself avoiding certain places, experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety or worrying about the fear before you even encounter it.
At Back on Track Hypnotherapy, I offer solution focused hypnotherapy to help you develop a calmer response to the situations that currently feel frightening.
Many people have approached me feeling embarrassed about what they consider is a “silly fear”. Please be reassured; no fear or phobia is silly…we will just work to shift it. I’ve worked with fear of holes (trypophobia), fear of heights (acrophobia), fear of falling, fear of spiders (arachnophobia), fear of road sweepers, fear of flying (aerophobia), fear of childbirth (tokophobia), dental phobia, fear of leaving the house (agoraphobia), fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia) and a fear that wasn’t even disclosed…
A phobia is characterised by extreme and irrational fears or aversions to something.
Studies have found:
- 5% of children are affected by phobias
- 16% of 13 to 17-year olds are affected by phobias
- 3 to 5% of adults are affected by phobias
- women tend to have more phobias than men
Types of Phobia
- Animal phobias (for example, dogs, birds, snakes, spiders, rodents)
- Natural environment phobias (such as heights, storms, water)
- Blood-injection-injury phobias (such as fear of blood or getting a blood test)
- Situational phobia (such as aeroplanes, lifts, driving or enclosed places)
- Other phobias (such as clowns, avoiding loud noises)
Causes of Phobias
Most phobias are developed between the ages of 7 and 11, although they can develop at any age. They can be triggered by traumatic events, such as being bitten by a dog, but many people are unable to determine, or remember, what triggered their phobia.
Symptoms of Phobias include:
- A racing heart
- Difficulty breathing
- Trembling
- Dry mouth
- Sweating
- overwhelming feelings of anxiety or fear
- feeling powerless
- fear of losing control
- feeling an intense need to escape
How can Solution Focused Hypnotherapy help?
This approach can help clients to understand that their reactions are automatic responses from the brain, rather than a sign that they are incapable of overcoming their fear.
Using a combination of positivity and hypnosis, I will aim to help you move from a feeling of “I can’t do this because it is frightening” to “I can manage this, and I’m feeling more confident, by explaining the brain’s fear response, reducing anxiety and creating new neural pathways.
I will work with you to identify whether your phobia is a simple phobia, such as a fear of spiders, or a complex phobia, such as a fear of falling. A simple phobia can be treated with a Rewind and Reframe package of sessions, while a Complex phobia can be treated in the same way, but you would probably benefit from a few sessions for reducing anxiety before addressing the phobia.
Together we can work towards helping you feel more confident, regain your sense of control and enjoy greater freedom in your everyday life.
Client Testimonial
”Debbie was very friendly and professional. She took time to explain how the brain worked in relation to my spider phobia and I felt completely at ease right from the first session. Afterwards I found I could remove spiders from the bath so I am happy to recommend her”. B M (Google review)
Why not get in touch for a free discovery call and see how I can help?
debbie@backontrackhypnotherapy.co.uk
Take away Tip
Square breathing is very effective for dealing with anxiety. Breathe in for a count of 8… hold for a count of 8… breathe out for a count of 8… hold for a count of 8…this will help to ground you, and to activate your parasympathetic nervous system; this will in turn initiate a “rest and digest” response to counter stress