Freedom From Your Phobia..

 

Fear is a form of anxiety triggered by something in your surroundings.  If that situation is a real threat- for example you're being attacked - fear is a completely sensible and appropriate reaction.  With phobias, the fear is inappropriate because you have an exaccerated or unrealistic idea about the harmfulness of the situation.

 

If you have a phobia, you may realise that you fear is out of proportion to the true danger or threat, but you can't control or explain it.  Phobias can be very long lasting and can cause problems ranging from minor disruption of your life to significant disability.

 

Types of phobias

 

There are three main types of phobia.

 

Specific or simple phobias

 

These are restricted to very specific situations.  They are very common in children, where they are essentially thought of as normal, and usually disappear as children get older.  However, some phobias can carry on into adult life.  Specific problems can be divided up as fears of:

 

  • Animals (eg spiders, snakes, mice, birds and insects)
  • The natural world (eg storms, heights, weather)
  • Blood, injections and injury
  • Certain situations (eg flying, enclosed spaces, lifts)

Specific phobias are more common in women than men, and they often begin in childhood.  People who suffer from these phobias rarely have any other psychiatric or psychological problems.

 

Agoraphobia

 

Agoraphobia means a fear of open spaces.  However, it's sometimes used to refer to a fear of being away from your home or family, often because of worry about having a panic attack.  During a panic attack, you may have overwhelming physical symptoms of anxiety.  If you have agoraphobia, you will tend to feel worse the further you are from home.  You may also have a fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), main roads and public transport.  Agoraphobia often starts in late adolescence or early adulthood.  It's more common in women than men.

 

People with agoraphobia can become depressed, and may use alcohol or illegal drugs to try and help them deal with their problems.

 

Social phobia

 

Social phobia is when you have an excessive fear of social situations, such as small groups of people at parties.  People with social phobia have no confidence with people they don't know, and fear that strangers are critical of them.  You may also fear that you will behave in an embarrassing way, such as blushing or shaking in public.  Around five in every 100 people have some degree of social phobia.

 

In some cases, social phobia may lead to excessive drinking, as some people with social phobia feel they need an alcoholic drink for 'dutch courage' before a social event.

 

Symptoms of phobias

 

  • Fast breathing (hyperventilation)
  • Palpitations - the sensation of feeling your heartbeat thumping in your chest
  • Muscle tension and pains
  • Sweating
  • Feeling faint
  • Numbness and 'pins and needles'
  • Dizziness
  • 'Churning' of your stomach

These sensations can be so unpleasant that you may change your behaviour to avoid coming into contact with your feared object or situation.

 

Treatment of phobias

 

The two most succesful methods of curing phobias known today are The NLP fast Phobia Cure, which was developed by the founders of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) these methods used together not only collapse the psychological effects of the phobia but also the psychological effects, in a safe and non obtrusive way, without medicines or the old methods of exposure, which can be very frightening for people. 

 

If you would like a free consultation on your specific phobia, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0161 442 1747, I really can help.