What is a phobia?
A phobia is an intense, irrational fear, usually of something
that is not really dangerous. We can
develop a phobia of almost anything – flying, cats, earthworms, needles, blood,
vomiting – anything at all. The p
erson
suffering from it knows it’s irrational, but cannot control his or her fear
reaction.
Often friends and relatives make matters worse, by laughing,
or by implying that the fear is ‘stupid,’ and that the sufferer should just
talk him/herself out of it. If only it
were that simple! The whole problem is that the fear does not follow the rules
of logic, and does not readily respond to everyday logic and reason.
Often phobias develop in childhood, but can also develop in
adults. Severe phobias can reduce the
sufferer to an overwhelming, uncontrollable state of abject terror. There is nothing even remotely funny or
stupid about that. As a child, I was
terrified of cobwebs, and I can still remember my panic-stricken reaction when
my brothers thought it funny to chase me with a big black cobweb, taken from
the coal shed, and wound round the end of a stick.
Some phobias
cause relatively little difficulty. For
example, if you have a fear of snakes, and you never travel out of New Zealand,
then the phobia is not really going to impact on your life. It is the intense, crippling phobias that do
affect your everyday life that are of concern.
What is the
difference between an ordinary fear and a phobia?
It is normal
and necessary to have a fear response to certain things. At times a healthy fear can save our
lives. For example, if you were about to
get on a plane and you saw the pilot staggering around drunk, the ground crew
kicking the tyres and bits dropping off the wing, then it would be reasonable
(and sensible) to feel reluctant to board!
But if your stomach is in knots for days before the flight, if you
experience a feeling of panic as the taxi drops you off at the terminal, and
you are a quivering wreck by the time you’ve checked in, then what you’re
experiencing is more than a normal fear. Any fear that impacts on your life to the
extent that you avoid normal activities is classed as a phobia. For example,
you walk up fifteen floors, rather than take the lift; you drive 10km out of
your way to avoid a high bridge; you take risks with your health to avoid a
blood test.
When to seek help
The good news is that phobias are highly treatable, however
out of control they make you feel.
Recognising and understanding the phobia is the first step to overcoming
it, and it also helps to remember that you’re not alone. Phobias, from mild to severe, are very, very
common. They afflict people of all ages
and from all walks of life.
If your phobia is affecting the way you live, spoiling your
enjoyment of life, or impacting on your family and friends, it is time to seek
help.
Clinical hypnotherapy gives excellent, lasting results in a
relatively short time – often in as few as four or five sessions. We have numerous techniques at our disposal.
What to expect when you go for treatment
Hypnotherapy is not something that is done to you. It is something that you do for yourself,
with help from the therapist. It is
important that you come to hypnotherapy with an open mind, with a clear goal
and with a genuine intention to achieve it. In the first session, your
hypnotherapist will want to get to know you, find out about your phobia, talk
to you about things you may so far have tried and outline a proposed treatment
plan. You will go into a light
trance. The purpose of this will be to
strengthen your confidence in yourself, and in your ability to resolve your
problem.
It is important to remember that you are in control the whole
time. When you are in trance, it is your
trance, and if you should feel at all uncomfortable, you can come out of it any
time you choose. Most people find it so
relaxing and pleasant that they just want to stay there! You will NOT lose consciousness, and you will
remain fully aware of where you are and what is happening. It will feel like a very deep relaxation,
allowing you to let go of tension.
You may be given a task to do, and be asked to bring it to
the next session. For example, you may be asked to write down all the things
you will be able to do more confidently, once you have dealt with the phobia.
In the next and subsequent sessions you will be able to relax
and go into trance much more quickly and much more deeply, and you will
experience measurable progress. You are
still in control, and you’re not going to be forced to do anything that you
don’t want to do.
If your phobia stems from childhood, and you need to regress
to that time, this will not usually happen until session two or three, by which
time you will have considerably more control over your phobia as it is at
present.
At some time during your therapy you will be taught the
skills of self-hypnosis. This will give
you a powerful tool that you can use at any time, even if you just want to
deeply relax from the ordinary stresses of life.
If you’re ready to say goodbye to the stress of unreasonable
fear, or if you would like more information, please be encouraged to contact
me. I’m here to help.
Norma, Dip.CAH; B.Ed; Dip. Tchg.
Thames Hypnotherapy and Reiki
Ph 07 868 8944 Mobile 027 242 9230
e.mail: [email protected]
