Fears and Phobia - Pat Harland MIAPH - Hereford, Herefordshire

There is a distinct difference between a fear of something and a full blown phobia.
Some examples of a person experiencing fear:

• Perhaps a mild churning of the stomach when standing up high but it doesn’t stop you from doing it.
• A slight apprehension when a wasp or bee flies close to you.
• A slightly panicky feeling when a big dog is nearby.

Some examples of a person experiencing a phobia:

• Shortness of breath accompanied by sweating and shaking at the mere thought that a spider may be present.  (Arachnophobia) Checking rooms etc before entering just in case.
• An inability to move (rooted to the spot) at the thought of having to climb up something or stand on a precipice or ladder. (Acrophobia)
• Having a panic attack when enclosed in a small space (Claustrophobia), unable to use lifts etc.
• Hyperventilating, shaking, screaming when in a large crowd (Agoraphobia), sufferers’ sometimes becoming house bound.
• Extremely anxious  and unable to cope around people who may be vomiting or will go to any length to avoid vomiting themselves (Emetophobia).

A fear is to be afraid of something or afraid to do something but it wouldn’t necessarily stop you from doing it.

A phobia is so all consuming that it will stop you from doing something or cause you to have self imposed restrictions on a normal everyday activity.  It is extreme, irrational fear of some specific object or situation.  The person can see that the fear is irrational and the object of the fear is harmless but the fear is experienced anyway.  Trying to avoid the situation or object becomes paramount and interferes with the person’s normal functioning.

How do we deal with fears and phobias?

Very mild fears can be helped with suggestion therapy providing there are no other issues or problems that you need to address.  Suggestion therapy is the use of positively phrased suggestions whilst in the state of hypnosis.  The subconscious mind will absorb these phrases and you will act upon them because they are for your own benefit (it is impossible to make someone do something against their will or morals/ethics whilst in hypnosis).

Phobias can be successfully treated with Pure Hypnoanalysis and are a direct symptom of internal anxiety or repressed (bottled up) emotions.  These emotions have been trapped in the subconscious mind for many years and the sufferer may be completely consciously unaware of them or their cause.  Pure Hypnoanalysis takes a few short weeks to complete and is a talking therapy, again using the power of the subconscious mind to assist you.  The aim of the therapy is to release these bottled up emotions and once released they cannot be repressed or bottled up again.

When we have discovered the root cause of the anxiety the symptom (phobia) is left with no fuel and disappears when therapy is complete.