A phobia is an extreme fear of something that is not actually dangerous. The sufferer usually realises their fear is irrational, and will typically say 'I know it's silly, but...' They are well aware that there is no basis for such a crippling fear and yet it persists, unrelenting in its grip on the sufferer. This is because a phobia is an external symbolic interpretation of an internal anxiety. The internal anxiety is trapped within the unconscious mind of the sufferer. In many cases the continuation of the fear is not about the initial event or thing but becomes the 'fear of the fear' . In other words we anticipate the fear the minute we think about the trigger and this in itself can produce the phobic reaction.

There are two main types of phobia:

Simple phobias: Traceable back to a singular event. Everyone, especially as children has at some time in their lives felt fearful of certain situations. Common phobias include fear of heights, fear of flying, fear of spiders, fear of dogs, fear of the dentist, fear of thunderstorms and many more. In some children the fear response becomes habitual and may be the result of seeing a parent react fearfully.

Specific phobias: As an associated symptom of one or more unresolved issues, such as a fear of open spaces - Agoraphobia, or a fear of social situations - Social Phobia.

How hypnotherapy can help

Hypnotherapy, particularly when combined with NLP is well known as a very effective method of helping people to overcome phobias. Hypnotherapy deals with the problem by helping the sufferer to "unlearn" the fear response. By learning how to respond more calmly the sufferer learns to cope with the symptoms. In hypnosis, the unconscious mind learns to view the feared situation from a more rational perspective. Self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques are taught to enable the sufferer to use these skills to help them cope with anxiety. Some phobias can be overcome in just a few sessions of therapy.

There is now no need to live with a phobia. Regain control of your emotions and conquer your fear.