Phobias are a lot more common that you may realise. In fact, its estimated that more than 11% of the population have some kind of irrational fear and most people who do, find it difficult to understand why. Even though they know their fear is completely irrational, unrealistic or exaggerated and it is not life threatening, their mind and body still react negatively.
The physical response which our bodies experience as a result of exposure to fear is known as the 'fight or flight' mode. This stress response is the body’s natural reaction to extreme danger or threat and it causes symptoms which can be very frightening in themselves, such as palpitations, shallow breathing, increased heart rate, tightness in the chest, nausea, muscle tension, obsessive thinking, distorted vision etc.
An irrational fear most commonly stems from a learned behaviour, which was established during childhood, perhaps as a result of a traumatic event, like being trapped in a lift or chased by an animal. Alternatively, it can be a result of transference of a fear from a parent or carer. Examples of this could be a child noticing their parent has fear of spiders and consequently seeing them as a threat themselves,
which over time becomes a reinforced message, increases in extremity until it becomes a phobia. Many people who have a phobia will do anything to avoid situations which lead them to whatever their fear may be and this can have a big impact on their quality of life.
Hypnotherapy is a safe and natural way of treating phobias and most people even find the experience relaxing and enjoyable!
So how are phobias treated by a hypnotherapist?
This very much depends of whether the initial cause of the fear is known and how receptive the individual is to change but there are many different techniques, which a good hypnotherapist will have access to and be able to apply, according to their clients' individual needs. Phobias develop at a subconscious level and so whatever technique is used the aim of hypnotherapy, is to communicate with the subconscious mind and change the way the fear is perceived and its behavioural response to it.
How many sessions will this take?
The success rate for treating phobias with hypnotherapy is high, although the number of sessions needed vary from person to person, simply because we are all different and respond to things in different ways. As a general guide though it is possible to achieve results in 2–4 sessions. This would be a small price to pay in order to gain freedom for something which is negatively controlling an aspect of your life and possibly holding you back from making the most of it!
What next?
If this article resonates with you, then I can help you to begin taking back control from your fear. Book a free initial consultation now at www.asensetherapy.co.uk