Coping with phobias

Phobias are irrational fears that can often have a significant impact on the way we live our lives. Common phobias include:

• Fear of flying
• Fear of the Dentist/Doctor
• Fear of spiders, snakes, rats etc
• Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces)
• Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces)
• Fear of heights
• Fear of public speaking
• Fear of needles
• Fear of vomiting

However, there are a multitude of other phobias that vary in severity. All phobias cause individuals to react in different ways. Therefore, the impact on their lives may be mild, moderate or severe. This may affect daily living, social situations, work and relationships.

Phobias can often be unintentionally learned or brought on by some form of trauma. Hypnosis is a beneficial way of alleviating phobic symptoms by encouraging new behaviour patterns and discarding old ones. Depending on the intensity of the phobia, this can usually be dealt with remarkably quickly.