Help to overcome Fears or Phobias using Hypnotherapy, Counselling, CBT or EMDR in Hampshire
Help with Fears and Phobias using Hypnotherapy, Counselling, CBT or EMDR in Fareham
What’s the difference between a fear and a phobia?
The main difference is in the severity of the emotional reaction: a strong dislike of flying which can be controlled by the individual is a fear, whereas a pathological fear, where the feeling is an intense, uncontrollable, unendurable, physical fear is considered to be a phobia.
Some phobias are a form of Specific Anxiety and are created in order to reduce very high levels of anxiety. For example, the phobia is related to one specific object or situation, i.e. spiders or heights. Other phobias are of a more generalised nature i.e social phobia or claustrophobia.
Some phobias occur as a result of an unpleasant experience that a person has experienced i.e if a child was attacked by a dog. It is possible, though not necessarily inevitable, that this child may grow up to be an adult who is extremely frightened of dogs to the extent that they cannot be near one without experiencing strong anxiety or even panic. Such a phobia serves a purpose, in the same way a fear of fire or drowning might
How Can Hypnotherapy Help With Fears and Phobias?
Hypnotherapy can be a powerful tool for addressing fears and phobias by targeting the root causes and changing the way individuals respond to anxiety-provoking situations. Here are some key ways it helps:
Deep Relaxation: Hypnotherapy induces a state of deep relaxation, reducing overall anxiety levels and promoting a sense of calm.
Reframing Negative Associations: Through suggestion and visualisation, hypnotherapy helps individuals reframe their thoughts about the feared object or situation, replacing negative associations with positive ones.
Desensitisation: Gradual exposure to the fear in a controlled, relaxed state allows clients to desensitize to the triggers, reducing their fear response over time.
Identifying Root Causes: Hypnotherapy can help uncover and address underlying issues or past experiences contributing to the phobia.
Building Coping Strategies: Clients learn effective coping techniques to manage anxiety, empowering them to face their fears with confidence.
Overall, hypnotherapy provides a compassionate and effective approach to overcoming fears and phobias, fostering long-lasting change.
How Can Counselling Help With Fears and Phobias?
Counselling can be highly effective in addressing fears and phobias by providing support and strategies to manage anxiety. Here are some key ways it helps:
Identifying Triggers: Counsellors work with individuals to identify specific triggers and understand the underlying causes of their fears, enabling a clearer path to addressing them.
Cognitive Restructuring: Through techniques like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), counsellors help clients reframe negative thoughts and beliefs associated with their phobias, reducing anxiety.
Exposure Therapy: Gradual exposure to the feared object or situation, facilitated by a counsellor, helps desensitise individuals and lessen their fear response over time.
Emotional Regulation: Counselling teaches skills for managing emotions, such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and breathing exercises, helping clients cope with anxiety in the moment.
Building Confidence: Counsellors provide a supportive environment where clients can practice facing their fears, helping to build self-efficacy and resilience.
Overall, counselling offers a structured approach to understanding and overcoming fears and phobias, promoting personal growth and emotional well-being.
How Can CBT Help With Fears and Phobias?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for fears and phobias, using structured techniques to help individuals manage and overcome their anxiety. Here’s how it works:
Identifying Negative Thoughts: CBT helps individuals recognise irrational or distorted thoughts associated with their fears, allowing them to understand how these beliefs contribute to their anxiety.
Cognitive Restructuring: Through guided discussions, clients learn to challenge and reframe negative thoughts, replacing them with more balanced, rational beliefs that reduce fear.
Exposure Therapy: CBT often includes gradual exposure to the feared object or situation in a controlled manner, helping individuals confront their fears step by step and reduce avoidance behaviours.
Developing Coping Strategies: Clients learn practical skills, such as relaxation techniques and problem-solving strategies, to manage anxiety when facing their fears.
Building Self-Efficacy: By successfully confronting fears in a supportive environment, individuals gain confidence in their ability to cope with anxiety, leading to lasting change.
Overall, CBT provides a structured, evidence-based approach to effectively address and overcome fears and phobias.
How Can EMDR Help With Fears and Phobias?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective therapy for treating fears and phobias, particularly those rooted in past traumatic experiences. Here’s how EMDR can help:
Processing Traumatic Memories: EMDR helps individuals process distressing memories related to their fears. By reprocessing these memories, clients can reduce the emotional charge associated with them.
Desensitisation: The therapy uses bilateral stimulation (often through guided eye movements) to help clients gradually desensitise to their phobias, making them less reactive to anxiety triggers.
Cognitive Restructuring: EMDR encourages clients to identify negative beliefs associated with their fears. Through the therapy, they can develop healthier, more positive beliefs, reducing the impact of fear.
Enhanced Coping Mechanisms: Clients learn to manage their anxiety better by incorporating coping strategies into their daily lives, enabling them to face feared situations more effectively.
Emotional Regulation: EMDR promotes emotional regulation, helping clients process and express their feelings about their fears in a safe environment.
Overall, EMDR offers a structured and supportive approach to help individuals overcome fears and phobias, leading to lasting emotional healing.
Counselling, CBT and Hypnotherapy in the comfort of your own home or in your workplace.
Some phobias are symbolic phobias and appear to make no sense at all.
However, there is no effect without a cause and all phobias serve the same purpose – the body’s attempt to save us from a potentially threatening situation. It can happen that if a child has a terrifying experience and is unable to deal with the emotions they simply “block out” the memory of the experience and the feelings that went with it. If this happens, the feelings and emotions of that experience remain. As there is nowhere for these feelings to go, they remain inside the person, sometimes dormant, for many years. When the person next experiences something that they find they are unable to deal with, this can awaken the original feeling of fear but not the memory of it. The psyche tries to make sense of the feelings and will project them outwards onto something, which in many cases, is totally unrelated to the original cause, in other words, it is a symbol of the emotion.
Most phobias are not directly related to the cause of the emotion, they are symbolic of it. The most obvious example is the fear of flying. There are 12 million people in the UK who have a fear of flying – approximately one in five people. Yet how many of these people have lived through a plane crash? The majority of these people will most likely be connecting the experience of flying with an unconscious fear of being out of control, which their subconscious mind symbolises and then projects onto the act of flying. Discover how our Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy can help you with your fear of flying (Coming in 2025).
Common Phobias and How Suggestion Therapy Can Help
Suggestion Therapy is highly effective in treating a variety of common phobias, including:
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces that can be so overwhelming that sufferers are unable to leave their homes for even short periods, effectively imprisoning themselves indoors.Coprophobia
This is the fear of anything related to faeces, including using public toilets, being overheard, or feeling dirty and unclean. People with coprophobia often avoid public restrooms, leading to physical issues such as constipation, piles, and other bowel disorders due to prolonged avoidance.Emetophobia
Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting, especially in public or in front of others. Sufferers tend to avoid places associated with eating, such as restaurants and pubs, and may become extremely cautious about their food and drink intake. This phobia is more common in women and can even lead to avoiding pregnancy due to fears of morning sickness.Shy Bladder Syndrome
Similar to coprophobia, this phobia involves a fear of urinating in public. It primarily affects men, as they are often required to urinate in front of others. Sufferers may avoid public toilets entirely, which can lead to physical problems like bladder infections.Aerophobia – Fear of Flying
Aerophobia is an intense fear of flying, often associated with claustrophobia and a lack of control. Despite knowing that flying is safe, sufferers experience overwhelming fear. Our innovative Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy can help you overcome this phobia.Social Phobia
Social phobia is the acute fear of being judged, ridiculed, or humiliated in public. Unlike general shyness or lack of confidence, social phobia can prevent sufferers from performing even basic tasks like eating, drinking, or using public toilets in the presence of others. Public speaking, maintaining eye contact, and facing criticism can feel impossible. This highly disabling phobia often leads to feelings of inferiority and physical symptoms like blushing or stuttering.
If you are suffering from a particular fear or phobia, or you’re experiencing panic attacks then pick up the phone today and call 0800 970 4776 to book your first Online or In-Person appointment and let us help you to start living the life you want and deserve.
