Phobias

For someone living with a phobia of some kind, the continual use of avoidance techniques only serves to reinforce the issue and can, in certain circumstances, become a barrier to leading a normal life e.g. avoiding certain modes of transport or social gatherings.

If you have a phobia, it can feel like it is preventing you from enjoying certain aspects of your life, and that you’re constantly worried that you will find yourself in a situation where the phobia is going to rear its ugly head and cause you distress.

It’s very easy to slip into the frame of mind that says “I can’t travel by air or be on a crowded train, (or whatever the phobia may be), because I have a phobia, so I’ll avoid the whole thing”. Thinking this way can have a big impact on your life because it will restrict the activities you feel confident in doing with the result that you may miss out on opportunities like holidays, social occasions etc.

Despite how deep rooted the phobia appears to be, it really can be eradicated or the impact of it reduced to a comfortable level by hypnotherapy.

Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy is particularly effective in treating phobias because you  will discuss in detail the factors that bring about and maintain the phobia, analyse why they have the effect they do and establish a coping strategy (rather than an avoidance strategy).

There will be a considerable amount of discussion before any hypnosis takes place (which in itself can help,) because it is very important to understand what triggers the phobia, how long you have suffered with it, how you cope with it at the moment etc.

The coping strategy will be tailored to your specific situation and then, under hypnosis, the previous negative, fearful thoughts will be replaced by more realistic, rational and positive thoughts. You’ll be guided through the imagined experience (flying, public speaking etc.) but you will be looking at it in a different, positive way whilst in a calm, relaxed and receptive state.
So, instead of worrying about finding yourself in a situation that will cause you distress and make you very anxious, you will, with the aid of hypnotherapy, see that there really is nothing to fear, and that the situation in many instances can actually be enjoyed. Many thousands of people have overcome their phobias by using hypnotherapy. It’s not a question of blocking out the fear, it’s more a matter of coming to understand the thoughts that fuel the phobia, subjecting them to analysis and establishing why it is that they are affecting you the way they do. Once we’ve done that it’s just a matter of agreeing a plan of action using hypnotherapy and putting it into effect.