Anxiety Disorder
Phobias are a form of anxiety disorder and take the form of a powerful, often overwhelming, irrational fear. The fear response is very real but out of all proportion to the reality of the perceived threat. The sufferer is fully aware that the response is illogical but the bodily response is so strong that it inhibits the ability to exercise logical thought processes.
Most of us have some form of irrational fear, whether it be running away from wasps or refusing to stay in the same room as a spider, but when the response to the trigger becomes so great that it gets in the way of every day life or places the sufferer in actual physica danger, then it has become a phobia and needs to be dealt with. Clients with dog or wasp phobia have been known to run into traffic to escape or even leave small children unattended in order to escape.
Sometimes the phobia can be limited to a very specific situation, such as driving the car or even driving the car on a specific stretch of road. I have also encountered clients who have a fear of not being able to find a toilet when out and about which has no relation to their physical condition, but which stops them from living their lives fully.
The physical symptoms of a phobia may include the following:
Panic and intense fear
A rapid heart beat
Problems breathing
Trembling or shaking
Overwhelming desire to run away or frozen to the spot
Phobias are particularly responsive to a combination of hypnotherapy, NLP and EFT. Each client has a different response to the time frame varies. One session is often enough but it may take up to three.Some clients with very deep seated panic disorder who have been effectively disabled by the condition can take longer. With all helping therapies, the therapist works with the client's own desire to change. It is your will power, your own innate ability to take back control of your life, that will make the difference.
A recent example of a celebrity turning to hypnotherapy for help is Paul Daniels, the television host and magician. He suffers from claustrophobia and has been helped by hypnosis.
Link to story re Paul Daniels
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