Fear & Phobias

What is Fear?

Fear exists for a reason, it is a natural response to danger, there to keep us safe and protect us.  It can be a healthy warning as it alerts to us to be wary and take care.  Fear is an unpleasant emotional response that triggers the automatic ‘Fight or Flight’ reaction in the body, changing chemicals and behaviour, preparing the body to face the situation (fight) or run away (flight).  Interestingly, the mind does not differentiate between a real or imagined threat, both would cause the same chemical reaction.

As with all emotions, fear can range from a mild to an intense feeling, depending on the situation and the individual. This feeling can be momentary or linger for a while until the brain receives a message that it is all safe.

Where does Fear come from?

We are only born with two fears; the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises.  All other fears have been learned from experience, verbal warnings from others and from our own observations. This could even be from watching a film or television programme, we are still observing and perceiving reactions.
These learned responses are stored in the unconscious mind.
Most fears have been learned from our childhood because as children we are still discovering and experiencing new and unfamiliar things. Our parents protect us and are quick to warn us of any danger. Their reaction, becomes our reaction. If they display fear and panic, then we learn to respond the same way to a situation and these feelings of fear will resurface.
 As we mature we learn that not all things are fearful to us as adults as they were when we were young.  A child that was once afraid of the dark, will not necessarily be afraid as an adult.  Over time we have gradually faced the fear and overcome it. As adults, it is easier to be able to make a calculated risk assessment of things and situations.
Sometimes fears can be hidden. They can be an unconscious reaction to something and cause a person to act in a negative way. An example would be if a person was fearful of being hurt, undoubtedly a learned reaction from a past experience, they may not allow people to get close. It may be noticeable that their behavior pushes others away. Hypnotherapy helps to discover the root of the problem and deal with it from the cause. Often people unconsciously carry with them ‘baggage‘ for years before they realise they extent of the problem and how much it has hindered them.

What is Phobia?

A phobia is an excessive fear of a certain object, place or situation, such as dogs, lifts, heights etc. It is the intensive feeling of fear of something that does not actually poise as a genuine threat to our survival. The sufferer will go to great lengths to avoid it, changing their life to manage it.   Nearly 15-20% of the population will experience a phobia during their lifetime at least once. There are over 500 known phobias and although the sufferer knows that the fear is irrational, it will always cause them heightened anxiety.

Common Types of Phobias

The are two main types of Phobias; Simple phobias and Social phobias.

Simple phobia – this is then broken down again into 5 main categories;

  • Animal & Insect Phobias – fear of dogs, spiders, frogs, snakes etc.
  • Natural Environment Phobias – fear of the dark, lightening, height, water etc.
  • Situation Phobias – fear of lifts, flying, driving, enclosed spaces, open spaces, tunnels etc.
  • Blood, Injection, and Injury Phobias – fear of pain, needles, illness, blood or medical procedures.
  • Miscellaneous Phobias (everything else) – fear of clowns, getting a disease etc.

Social phobia – (Social anxiety) is the fear of social situations such as public speaking, social contact and eating in front of others.

Where do they come from?

As with fear, we are not born with a phobia. They can develop from a number of ways.

  • Stress – An experience of stress. These feeling of anxiety or fear can attach to what you are stressed about or a similar situation.
  • Past event – A painful experience in the past can lead to the development of a phobia of the same situation, object or place that initially caused the fear.
  • Someone else – An observation of someone else’s phobic reaction can become our learned behaviour.
  • Series of experiences – Repeat exposure to something that causes you mild anxiety can build up and create a phobia of the specific situation, object or place.