Freedom from Phobia

This is the first in a series of blog-posts in which I will briefly discuss and share how hypnotherapy can be beneficial in helping you to overcome a range of issues.

If you are suffering with a phobia, you don’t need to be silent. I can help.

Hypnotherapy can be used to re-frame unhelpful subconscious associations and to replace them with more helpful ones. We do this together by carefully and safely using imagery, metaphor, symbols and suggestions whilst you are in a state of deep relaxation and focused awareness.

In most cases, a phobia is a reaction to a situation, place, object or living thing. Whatever the cause, it leads to an anxiety reaction that can be quite extreme and can impact on our daily lives and routines. Phobias are often referred to as irrational fears. I can understand why but I really dislike the term. As someone who used to suffer from anxiety and panic myself I know that it doesn’t feel irrational! This also implies that somehow there must be something ‘wrong’ with you and the stigma can often make people embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it or seek help.

Do we judge people if they have a cold, cancer or a broken leg? Do we label them as a ‘cold’, ‘cancer’ or ‘broken leg’ person and interact with them differently? Of course not, and it should be the same with phobias (or any mental health issue to be honest). You are not a phobic person, you are not crazy or irrational – you are a person suffering with a phobia and it can be addressed!

Our subconscious mind is always acting in our best interests and will act to protect us from danger or threat. I talked about this in a previous blog when I outlined the ‘flight or fight response.’ Phobias arise when our subconscious makes some unhelpful associations in doing this. For example, I have had clients who have had bad experiences (a trigger event) that then leads to an anxiety attack whenever they are in that situation again. Sometimes we see something e.g. a dog barking aggressively and our subconscious will make the unhelpful association that all dogs are a threat to us.

Addressing these unhelpful associations is the key to release you from a phobia. As a client I worked with to address their driving phobia said to me, ‘I have choice and opportunity back in my life now’.

How empowering is that!