Phobias are when we have a persistent and excessive fear of either a situation or a particular object. When exposed to that fear it will trigger a Fight Flight or Freeze response most commonly resulting in symptoms of a panic attack. Phobias can be massively debilitating, impacting our daily lives.
I had ‘Helminthophobia’ (fear of worms) for 40 years until I underwent hypnotherapy during my own training. I couldn’t believe the difference that it made for me. My love of gardening regularly exposed me to these previously scary but useful pink wrigglers, and it was not uncommon for me to do my gardening in welly boots, standing in cardboard boxes with a newspaper path across the grass!! I can happily say that I now step freely onto my lawn without a worm even crossing my mind. It has been extraordinarily life changing for me.
Fears and Phobia sessions are the only time in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy that you will be asked to recall a memory from the past. In these sessions we will rewind and break up some memories of your phobia and the resulting learned patterns of behaviour resulting from the primitive response of your mind. Next we will create a reframe of these memories establishing how you want to feel and behave when you are exposed to the offending situation or object.
Occasionally people requesting help with a fear or phobia will also have a lot of stress and anxiety. When our minds are so burdened it is advisable to have general hypnotherapy sessions first to ensure your goal is more likely to be achieved. In some cases, when you regain mindful control the fear or phobia may no longer be an issue and further sessions not necessary.