What is Phobia

Phobia Therapy is used to treat Phobias and these can be described as fear of something that causes Anxiety and fear in an individual. Everyone in this world has a fear of something, but if these fears exceed a limit, they negatively impact our lives and cause Anxiety, which is when you need counselling and therapy treatment. 

It is a state of mind in which individuals can go to any extent to avoid the things or situations they fear. These people may not come across things they fear often, and it does not impact their everyday lives. However, some phobias, such as Agoraphobia, can cause complex issues in an individual life. 

Causes of Phobia

There is no one single cause of Phobia, and there are multiple factors associated with it, such as:

• Phobia can be associated with Trauma and accident.
• Phobia might be a result of learned responses from siblings or family members.
• Genetics play an integral role in causing Phobias. It has been proved by Researches that some people inherit an inborn tendency to be more anxious than others. 

Signs and Symptoms of Phobia 

Phobia is an Anxiety Disorder, and the symptoms of Phobia are only visible when a person comes across the thing or situation he fears. In severe cases, it is also possible that only thinking about the source of Phobia causes Anxiety and Panic in the individual. 

The most common symptoms are 

• Dizziness, Unsteadiness and lightheadedness 
• Feeling Nauseated 
• Sweating 
• Fast Heartbeat 
• Unusual Breathing 
• Shaking and Trembling
• Stomach Issues 

Diagnosing Phobias

Phobias are not diagnosed formally, as people are mostly aware of their problems. Commonly, people choose to live with that fear. They try to avoid the situation and object they are afraid of. Continuous avoiding the problem may create a worse situation. Hence, it is recommended to consult the Counsellor and Therapist immediately in order to seek help. 

Types of Phobias

There are a number of Objects that can cause fear in people, but mainly Phobias are divided into two main categories: 

• Specific or simple phobias
• Complex phobias

Specific or Simple Phobias

Simple Phobias are the fears that revolve around certain objects, situations, activities or animals. These phobias are developed during adolescence or childhood in most cases, and gradually, their intensity increases as time passes. 

Complex Phobias

These Phobias are more intense and cause disability as compared to the simple Phobias. These types of Phobias are developed due to some internal fear and are about some particular situation or circumstances of something. 

The two most common examples of these Phobias are 

• Agoraphobia
• Social anxiety disorder (social Phobia)

Agoraphobia 

It is a fear of open spaces, but it has more complex dimensions, such as a person might feel fearful about getting stuck in a panic situation and not being able to escape from the situation. It results in a person being fearful about 

• Loneliness 
• Going into busy places like restaurants and markets
• Travelling alone ( Airplanes and Buses) 

Social Phobia

Fear caused by Social Situations is known as Social Phobia, and it is also known as Social Anxiety Order. This fear causes people not to talk in public as they fear they might get insulted or embarrass themselves. It causes hindrances in day-to-day activities, and a person is unable to carry out basic social interaction with people around him. 

Common Phobias

There are hundreds of phobias that cause fear and Anxiety among people. Below are listed some of the Phobias 

Fear of Heights – Acrophobia

Fear of Abandonment – Autophobia

Fear of Death – Thanatophobia

Fear of Snakes – Ophidiphobia

Fear of Failure – Atychiphobia

Fear of Crowded or Open Spaces – Agoraphobia

Fear of Commitment – Gamophobia

Fear of Thunder and Lightning – Astraphobia

Fear of Water-Aquaphobia

Fear of Dogs – Cynophobia

Fear of Social Situations – Social Phobia

Fear of Spiders – Arachnophobia

Phobia Therapy

The right Therapy for the Phobia depends and varies in each case, but the most commonly used therapies are stated below:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is an effective strategy that shows a path to remove your fears. Moreover, it guides how to define your problems. Commonly, people fear something because of their pre-assumptions and their own self-made ideas. CBT helps to restructure the thoughts by replacing these thoughts with a positive thinking pattern. It ultimately leads to positive thinking and behaviour. 

Integrative Psychotherapy for Phobias

Integrative Psychotherapy is an effective technique used to treat Phobia as it addresses the reason behind the occurrence of Phobia and focuses on the Past event, which is lacking in CBT. Hence, Integrative fills the gap of CBT, where past events and experiences are not considered. It enables the individuals to understand the impact of past events in their lives and how these events can exacerbate the symptoms of Phobia. 

Integrative Therapy further helps to identify the triggers of the Phobia and to develop the strategies that can prevent the occurrence of Phobia in future. 

 Exposure Therapy

This Therapy helps people to become insensitive towards their fears. It is a measured approach and works slowly. It slowly exposes the individual to the object of fear in a controlled environment, and it is repeated several times until the fear diminishes slowly. It trains the mind not to show any reaction and Panic to the objects of their fear. 

Medication for Phobias

Medication can also be effective while treating Phobia as it makes a person feel less anxious and improves coping skills. A person must be given these medications for a short period of time, so he might not get used to them. Anxiety must be treated with alternative therapies instead of medicines. These therapies include Meditation, Relaxation and Sleep Therapy.

Benefits of Phobia Counselling

Living in fear is not the right way of living a life and leads to more fear. Counselling and therapies help to face the fear and effectively overcome these fears. 

• During Counselling and therapy sessions, people are able to identify the underlying causes of their fears and the sources that trigger the fears. 
• People can learn how feelings, thoughts and certain behaviours can contribute to causing fear and how to handle it technically. If an individual learns how to handle these fears, he is able to live free of fear and have more control over his life. 
• Techniques can be learned to relax and soothe the mind and body. These techniques further help to remove Panic and Anxiety. 
• A person is able to understand his feelings and feel stronger, which leads to enhancing his confidence. He is able to live a relaxed and fearless life. 

How to help people with Phobias and Anxiety 

People don’t talk about their problems regarding fear and Phobias, even with their close friends and family. But these people can be easily identified as they look pale and get startled by small noises. As they are unable to describe their feelings they easily get irritated. 

In cases when the family knows about the Phobia and can understand the Anxiety of a person, it still becomes difficult to live with such people as these fears and reactions seem inappropriate and unreasonable. It is recommended to talk about the problems with whom you trust.

It will help more if a person is a good listener, as it makes communication effective and easy. Moreover, it can open up the discussion, and one might find out the opinions of other people facing the same problem. 

Self Help Groups

These groups provide an opportunity to get along with the people facing the same problems. It is easy to communicate and make people understand your point of view as they are going through the same problem. 

Book Recommended for Phobias

Seek Help

In order to live a stress free life it is important to come out of fears and face them, and to help with that we are here to help you. Please feel free to contact us now and get connected with Seekapsych best therapists and Counsellers.

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