Phobia Therapy & Counselling in London
What is Phobia
Phobia Therapy is used to treat Phobias. These can be described as a fear of something that causes Anxiety and fear in an individual. Everyone has a fear of something, but when a fear exceeds its limit it starts to affect daily life and causes Anxiety. That’s the point at which you need counselling and therapy treatment.
Phobia is a state of mind. Individuals will go to any extent to avoid the things or situations they fear, and some people rarely meet the thing they dread, so it never disrupts their everyday lives. Other phobias behave differently. Agoraphobia, for instance, can cause complex issues in an individual life.
Causes of Phobia
There’s no single cause of Phobia. Several factors are 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. Researches have proved that some people inherit an inborn tendency to be more anxious than others.
Signs and Symptoms of Phobia
Phobia is an Anxiety Disorder. The symptoms of Phobia appear only when a person comes across the thing or situation he fears, and in severe cases even thinking about the source of Phobia can cause Anxiety and Panic in the individual.
These are the most common symptoms.
- Dizziness, Unsteadiness and lightheadedness
- Feeling Nauseated
- Sweating
- Fast Heartbeat
- Unusual Breathing
- Shaking and Trembling
- Stomach Issues
Diagnosing Phobias
Phobias aren’t diagnosed formally, because most people are aware of their own problem. Many choose to live with that fear, and they avoid the situation and the object they’re afraid of. Avoidance, though, usually makes things worse. Hence it’s recommended to consult the Counsellor and Therapist immediately in order to seek help.
Types of Phobias
Many objects can cause fear in people, but Phobias are mainly divided into two categories:
- Specific or simple phobias
- Complex phobias
Specific or Simple Phobias
Simple Phobias revolve around certain objects, situations, activities or animals. In most cases they develop during adolescence or childhood. Their intensity then increases gradually as time passes.
Complex Phobias
These Phobias are more intense, and they cause more disability than the simple Phobias. They grow out of some internal fear. They also attach to a particular situation or set of circumstances.
The two most common examples of these Phobias are
- Agoraphobia
- Social anxiety disorder (social Phobia)
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is a fear of open spaces, but it has more complex dimensions. A person may feel fearful about getting stuck in a panic situation and not being able to escape. This leaves the person 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. Social Phobia is also called Social Anxiety Order. The fear stops people from talking in public, because they worry they might get insulted or embarrass themselves. In day-to-day activities, it causes hindrances, 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. A few of them are listed below.
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 on the case, and it varies. 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. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy also guides you to define your problems. Most 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. Ultimately, it leads to positive thinking and behaviour.
Integrative Psychotherapy for Phobias
Integrative Psychotherapy is an effective technique used to treat Phobia. Addressing the reason behind the occurrence of Phobia, it focuses on the Past event, which is lacking in CBT. Hence, Integrative fills the gap of CBT, where past events and experiences aren’t considered. This therapy 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 also helps to identify the triggers of the Phobia. In future, it develops strategies that can prevent the occurrence of Phobia.
Exposure Therapy
This Therapy helps people to become insensitive towards their fears. It’s a measured approach. It works slowly. The individual is exposed to the object of fear in a controlled environment, and the exercise is repeated several times until the fear diminishes slowly. Exposure Therapy 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. Such medication makes a person feel less anxious and improves coping skills, but these medications must be given for a short period only, 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 isn’t the right way to live a life, and it 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. Yet these people can be identified easily. They look pale and get startled by small noises. Because they’re unable to describe their feelings, they get irritated easily.
Even when the family knows about the Phobia and can understand the Anxiety of a person, it still becomes difficult to live with such people. These fears and reactions seem inappropriate and unreasonable. Talking about the problems with whom you trust is recommended.
It’ll help more if a person is a good listener, as it makes communication effective and easy. Also, 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, and communication comes easily among people who share them. When they’re going through the same problem, it’s easier to make people understand your point of view.
Book Recommended for Phobias
Phobia Relief from Fear to Freedom
Author: Kalliope Barlis
Every one of us is born with some fear, and these phobias don’t let us live fearlessly. Hence, it’s important to get to grips with these fears and face them upfront. This book sets out several techniques derived from Neuro Linguistic Programming techniques to deal with Phobias, and they help you understand the fears and deal with them.
Seek Help
In order to live a stress free life it is important to come out of fears and face them. We are here to help with that. Please feel free to contact us now and get connected with Seekapsych best therapists and Counsellers.
