Phobias

Being fearful of a particular object or situation is completely natural. But sometimes these fears become much more intense, lasting for an extended period of time and causing significant stress and anxiety. These extreme fears are called phobias.

Do I have a phobia?

Experiencing extreme fear, anxiety or stress when faced with an object or situation of which you are afraid is the most obvious symptom of a phobia. But for some people, just the thought or mention of the thing they are afraid of can bring on the following phobia symptoms:

  • Feeling unsteady or faint
  • Sweating
  • A pounding heart or palpitations
  • Shaking
  • Hot or cold flushes
  • A fear of dying
  • Nausea

What causes my phobia?

Many people will know exactly why they started having a certain phobia, but for people that aren’t sure there are a number of factors that may be causes:

  • Traumatic experiences – especially experiences during childhood where you experienced intense fear
  • Learned responses – these are habits you picked up early in life from your parents or siblings
  • Responses to panic – the stronger your reaction to fear the more anxiety you will have about being in that situation again
  • Long-term stress – this can reduce your ability to cope in certain situations

How can therapy treat my phobia?

Therapy For You can offer you a range of interventions to help manage this type of problem depending on the severity of the problem. Our psychoeducational therapy courses can help you to identify connections between your thoughts and behaviour and develop practical ways to manage and overcome these connections, including exposure therapy.

The service has helped me immensely and got me feeling positive about myself again. Thank you.

David, 35

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