Fears & Phobias
(Reading time: 6 min)
Do you suffer from a fear or phobia or do you have a friend or family member who does? The list of phobias is long. Some of them are quite common, such as the fear of flying (aerophobia) or the fear of heights (acrophobia). However, there are also some rare fears and phobias, such as the fear of birds (ornithophobia) or the fear of driving (vehophobia).
Let us have a closer look what a phobia actually is.
DEFINITION OF PHOBIAS
A phobia is defined as an irrational fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation. It lasts for a prolonged time, typically for 6 months or more. The reaction to the object and situation is out of proportion to the actual danger. As a result, affected people usually actively avoid the situation or object. When faced with the object or situation they suffer from intense fear or anxiety (e.g. panic attacks), often also resulting in significant physical effects. In some cases, even thinking about the object or situation can cause fear or anxiety.
The most common symptoms of phobias are:
- shortness of breath
- nausea
- dizziness and lightheadedness
- difficult and rapid breathing
- racing heart rate
- sweating
An important question to ask is: How does the phobia affect your life? If it has only a minor effect it is not a big deal and you can probably live with it. However, if the object or situation causing the phobia, or often also the avoidance of it, result in significant distress and considerably impacts your social and occupational life, I would advise to seek professional help. You do not have to live with this situation.
TYPES OF PHOBIAS
There are numerous phobias and I would like to give you an overview as their root courses are often quite different.
Fears of particular objects
These are for example fears of:
- animals such as dogs, spiders, snakes, insects
- needles or other medical procedures
- blood, germs, dirt
The fears of objects are often the result of a childhood experience in relation to the feared object. Usually your mind formed a belief, that this particular object, poses a danger. Your mind formed this belief because something happened. For example you were bitten by a dog, stung by a bee or you saw a scary movie with spiders.
Then you grew up and forgot all about the incident. However, your subconscious mind kept track of it and of the belief that was formed about the incident. When you come into contact with that particular object again, your mind associates it with danger. As a result it wants to move you out of it. So with the intent of moving you away from pain and protecting you, your mind does everything to avoid another close encounter with a dog for example. In order to do that it creates an irrational fear of dogs.
An RTT™ Therapy is a great tool to get back to the root cause, the initial incident, where you formed the belief that spiders are scary, for example. RTT is able to give you an understanding, to resolve the root cause and implement a more useful and realistic belief.
Fears of particular situations
Then there are phobias that relate to certain situations. Examples are:
- Phobias of certain situations in the natural environment, such as fear of water, storms, lightning, earthquakes. Similar to the fear of objects, usually an event in the past has led to the belief that these environments or their equivalents pose a danger.
- Another group are the phobias in relation to other environments. These are the fear of flying, driving, elevators, enclosed places, hospitals, shopping centers or public transport.
The reasons for such fears can be manifold but again they often have in common that they relate to an event in the past where a negative belief about a certain environment was formed. For example, the fear of flying could be due to a fear of confined spaces or a loss of control. Maybe your siblings locked you in a wardrobe as a child and you were left in terror. Again, you might not remember but your subconscious mind does, and it kept that belief that confined spaces are scary. Now, every time you are in a confined space without the ability to escape, which flying on a plane certainly is, you feel fearful.
Your child’s mind formed the belief that a particular situation is dangerous and this belief has been carried forward into your adult life. Of course, with the knowledge of an adult you would assess these incidents in a different light today and give them a different meaning. The problem is, you do not remember the incidents, so it is very difficult to resolve your fear.
Here an RTT Therapy is of huge help as it is working with the subconscious mind in a state of relaxation. It can reveal these past experiences, release them and install more helpful and appropriate beliefs. Furthermore, an RTT™ Therapy can establish an indifference to the particular object or situation.
AGORAPHOBIA
I would like to mention Agoraphobia in this context. It is an anxiety disorder and occurs if the person feels unsafe in a particular environment or perceives that an escape from this environment is difficult. Agoraphobia often results in a panic attack. Examples are using public transport, shopping in a shopping center or being outside the home.
The causes of agoraphobia are often very complex. In many cases it develops as a result of a panic disorder. So if someone had a panic attack in a certain environment before they therefore fear the repetition of the situation in that environment.
The implications for people suffering from agoraphobia are significant and impact every area of their lives, leading to significant changes in behavior (avoidance). Here an RTT™ Therapy is a particularly helpful tool to get to the root of the issue. An RTT™ Therapy can help to resolve it and to re-establish a sense of inner balance, calm and safety. The individual hypnotic recording, which is part of every RTT™ therapy, reinforces this sense of calm and centeredness.
SOCIAL PHOBIAS
And finally, there are the social Phobias, also known as Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) or social anxiety where a person has an overwhelming fear of social situations. In particular, it is an intense fear of being watched, judged, criticized or rejected by others or being embarrassed in front of others. Social phobias usually result in the avoidance of social situations or if they cannot be avoided the experience of severe anxiety and distress. Again, the implications on the person’s life are significant as it cab affect every area.
Also for social phobias an RTT™ Therapy is an unique and powerful tool to get to the root of the issue and to resolve it. Furthermore, RTT™ can wire in self-love, confidence and self-esteem.
If a phobia affects your life, realize that you do not have to live with it. Book your free discovery call today to find out how an RTT Therapy can help you.