Phobias

Pretty much everyone experiences things that give them "the shivers", or that they really don't like. But some people have Phobias. A phobia is an extreme, unpleasant feeling, fear or reaction, which is totally and inexplicably out of proportion to the object or event about which they are phobic. There are the classic phobias like spiders and flying, enclosed spaces and open spaces, cats, dogs and pretty much any animal under the sun. People are also afraid of such diverse things as buttons, flashlights, darkness, naked people(!), crowds, depths, light. In fact, you try and guess something and the chances are that somebody, somewhere, has a phobia about it. There is nothing strange about your particular fear. There are lists of phobias and their technical names available on the internet.

Phobias can be merely an inconvenience, or can ruin someone's life. It really depends on whether your object of fear is something that you come across in your daily life or not. Obviously a fear of the outdoors or open spaces can be extremely debilitating in any of its forms. But you may get away with a fear of snakes most of the time, (especially if you live in Ireland!) If you have a phobia it is a very real fear to you. But, the good news is that it can be treated and sometimes in a matter of minutes! It doesn't matter for how long you've had it, or how extreme or rare it is. Often a phobia can be cured in one session using Hypnosis. (Some cases may require two or three sessions). The results are instant and spectacular.

Below are the five main causes of this phenomenon. Phobias can be produced as.... 

1. the product of severe stress.
2. the product of a series of experiences which have built up
into an excessive anxiety
3. the product of a fear of fear itself.
4. a fear transmitted to them by another person.
5. the result of a severe past trauma

Number five is the one most people think of when they think of phobias and is probably the most common. Number four would be common too, where fearless children learn to be afraid of certain things, (thunder, for example), from an adult or another child who fears it.