Many people are plagued by a phobia, some to the point where their fears obstruct their ability to live everyday lives. A phobia is an obsessive, intense, irrational fear focused on a specific thing, idea, or circumstance. Unlike other fears, phobias can cripple a person with overwhelming anxiety that triggers the fight or flight response to the perceived danger.

When people ask if hypnotherapy can help reduce response to a phobia, I say yes.

Through hypnotherapy, work can be accomplished to bring the brain’s safety alarm system back into a less sensitive position, reducing the fight or flight response to the perceived danger of the specific phobia. In short, because phobia is an irrational fear, we can bring the body and mind back into a more balanced position through hypnotherapy.

Why Phobias Occur

Phobias exist for various reasons and are the result of learned behavior. You are not born with a phobia; your mind and body learn to associate the object of your phobia with feelings of panic and anxiety. Unlike fear, a natural response caused by real danger, phobias are unnatural responses to something that poses little threat.

Phobias are sometimes caused by one traumatic event but can also formed from a series of experiences that trigger a panic response and adrenaline release in your body. You may not even be able to pinpoint when your phobia began, which is why hypnotherapy is a helpful treatment method.

How Hypnotherapy Treats Phobias

By accessing the underlying cause of your phobia, hypnotherapy works to eliminate your conditioned response to that stimulus. My initial goal as a hypnotherapist is to discover the initial event where your phobia developed and work from that point forward.

Often, our brains repress traumatic memories to protect us from harm. In a session, you can safely access repressed trauma associated with your phobia and form a less fearful response through hypnotherapeutic methods.

Response To Phobias

Phobias cause a range of responses that limit the lives of those who suffer from
irrational fear. Your phobia may be causing you:

• Life-limiting fear
• Severe anxiety
• Isolation
• Embarrassment
• Feelings of helplessness

After years of successfully treating people with phobias, I have seen the positive results of hypnotherapeutic methods in their lives. If your phobia negatively affects how you live your life, hypnotherapy can help you gain control of your fear and live with less anxiety.