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Fears and phobias - why put up with them?

People with phobias are often overwhelmed by a feeling of anxiety on encountering the phobic trigger (such as a spider).

Avoidance and anticipation
Because of the intensity of the phobic feelings, the sufferer will often go to extreme lengths to avoid the trigger situation. This itself can develop into more fears; the anticipation of the trigger situation and all the avoidance strategies can start the fear well before any phobic situation may develop. This leads to a restriction of normal activities.

“But it’s harmless”
Often family or friends are unsympathetic, mildly amused or sometimes even cruel in their non-understanding of the affect that a phobia can have. The more everyday and common that the phobic trigger is (such as a moth or a kitten), the greater the non-understanding, with a typical comments “But it’s harmless!”. The phobic normally fully knows it’s harmless and understands that the behaviour is irrational, but the whole point is that they can’t seem to stop it. What the non-sufferer often fails to grasp is that the fear is real!

The Old English noun for fear meant ‘danger’. Fear and anxiety are really the same, but we tend to think of fear as a more immediate emotional response to danger, and anxiety as being troubled about something that’s not obvious or is ‘uncertain’. A phobia is a kind of fear that goes beyond the needs of the situation, is beyond voluntary control and often leads to avoidance of the situation.

People have phobias about almost anything, but some are more common than others (email me if yours is not listed here and I’ll look its name up for you):

ANIMALS- Zoophobia,    BEES- Apiphobia or Melissophobia,    
BIRDS-Ornithophobia,  BRIDGES (or crossing)- Gephyrophobia,
BURIED ALIVE- Taphephobia or Taphophobia,   CANCER- Cancerophobia or Carcinophobia,    CAR, being in a moving- Ochophobia,   CHILDBIRTH-      Maleusiophobia, Tocophobia or Parturiphobia,   CHOKING or being smothered- Pnigophobia,   CONFINED SPACES- Claustrophobia,   CONTAMINATION with dirt or germs-  Misophobia or Mysophobia,    DARKNESS- Achluophobia or Myctophobia, or Scotophobia,   DEATH or dying- Thanatophobia, DENTISTS- Dentophobia,    FLYING- Aviophobia or Aviatophobia or Pteromerhanophobia,    GERMS- Verminophobia,   HEIGHTS- Acrophobia, Altophobia, Batophobia or  Hypsiphobia,    HOSPITALS- Nosocomephobia,    LOVE, falling or being in- Philophobia,   MICE- Musophobia, Murophobia or Suriphobia,   MOTHS-      Mottephobia,    NEEDLES- Aichmophobia or Belonephobia,    NEW, or novel -Kainophobia, Centophobia, or Neophobia,   OCEAN or sea- Thalassophobia,    OPEN SPACES (also crowded places like markets)- Agoraphobia,  OPERATIONS- Tomophobia,   PENIS, losing an erection - Medomalacuphobia,  SEXUAL INTERCOURSE - Coitophobia,  SOCIAL SITUATIONS, fear of being evaluated negatively- Social Phobia,    SNAKES- Ophidiophobia or Snakephobia,      SPEAKING IN PUBLIC (and making presentations)- Glossophobia,    SPIDERS- Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia,   THUNDER AND LIGHTNING - Astraphobia, Astrapophobia, Brontophobia or Keraunophobia,   VOMITING (being sick)- Emetophobia

Depending on the situation, either an analytical or a suggestion  approach may be used. Phone for a free Initial Consultation.