Phobias, anxiety and hypnotherapy

Phobias are an 'external symbol of an internal anxiety'...so strong overwhelming emotions that we feel inside...are triggered off by something outside.

When we are growing up as children we go through all kinds of experiences and sometimes those experiences are unpleasant and the emotions are intense. When these emotions are very strong our minds 'bottle them up' and you may develop a phobia or anxiety, so that your mind is 'warning you' not to get into that, or any similar, situation again.

Common phobias treated at the Cheltenham Hypnotherapy Clinic

Social Phobia Blushing, stuttering, lack of confience, low self esteem all helped with hypnosis Emetophobia Therapy for fear of being sick; vomit phobia treatment Arachnophobia - fear of spiders Aviatophobia - fear of flying Hydrophobia - fear of water Acrophobia - fear of heights Claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces Agoraphobia - fear of open spaces Scopophobia - fear of being judged Coprophobia - toilet phobia, fear of going to the toilet Nyctophobia - fear of darkness Odontophobia - fear of dentists Glossophobia - fear of public speaking Aichmophobia - fear of needles Thanatophobia - fear of death or fear of dying Demophobia - fear of crowds Hemaphobia - fear of blood Nosocomephobia - fear of hospitals Iatrophobia - fear of doctors or fear of going to the doctor Trypanophobia - fear of injections Emetophobia - fear of being sick or vomit phobia Coprophobia - toilet phobia, fear of going to the toilet Shy Bladder / Shy Pee - another toilet phobia

All of these phobias listed above (and many more) usually symbolise a situation where the person feels 'on the spot or out of control'.

EMETOPHOBIA - a fear of being sick, vomit phobia
Associated fears; gagging, seeing others being sick, choking on food, pregnancy (due to possibility of morning sickness), drowning, and 'social Phobia'.

I have treated many people with Emetophobia. This Phobia seems to effect more women than men, and tends to have a very disabling effect on the sufferer - the fear of being sick literally dominates their thoughts and their lives.

More about Emetophobia

COPROPHOBIA - fear of going to the loo, toilet phobia
This is a a fear of anything related to going to the toilet, going to 'number twos', toilets, public toilets, being heard going to the toilet, making horrible smells when others are in the toilet (or coming in after you), feeling unclean or dirty generally. Another very common Phobia. Typically the sufferer would find it difficult (if not impossible) to use a public loo. A lot of the time the fear is specifically of losing bowel control or making smells - in public and many people suffering carry spare underwear just in case, or self medicate using medicines such as Immodium. Quite often the sufferer has very precise routines they have to adhere to - in order to be able to go to the loo.

Coprobphobia, as with any phobia, can be treated quite easily using hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

SOCIAL PHOBIA - a fear being judged (in public)
Social phobia is probably the most common phobia there is; a pervasive fear of any situation where the sufferer is likely to feel 'on the spot', embarassed, humiliated or judged - for example; dinner parties, public speaking, interviews, appearing in court, singing, stuttering etc. Associated symptoms: sensitivity to criticism, neagtive self image, fear of rejection, shy bladder, shy pee, toilet phobias, coprophobia, difficulty in being assertive and feelings of inferiority.

In the D.S.M.4 (the Mental Health 'Bible') the main criteria for social phobia is listed as; A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he/she will act in a way that will be humiliating or embarassing.

More about Social Anxiety

People suffering from phobias or anxiety often have panic attacks (sometimes called anxiety attacks) when confronted with their fear or phobia. A panic attack is a sudden onset of intense anxiety, usually lasting a few minutes.

Symptoms of a panic attack

Sudden intense anxiety or fear Heart pounding Sweating or trembling Shortness of breath Nausea or dizziness Fear of losing control Mind going 'blank' Rapidly builds to a peak, usually about ten minutes Sense of impending doom or disaster Chest tightness

Some therapies try and get you to 'face your fear' which usually only helps in the short term and can make things worse (because you are focusing on what you are afraid of again, and because you are only treating the symptom, the 'trigger'). However when you think about the fact that a phobia and anxiety attack is driven by EMOTION, and strong emotions at that, the most successful long term solution is to find and resolve the emotional cause of the phobia, and talk through those emotions until they are resolved...until that 'cup full of emotion' has been drained.

Most therapies cannot gain access to these emotions and help you resolve them fully and properly, but hypnoanalysis can and so is a very effective treatment for phobis and panic attacks.