Counselling for Phobias

Do severe, crippling fears keep you from taking actions that you want and need to take in your life?

Do you suffer from panic attacks when you try to face certain fears? Do you freeze up, get dizzy, or feel your heart hammering away? Do you find yourself having to avoid the source of your phobia to remain happy and healthy?

Everyone has fears, but phobias can control a person’s life.

What is the difference between fear and a phobia?

The difference is often one of degree, as well as one of proportion.

• Fear is a response to a tangible, real-time, present-in-the-moment situation, whereas a phobia is a response to imagined situations that may or may not occur in the future.
• Fears tend to be proportional to the danger presented, whereas phobias tend to be outsized.
• The response to a phobia tends to be disruptive, whereas the response to a fear is usually constructive.

Here’s an example. You are driving down the highway and you see a car swerving into your lane. You feel a burst of adrenaline and fear that says you’re going to be hit. You quickly pull to the shoulder. That’s fear.

A phobia looks more like this. If you’re afraid of driving, you might refuse to get behind the wheel of a car, even if it means restricting all of your travel to places you can walk to, or get to via the bus. As a result, you lose out on work opportunities, social opportunities, and educational options.

Most Common Phobias

If you have a phobia, you’re hardly alone. There are many common ones, including:

• The fear of enclosed places (claustrophobia)
• The fear of dental or medical procedures (also known as procedural anxiety)
• The fear of heights (acrophobia)
• The fear of flying (aerophobia)
• The fear of needles (trypanophobia)
• The fear of snakes, spiders, or insects (ophidiophobia, arachnophobia, entomophobia)
• The fear of blood (hemophobia)
• Fear of the dark (nyctophobia)

The therapists at Spacious Mind Counseling are here to help you tackle any of these phobias.

What are the risk factors for developing a phobia?

Phobias can arise from several sources.

• Genetics
• Traumatic events
• Having relatives with the same phobia
• Hearing about frightening events

Some phobias are easy to trace back to their sources. Others are a bit more mysterious. Fortunately it’s not necessary to trace a phobia all the way back to its source in order to treat one!

Can you develop a phobia late in life?

While phobias can start in childhood, a phobia can develop at any time, especially if a person goes through an extremely stressful or traumatic event.

Is it ever too late to get rid of a phobia?

It’s never too late to try!

Treatment will not guarantee a complete removal of your phobia. But with the proper application of various therapies, you may get to enjoy a fuller life. Even a reduction of a phobia from severe to moderate or from moderate to mild opens up options and serves as a win.

Many of the therapies we practice are proven to have a positive impact on phobia sufferers. If you want to control your fear rather than allowing it to control your behavior, then it’s time to reach out.

Get Solutions for Your Phobias

Schedule a free, no-obligation, 20 minute consultation with our team. If you choose to do so, you can stay for a full session once you decide we’re the right therapists to help you address your phobias.

We offer online, in-person, and telephone therapy sessions. We look forward to working with you!