Also known in the medical vernacular as “simple phobias”, phobias are intense fears that develop in relation to specific things, places or events.  Some major types of phobias include

• Animal phobias (e.g. fear of spiders, dogs, mice, etc.)
• Transportation-related (e.g. fear of flying, fear of driving)
• Environmental phobias (e.g. claustrophobia, fear of heights, fear of open spaces)
• Anatomy-related (e.g. fear of blood, needles, vomiting)

The fear associated with the phobia can range from mild to highly distressing and may even manifest itself as a full-blown panic attack.  Symptoms may include heart palpitations, sweating, mind going blank, trembling, intense fear or dread, racing thoughts and crying jags.  Most people will want to remove themselves from the situation that is causing so much anxiety.

What causes phobias?  There can be different contributing factors including: being exposed in an unpleasant way (often involuntarily) to the situation/object of your fear or watching others have negative reactions to the feared object/situation (anxiety can be “contagious”). Genetic factors also may play a role as phobias sometimes run in families.

Phobias vary in the degree that they affect one’s life.  A taxi driver with a driving phobia would suffer a significant effect on their lifestyle, and in this case livelihood, whereas someone in Venice, where cars are not permitted, would likely feel little impact in their daily affairs.  Usually it is when the specific phobia is infringing significantly on someone’s life that they seek help.

If you are in this position and want to make a meaningful change in your life, call or email me today.

Treatment for Phobias

Our avoidance of our phobia(s) is what maintains them and stops us from recovering from them.  The primary treatment of phobias is to gradually face what we are afraid of.  This is done by graduated exposure (a form of cognitive behavioural therapy) or coming up with a list of feared situations associated with the phobia.  The fear associated with the situations is then rated, with the least feared situation being faced first.  One can start this approach at home or work with a therapist trained in this area, for additional support and tips.

It’s important to acknowledge, however, that exposure therapy is not the only treatment for phobias! Not everyone is ready for exposure, or alternatively, may be completely uninterested in this approach. Internal family systems therapy, which understands the phobia as an internal “part” with its own unique experience, that benefits from being honoured, understood and helped, can also be very effective.

I firmly believe that all treatment must be trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming.