To address phobias and the potential benefits hypnosis might have in treating them, one must first look at what exactly a phobia is. A phobia is a persistent and very likely abnormal as well as irrational fear of a very specific thing or situation. The fear, or phobia, can be and is usually so great or compelling that an individual will go to great lengths to avoid the object or situation that they are afraid of, despite any and all reassurances. These individuals usually even have an understanding on a conscious level that their phobia is not truly dangerous or any real threat.
You can Google phobia and find lists that literally rank into the hundreds of various and sundry different phobias that people struggle with. Having said this, many people have phobias that they deal with on a daily basis. Some are relatively minor while others might be quite debilitating and in fact rule a person’s life. Individuals who suffer from the more extreme phobias will actually choreograph their entire life around avoidance of their phobia. This is where hypnosis and/or hypnotherapy can assist a person in gaining control over their life.
Phobias fall into two major categories, and as such are treated differently. The first is when a person has a direct experience with something that actually has caused them fear, which in turn causes them to then try to avoid any future situation that is in any way related with the object or situation of their fears. They try to suppress the fear, but in fact whenever they are exposed to the same situation again the fear returns, often building on itself with each encounter. The fear then gains momentum and in fact can feed upon itself.
The second is an indirect phobia. This is a situation in which a person experiences anxiety over a prolonged period of time and the object of their fears becomes part of the fabric of their existence and subsequently becomes seemingly insurmountable. The response of fear and the phobia that eventually manifests from that fear is a learned response or behavior. Phobias are actually in fact usually our own natural subconscious kicking in and acting as a protective mechanism. It is an over reaction of our brain trying to help out.
This is what makes hypnotherapy the ideal solution. Hypnotherapy via a trained hypnotherapist/hypnotist can remove your ingrained subconscious “learned” response and actually help you to reprogram your subconscious mind through the use of hypnotic suggestion. The hypnotherapist can help not only to remove the phobia but to actually, in some cases, help you to understand how this phobia came to be.
All of this allows the person to return to a natural, normal state of being that improves their over all quality of life when they are no longer burdened with the fears that impacted or even ruled their life.
If you are in need of help with phobias and would like to learn more about how hypnosis can specifically help you – see our GET Hypnosis in Portland page.
