Fears, Phobias and the Power of Hypnotherapy

Almost everyone has an irrational fear or two: Fear of snakes or spiders, fear of flying, and even fear of failure are common.  Most fears are normal, and some of them are innate, built-in fears we are born with to keep us safe.

There is some debate about exactly how many fears we are actually born with.  Some experts say there are 5 common human fears: Fear of death; fear of embarrassment; fear of the loss of love; fear of rejection; and fear of falling (heights).  Some experts say that there are only 2 pre-programmed human fears: Fear of loud noises; and fear of falling.

It is normal, and even beneficial to experience fear when in dangerous circumstances.  However, a fear becomes a phobia when it poses little to no danger and yet a person has an intense, irrational reaction that inhibits their ability to function or live a normal life.  Common phobias include closed-in places (claustrophobia), heights (altophobia), highway driving (vehophobia), flying insects (entophobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), and needles (aichmophobia or belonephobia). However, we can develop a phobia of just about anything.

When I was young, I was so afraid of heights that I couldn’t even climb up a few rungs of a ladder, let alone go on a Ferris wheel or roller coaster.  I had this fear for many years but it didn’t become a phobia until I got a job at the Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower) on the 70^th floor. That was when I realized it was time to confront my phobia.

To treat my phobia of heights, I intentionally forced myself to climb ladders or sit in high places until my heart stopped beating fast and I was able to sit comfortably. Eventually, my phobia became a normal, healthy fear.  This is not the best, the easiest or a recommended way to treat a phobia. Unfortunately, at the time I treated myself, I didn’t know about hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for fears and phobias.  It can greatly reduce and even eliminate them. The number of sessions that it takes to reduce or eliminate a phobia depends on several factors, a few being; the intensity of the fear, the length of time the person has lived with the fear, the level of trust between the client and hypnotherapist, and the suggestibility of the client.

Mind you, I still don’t relish heights, but I can now climb ladders without trepidation, experience the beauty of the Mogollon Rim and Grand Canyon, and even stand on the glass floor of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada and look down to see a whole different perspective of the world.

Deborah Perkins
LuminousTransformations
(480) 788-7140.