How to overcome phobias

How to overcome your fears and phobias

Whether it’s spiders, heights, bees, or knees, we all have something that sparks dread in the pit of our stomachs. The good news is you don’t need to let fear continue to hold you back.

Many people have irrational fears, and while most of us can control them, for some this fear can spiral out of control and cause severe anxiety – which is completely overwhelming, and not related to any real danger.

Fear becomes a phobia when it interferes with everyday life, and the more common phobias you’ll probably recognise include the fear of spiders, germs and diseases, flying, injections, or the dentist. Symptoms can include feeling dizzy, a racing heart, overwhelming panic, tingling, feeling sick, and an intense desire to escape.

When people are exposed to the feared object or situation, rationally they know that they are not in danger, but still they feel unable to manage their terror. However, you can break free from your fears and stop them from holding you back; once you understand them, it is possible to overcome irrational fears and phobias. Here are six essential ideas to keep in mind.

1. Don’t panic!

Irrational fears develop when our brain forms a connection between an object or event and a threat, so it prepares us for ‘fight or flight’. This can manifest as a full-blown panic attack, which is caused by over breathing or hyper-ventilating (taking large breaths in and short breaths out). By deliberately reversing that type of breathing, so that we breathe out more than in, we can calm down very quickly, and even start to feel relaxed.

Try breathing in for a count of seven, and out for a count of 11, for at least two minutes. Practise this several times a day, especially when you think about your feared situation.

2. Avoid avoiding

When we avoid the feared object or situation, initially we feel relief, but the fear returns the next time we are exposed to it, and may become worse. In this way we set up a ‘cycle of avoidance’. Because we never test out whether we really are in danger, we don’t allow our brain to form a new association. The aim is to reset that connection, forming a link between the feared thing and feeling relaxed. It is impossible to feel anxious and relaxed at the same time. So how do we do this?

3. Reality testing

When we experience an irrational fear, we tend to catastrophise, or imagine the worst possible outcome. By asking ourselves, ‘What is the worst that can happen?’ and ‘Just how likely is that to happen?’, we give our fears less power over us. We need to remind ourselves that the fear is unrealistic, and that we are perfectly safe.

4. Build your fear ladder and move up it

By gradually exposing ourselves to the fear, in a controlled and safe manner, it loses its grip on us. If you’re afraid of spiders, firstly look at a picture of a very small spider while doing your breathing exercise, until you feel calm. Next, look at a larger picture, then a video.

When you feel comfortable, try looking at a real spider in a box at a distance, bringing it gradually closer. Eventually let the spider out (ask someone to help if needed). Even if you have a strong urge to run, don’t. Keep doing your breathing. You are in control of the phobia, instead of the phobia controlling you.

5. Use your body

When we feel intense fear, our brain floods our body with chemicals such as cortisol and noradrenaline, speeding up our heart rate, and preparing us for action. Distract yourself by engaging your senses, and moving your body. Any sort of exercise will help by lowering those chemical levels, but particularly something outside.

Be aware of situations that trigger your fear, and when in one, start moving! Alternatively, do something creative: play an instrument, sing, draw, bake, or any activity that requires your full attention.

6. When therapy can help

If you have tried all of the above and are still having problems, or if you conquer your fear of one situation, but find it transfers to another, it may be an idea to seek expert support. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or hypnosis can be really helpful for addressing phobias.

Visit Counselling Directory or Hypnotherapy Directory to learn more and to find a qualified therapist online or in your local area.

Wendy Gregory

Wendy Gregory is a counselling psychologist and writer, as well as a regular guest psychologist on BBC Talk Radio.

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How to Overcome Any Phobia

A Detailed Guide to 4 Tried-and-True Methods

Ashley Olivine is a health psychologist and public health professional with over a decade of experience serving clients in the clinical setting and private practice.

Steven Gans, MD, is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

A phobia is an ongoing, excessive fear of something specific. This leads to a person either avoiding what they fear, or they experience it but are distressed. Specific phobia is a type of anxiety disorder with an intense, ongoing fear of something such as snakes, heights, enclosed places, or other objects or situations. Roughly 12.5% of adults in the United States have a specific phobia at some point.

This article will discuss types of phobias, signs and symptoms of phobias, tips to overcome them, and treatment options.

Phobia vs. Fear

A phobia is more severe than a fear. More specifically, a phobia is an irrational fear that is out of proportion compared to the threat of what is feared. There may be little threat, or even no threat at all, and the person could experience symptoms of anxiety. Fear, on the other hand, is an intense emotion in response to a threat in the moment.

Types of Phobias

There are different types of phobias. Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder that includes five types of phobias. Social phobia is also an anxiety disorder, but it is not classified as one of the five specific phobias.

Types of Specific Phobia

The five types of specific phobias include:

Animal Type

Animal type is a specific phobia. People with this type of phobia have an intense, ongoing fear of animals or insects. Examples include dogs, cats, birds, mice, snakes, butterflies, and spiders.

Natural Environment Type

Natural environment type is a specific phobia. People with this type of phobia have an intense, ongoing fear of objects that make up natural surroundings. Examples include deep water, heights, lightning, or storms.

Blood-Injection-Injury Type

Blood-injection-injury type is a specific phobia. People with this type of phobia have an intense, ongoing fear of seeing or experiencing injury, blood, or injections. Additional examples are blood draws or medical procedures.

Situational Type

Situational type is a specific phobia. People with this type of phobia have an intense, ongoing fear of certain experiences. Examples include elevators, enclosed places, flying, driving, animatronics, and public transportation.

Other Type

Other type is a specific phobia. People with this type of phobia have an intense, ongoing fear of something that is not part of one of the other types of specific phobias. Examples include choking, germs or getting sick, time, vomiting, dolls, ghosts, or loud noises.

What About Social Phobia?

Social phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a social or performance anxiety that involves self-consciousness and a significant fear of being judged and embarrassed. It is extreme and ongoing, leading to either avoidance or acute distress when in those situations. Social anxiety disorder is another name for this type of phobia.

Signs You May Need to Overcome a Phobia

It is normal to have fears of anything that could be harmful. For example, it is natural and a good thing to be afraid of walking across a street without looking because you could otherwise get hit by a car.

However, some people experience extreme, ongoing fears of objects and situations that are not likely to be harmful, or the fear is out of proportion to the risk level. If phobias are severe enough to cause significant symptoms of anxiety or interfere with daily life, it is a good idea to work to overcome them.

Signs of a Phobia

Tips to Overcome a Phobia

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Verywell / Theresa Chiechi

Desensitize Yourself

It is possible to become desensitized to a phobia. This means that you can become less and less affected by the phobia over time with safe, controlled exposure. One way to do this is with a fear ladder, which involves exposure that is very small at first and then builds.

For example, if you are afraid of spiders, you may start by looking at pictures of flowers that look like spiders, building to looking at pictures of actual spiders. From there, you may be able to watch videos of spiders and, eventually, be able to see spiders behind glass without a fear response.

Partner Up

Social support plays an important role in physical and mental health, including the process of overcoming phobias. When going through the desensitization or fear ladder steps, it can be helpful to talk with friends and family about it. They can then help by listening, encouraging, and celebrating when each goal has been achieved.

If a friend or a family member has a phobia as well, it can be helpful for both people to overcome them together. It doesn’t even have to be the same phobia.

Join a Support Group

In addition to friend and family support, or if friend and family support is not available, it can help to join a support group. A support group is a professional-led group of people that come together to cope with or overcome a problem. In this case, it is a group to overcome a phobia, and the professional leader could provide techniques and support.

Relaxation, Visualization, and Breathing Techniques

Relaxation, visualization, and breathing techniques can be used to help overcome phobias. These techniques can be used during the desensitization process, when encountering what is feared, and even when thinking about possibly encountering the fear in the future. Relaxation techniques may be combined with visualization and breathing techniques.

Treatment

In addition to techniques to overcome phobias, they can be treated with the help of a healthcare professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is the primary treatment option for phobias. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is commonly used. One specific method is a type of CBT called exposure therapy that involves confronting the fear in small steps, in a controlled and safe environment.

Medication may also be used along with talk therapy. This type of treatment does not help the person overcome the fear, but it can relieve some of the symptoms. Some examples of medications may include anti-anxiety medications, beta-blockers, and antidepressants.

Summary

A phobia is an extreme, irrational fear that is ongoing and can interfere with daily life or lead to anxiety symptoms. It may be a fear of a specific animal or insect, something in the environment, potential experience, social situation, or something else. There are techniques and treatments to overcome and cope with phobias. Anyone struggling with a severe, ongoing fear should consult a healthcare professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist for support.

A Word From Verywell

Phobias can significantly impact daily life. The thought of overcoming them may also be scary. If you experience a phobia, you are not alone. Help is available. There are ways to cope with and overcome phobias. Reach out to a healthcare professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, for support.

Frequently Asked Questions

A phobia is caused by a person perceiving something as a threat, even when it is not a threat. Stress hormones are released and there is a fight-or-flight response, with symptoms such as increased heart rate and breathing and sweating. This can lead the person to fight, flee, or freeze.

A person experiencing a phobia may feel like they are having anxiety or a panic attack, or they may get dizzy or feel hot flashes or chills, chest pain or tightness, and butterflies in the stomach. They also may have difficulty breathing or feel nauseated, numb, confused, or disoriented.

Social phobia and specific phobia are types of anxiety disorders. Encountering what is feared can cause symptoms of anxiety. Phobias and other anxiety disorders can be comorbid, meaning they occur together. For example, the same person may have generalized anxiety disorder (experiencing excessive anxiety or worry about everyday events) and social phobia.

How to overcome phobias

Kill Spiders when You Have Arachnophobia

Overcome the Fear of Spiders

Overcome a Driving Phobia

Overcome the Fear of Wasps and Bees

Overcome a Fear of Dogs

Get Over the Fear of Driving

Overcome a Fear of Heights

Overcome the Fear of Death

Feel Comfortable Undressing at the Doctor’s Office

Overcome Your Fear of Going over Bridges

Overcome a Fear of Escalators

Get over a Fear of Deep Water

Stop Being Afraid of Cats

Deal With a Fear of Riding in Elevators

Deal With Emetophobia

Overcome a Fear of Being Kidnapped

Overcome a Fear of Needles

Overcome a Fear of Rats

Overcome the Fear of Injections

Overcome Your Fear of Learning to Swim

Cope with Claustrophobia

Get over Your Fear of Snakes

Overcome a Phobia

Overcome Your Fear of the Dentist

Overcome Fear of Birds

Endure an MRI Scan

Stop Being Afraid of Ghosts

Overcome a Fear of Swimming

Get over Your Fear of Sharks

Overcome a Fear of Fire Alarms

Cope with Weather Phobias

Deal with a Fear of Nuclear War

Overcome Autophobia (Fear of Being Alone)

Overcome a Fear of Stairs

Know if You Are Agoraphobic

Overcome a Fear of the Hospital

Overcome a Social Phobia

Overcome Fear of Disease

Overcome Public Restroom Embarrassment

Overcome a Fear of Doctors

Stop a Panic Attack Due to Fear of Sickness

Get over a Fear of Sirens

Cope With the Fear of Fire

Overcome Your Fears Through Visualization

Overcome Your Fear of Strangers

Cope with Existential Fears

Deal with Fear of the Unknown

Deal with a Fear of Surgery

Tell if Your Fear Is a Phobia

Get Rid of Anthropophobia

Overcome Triskaidekaphobia (the Fear of 13)

How to overcome a phobia: tips on managing extreme fears

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Phobias might seem silly when you’re teasing your arachnophobic friend about the spider on the ceiling but they can be incredibly debilitating.

Overcoming an extreme fear is not always straight forward.

For mental health awareness week, we’re answering Google’s most searched for mental health questions – including how to overcome a phobia.

What is a phobia?

Phobias are often related to anxiety disorders but are specifically the fear around a situation or object, when it is not actually a danger.

Examples include claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces), arachnophobia (a fear of spiders) and agoraphobia (the fear of going outside).

It can triggered by thinking or talking about something, not just experiencing that thing.

If the fear is out of proportion to the danger, it lasts for more than six months and it has an impact on your day to day life, it is more than just a fear – it is classed as a phobia.

How can you overcome it?

Overcoming a phobia and reducing the impact it has is not easy but it can be done.

Mental health charity Mind recommends a few key things:

Talk about it

Find someone you trust who will listen to you. When you know that your fear is not proportional to the danger, it can feel like you are being silly but talking it through with someone can help you start to identify that.

Use relaxation techniques

These can help you manage the anxiety around your phobia. Methods include breathing control, stretching and meditation.

If your phobia causes panic attacks, you can learn how to manage these. You need to focus on your breathing and your senses. You can try grounding techniques to help you control the panic.

Face your fears

Avoiding the thing you are scared off only makes it get worse. Try to face your fears when you can, with lots of help and support. Taking it in small steps can help as repeated experiences of facing your dear can help you gain some control over your phobia.

Look at the evidence

If there is something in particular that you are scared about happening, addressing the realistic possibility of something bad happening can help you realise how your fear outweighs the danger.

Look at courses to help your specific phobia

There are courses to help you address and work through specific fears. Some airports and airlines, for example, run courses to help people overcome their fear of flying using simulators.

Zoos also run courses for fears of spiders or snakes. Take a look online to see if there is a course nearby that is suitable for you.

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Speak to your doctor

If your phobia is having a lasting impact on your life, speak to your GP about getting help so you can understand why your fears are there and how to work through them with a counsellor. Hypnotherapy is also used to treat some phobias.

If your fear is stopping you from leaving the house, speak to your doctor about home visits or telephone assessments.

Google’s most-asked mental health questions in 2019 so far:

According to Google, the most frequently asked ‘how to’ questions relating to mental health this year so far are:

How to Overcome Phobia in 10 Effective Steps

Overcoming a phobia That prevents achieving goals in life or having a good quality of life is very important. If allowed to pass, it can increase in intensity and be more complicated to treat.

It may be that at some point in your life you have felt a great fear of a certain object or situation and that fear has made it difficult or impossible to carry out activities that you wanted at that time.

For example, it may be that your fear of heights would prevent you from riding on the wheel, that the fear of insects would prevent you from spending a pleasant day at the Field or that your fear of needles prevented you from donating blood.

If the phobia that you suffer is of less seriousness, you can surpass it with the steps that I am going to expose to you next.

My advice is that any kind of phobia should be treated, since a fear that at first may seem insignificant, with the passage of Time can grow and become a disabling phobia.

10 steps to overcome a phobia

1. Identify your phobia

The first step in overcoming a phobia is to identify the object or situation you fear.

At first this first step may seem simple, but be careful, since there are usually many confusions. For example: the person may believe that He is afraid of elevators when in fact he is afraid of being locked up.

Take the time you need to identify your fear, as this step is key to getting over your phobia.

2. Talk about what you fear

Talking about your fears with other people has many benefits: it helps you identify your phobia, you relieve yourself, you get advice, you feel Supported and wrapped.

If in your loved ones you do not find the support you need, look for a therapy or help group in which you feel comfortable and help you In your improvement.

3. Construct a hierarchy of fears

What you must do is a hierarchy in which you find all those different situations that generate fear ordered from less to greater intensity. Ideally there should be a minimum of ten situations.

At this point what is intended is to reduce your fear in smaller fears to which it is easier to face in a first moment.

4. Relax

Make some kind of Relaxation exercise Can help you deal with your phobia.

Ideally, before exposing yourself to the dreaded object, perform this exercise, this way, it will help you reduce your activation level and it will work for you. Easier to cope with.

5. View

At this point you must grasp your hierarchy of fears and expose yourself to the different situations in your imagination, visualizing them progressively.

It starts with the first, that is, the least anxiety that generates and begins to imagine you in that situation. It is normal that at first you feel Some anxiety and tension, but do not worry, little by little it will decrease and you will feel as your muscles relax.

When you take a relaxed minute while imagining the first situation on your list, take a break and repeat it. When you see that only You feel anxiety, you can move on to the next situation on your list.

This exercise should be done with all the situations of your hierarchy and your goal is to help you, through the imagination, that your level of Activation down, this way, when you go to face your fears in person you will be calmer.

6. Generate positive thoughts

I encourage you to write down on paper those thoughts that come to you when you think about the dreaded situation, and turn them into more thoughts Positive you can say to yourself when you face your phobia.

For example, the thought»I can not do it»can become»little by little and with effort I can get it».

7. Point out your fears

The time has come for you to put into practice everything learned in the previous steps and face in person the different situations of your Hierarchy, that is, your fears.

As before, you must begin to expose yourself to your fears in a progressive way, for the situation that less anxiety generates. Do not force yourself there is not hurry. Slow and satisfactory exposure is preferable to rapid and inadequate exposure.

When you have exposed yourself several times to a situation and notice that anxiety and fear have dropped considerably, move on to the next.

The goal of the exhibition is to gradually tolerate the feared object and the associated reactions of anxiety and fear are disappearing.

8. Have Healthy Habits

9. Beware of drug use

Many doctors and psychiatrists prescribe Anxiolytics Y Antidepressants To alleviate the symptoms of some phobias.

The consumption of these drugs should only be done under medical supervision, since an inappropriate use of them can cause dependence and Desired.

Have patience

Depending on the severity of the phobia the treatment can last several weeks or months. The important thing is to strive and reinforce all the achievements that one Get going.

With patience, effort and desire, you can overcome all your fears.

What is a phobia?

A phobia is a anxiety disorder Which consists of a feeling of intense fear, disproportionate and persistent in the presence or anticipation of An object, an animal or situation that implies little or no real danger for the affected person.

The person who suffers from a phobia is aware of his situation, that is, he knows that his fear is excessive and irrational, that he has no logic, but still not You can avoid feeling that intense fear when you encounter the dreaded object or situation.

These emotional reactions can be triggered by the presence or the mere imagination of what is feared.

Avoidance of phobic stimulus greatly interferes with quality of life Of the person affected, preventing him or her from carrying out daily activities such as Example: driving, traveling, being in open or closed spaces, being with animals.

In the end, the avoidance of the dreaded stimulus ends up impacting on work activity, family relationships, couples, friends.

This disorder affects a large percentage of the population. Experts point out that approximately one in every 20 people suffer from some type of phobia.

Phobias are more common in women than in men.

Types of phobias

People can develop phobias towards anything and any situation, so if I list all the Types of phobias Would never end, which is why I will mention a few.

There are certain phobias that are more common than others among the population, such as:

There are also many other less common and more striking types of phobias, such as:

It is most likely that you identify a relative, friend or even yourself in any of the phobias I have just mentioned and is that they are more frequent in
What you can imagine in principle.

I must emphasize that there is another group of phobias that are not characterized by the intense fear and fear they generate, if not by a feeling of hatred, rejection and
Disapproval towards a certain group, as is the case of homophobia and xenophobia.

How do phobias arise?

Phobias arise in childhood and adolescence and tend to stay in adulthood.

They can be acquired in several ways, for example by observing other phobic people, as it happens with the children who develop the same Phobias than their parents or closest relatives.

Through the association of unpleasant emotions with the object or situation with which you are relating at that time. For example by feeling Anxiety and fear after being locked in an elevator.

For the paternal overprotection along with the reinforcement of the fears. For example, parents who do not allow their child to approach any dog ​​and Reinforce when the child avoids contact with these animals.

Or by the experience of a traumatic situation. The person lives a situation that for her is traumatic and from that moment develops a Phobia related to what happened.

This way, you can be afraid of the spiders because your mother has it, fear of the elevators because you remained locked in one, fear of the dogs Because that’s what your parents told you and fear to drive after having a car accident.

As you can see phobias are acquired through learning, which means they can be overcome, as we will see later.

What happens when the person encounters what he fears?

As I said before, the person feels a lot of fear, intense fear, anxiety crisis and, sometimes, panic attacks.

All these reactions are joined:

The people feel a set of very unpleasant emotions, reactions and feelings that push them to carry out the avoidance of what they They fear