Fears and phobias have become more prevalent over the years. The one change that has occurred in recent times is that more and more people who are in the grip of fears and phobias are no longer prepared to put up with the misery of their phobia or fear.
They are actively seeking out treatment from a qualified, experienced therapist or counsellor to deal with their issues.
How Do Fears and Phobias Start?
A very common fear is the fear of dogs. This can be bewildering to a person who has a love of all sorts of different animals and birds, yet can’t understand why they have such an irrational fear of dogs.
One such patient came for therapy to finally sort out his irrational fear of dogs. In the course of the therapy a memory that had been long dormant was recovered. When the patient had been a toddler he was out one day with his mother in his push chair. His mother stopped to talk to a neighbour who was out walking her dog, a big friendly German Shepherd.
The dog was of course right at the level of the push chair and all the child could see what seemed to him to be a big slobbering monster with large teeth and a lolling big tongue.
His mother had no idea of the frightening experience her son was having looking at the dog as she was engrossed in conversation with the neighbour. When the child started to cry she didn’t realise the dog was causing her son the distress. And so the seeds of a life-long fear of dogs was sown.
Phobias such as the fear of spiders, fear of heights, fear of water etc. can have their basis in such innocuous circumstances, and a lot of these fears and phobias have their roots in early childhood.
How Are Fears and Phobias Removed?
Is it necessary to be able to remember the incident that triggered the phobia in the first place for a successful treatment?
Most people when they present themselves for therapy to deal with a fear or phobia have no idea what caused it in the first place. And it’s only by using therapy which can take the form of psychotherapy, counselling or analytical therapy that the root cause of the issue can be uncovered. But there always is a root cause for the problem, and once this is uncovered the road to recovery can begin.
Ian Epstein has been a counsellor and hypnotherapist in Dublin for 16 Years. To find out how hypnotherapy can help deal with phobias and fears as well as other issues please contact him for a free introductory consultation.
