Treatment for Phobias
Treatment for phobias always begins with a detailed diagnosis. It is essential to understand the severity of phobia, the
environments that trigger episodes of phobia, and, most importantly, what was the initial factor that led to the phobia’s development. Details anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can aid, specifically, a treatment called either desensitization therapy or direct exposure treatment. This strategy includes progressively increasing your exposure to things you are afraid of, at your rate, in controlled situations. As you are subjected to these things, you are taught to understand your fear through relaxation, breathing control, or other anxiety-reducing techniques. For short-term therapy for phobias, your doctor may prescribe an antianxiety medication. If the anxiety is faced only sometimes, as in the worry of flying, using the medication can be limited.
Many people do not need treatment for phobias, and avoiding the object of their fear is enough to control the problem.
However, avoiding specific phobias, such as the fear of flying, is not always possible. You may seek professional help and advice to discover treatment options.
Most phobias are treatable, but no single treatment works for all phobias. In some cases, a combination of several treatments may be recommended. The main types of treatment for phobias are:
- self-help techniques
- talking treatments
- pharmaceutical medicines
Oral treatments for phobias, such as counseling, are often very effective in treating phobias. In particular, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness have proven very effective for treating phobias.
Thus, treatment for phobias usually includes a combination of psychotherapy and medications, depending on the type of phobia.
A specific phobia.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, especially a procedure called desensitization therapy or exposure therapy, can help. This technique involves gradually increasing your exposure to what you fear at your own pace under controlled conditions. When exposed to the object, you learn to manage your fear through relaxation, breath control, or other anxiety-reducing strategies. For short-term treatment for phobia, your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety medications. Medications can be restricted if the phobia is intermittent, such as the fear of flying.
Social anxiety problem.
If your social phobia centers on one specific performance (for example, offering a lecture or playing in a concert), your physician may suggest a medicine called a beta-blocker, such as propranolol (Inderal). This medication can be taken before efficiency. It dampens the physical effects of anxiety (battering hearts or shivering fingers); however, it typically does not affect the psychological intensity required for speaking or the physical mastery required for playing a tool. For even more generalized or long-lasting types of social fear, your physician might suggest an antidepressant, usually an SSRI (discerning serotonin reuptake prevention), such as sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), or fluoxetine (Prozac). If an SSRI is inadequate, your medical professional might prescribe an alternate antidepressant or antianxiety drug. Cognitive-behavioral treatment likewise works well for many individuals with social fear in individual and team settings.
Agoraphobia.
The treatment for phobias in this particular condition is similar to the therapy for panic disorder. Medicine treatment consists of SSRI antidepressants and also a variety of other sorts of antidepressants, such as mirtazapine (Remeron), venlafaxine (Effexor), clomipramine (Anafranil), and imipramine (Tofranil). A medical professional may additionally suggest benzodiazepine antianxiety drugs, such as clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan). Psychotherapy is additionally beneficial, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy.
What is a phobia?
It can be best described as an irrational fear. It is frustrating because anyone with a phobia knows there is no danger, but they can’t help but act based on the intensity of the fear. Phobia ranges widely; some fear heights, dogs, deep water, or enclosed rooms. This explains the word ‘irrational.’ While there might be significant dangers to some of these elements, in most cases, there is nothing, and the individual knows. A phobia can make life difficult, especially if you cannot avoid it daily. Most of us have a phobia; it is human nature. It is deep in the instinct.
Phobia and fear: The etiology of the conditions
Internal anxieties associated with specific life events are what cause phobias and fear. Some are rational and can be understood because they have a purpose. In this category, we can mention the fear of heights, certain animals, etc. Other phobias seem to have no exact purpose, and the best example here is that of people who fear clowns or balloons. Most people do not know that the intensity of a phobia increases with each recurrence. Hence, if the phobia is not dealt with, its strength increases, which leads to more significant discomfort. The methods used in hypnotherapy are some of the best remedies. So, let`s see what types of phobias and fears hypnotherapy deals with.
- The natural environment phobias refer to the fear of heights, darkness, and some natural phenomena like storms.
- One of the most common phobias is related to animals. People often experience fear of snakes, dogs, spiders, and many more.
- Blood phobias are linked to the fear of injuries, blood, or hospitals.
- Another category is one known as situational phobias. Here, we can mention a fear of flying, driving, or public speaking.
Phobias and fears: pathophysiology and symptoms
It does not matter what type of phobias and fears you suffer from. Phobias function in the same way regardless of their trigger. Moreover, these events in someone`s life tend to be irrational. This happens because, up until a specific point, that person did not fear a particular item or event. So, the goal of a hypnotherapy session is to understand the event that caused the fear and help the patient deal with it.
The patient’s intense anxiety when forced to face that particular situation or thing is one of the most typical symptoms of phobia and fear. We can mention increased heartbeats, dizziness, trouble breathing, and even hot or cold flashes among the symptoms. The amygdala is responsible for all these symptoms because it sends a signal to the brain, creating a fight-or-flight reaction.
Sources of phobia
Typically, a phobia is the result of scary experiences. The experience can be direct, or you may have only witnessed a frightening situation with someone else that profoundly impacted your emotions. It is natural for a human to fear any harm; it worsens if anything you consider harmful gets close to you. The experience affects emotions, which are linked to instincts. This is why you find it hard to fight the phobia; it is deeply rooted.
Understanding the cause of fears and phobias
All kinds of human fear are linked to a seeding event. It is the primary cause of the phobia. However, we only identify and define the fear later in life once it manifests after an experience. Several years ago, it might have been a negative occurrence that is manifesting today. The human brain effectively keeps memories just like you can remember the exciting elements of childhood; fearful encounters are also stored, waiting to be triggered.
As a result, a phobia arises from a memory of unpleasant events. It is a reaction to a combination of negative experiences in the past that match a current event. The brain stores memories of events and attaches emotions to the activities. If you panic at any point, there is a specific cause. If you dig into your experiences, you can find the exact cause.
An easy and effective way to pinpoint the cause is through hypnosis treatment for phobias.
Hypnosis Techniques for the Treatment of Phobias and Fear
Hypnosis therapy has two significant ways to help the patient with this irrational phobia and fear. First, it helps you break the association responsible for the recurrence of the fear. Secondly, it teaches you how to release a relaxed response when needed. Hence, the patient will regain control due to the anxiety.
In other words, hypnosis therapy aids in overcoming phobias and fear by teaching your mind to respond differently to a specific trigger. Remember that the methods used by a hypnotherapist may differ from one individual to another. This is the first sign you have encountered someone who will treat you professionally. This happens because everyone is different and reacts in a particular manner to all sorts of impediments.
How Hypnosis Treatments for Phobias Works
Phobias work on a subconscious level. This means that no matter how much we tell ourselves that XYZ is not life-threatening, our minds and bodies still react with fear. The goal of hypnotherapy is to communicate with the subconscious and change the way you feel and behave with phobia.
The process itself involves putting you in a very relaxed and hypnotic state. Your hypnotherapist will explain this, and you will always be in control. If you are unsure where your phobia came from, you can spend some time discovering the root of the phobia and remembering the event that triggered it (if any).
Your therapist can then switch to different techniques to help change your response. This will often involve you gradually and gently confronting your phobia while you are in a calm state.
Hypnosis treatment for phobias solves almost every emotional and brain-connected experience. You can manipulate or change the way you feel with hypnosis for phobias.
Here are some tips for hypnosis treatment for phobias:
Find a quiet place. It can be a room or outdoors; any place you find quiet and without distractions is good enough. Either sit or lie down, depending on your preference. The trick here is to focus on your breathing. You should find a stable point to feel your breath without distractions. It is easier if you close your eyes.
Begin by breathing slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth. When you start, there is tension, and your mind is distracted, but with consistency and focus, you will focus after a few minutes. Try to be conscious of inhalation and exhalation; it is the secret to hypnosis for fear. The breathing should be consistent until your mind relaxes. A quiet place will help you focus on your breathing pattern.
The following process is crucial. It is an imaginative stage. You can be creative on this, but here is an example. Imagine you are in a theater room with a big screen with slideshows of your past events, especially when the seeding event took place. Focus on the screen and the seeding event; imagine you are watching and following the movie’s plot, in this case, your past life. Watching this for a while should show you the events and the root cause of your phobia.
There is a likelihood of anxiety and pressure in your mind. Try to maintain the breathing pattern and continue watching. Usually, the fear is out of vulnerability. You must reassure yourself that it is safe and take control of your mind. Being in control of your breathing pattern means you also control your mind. Do not lose these two; they are fundamentals in hypnosis treatment for phobias. The main activity here is to ensure you are safe and continue watching.
Hypnotherapy for phobias works! Focus on the first time you feel the fear and continue breathing when pinpointing the cause; continue watching and imagining releasing the problem. And I would like to add more about the most successful approach to treating your disorder. Today, many states do not require any licensing for hypnosis practitioners. As a result, strangers in the medical field take 1-3 days of classes and immediately attend to practice this complicated and specific form of treatment. These people do not know the anatomy, physiology, and classification of medical conditions. They take the most problematic medical cases without understanding the mechanism of the disorder and very often miss severe illnesses that require professional medical attention. It is too late to fix the problem when their treatment appears ineffective.
That’s why we believe that medical doctors trained in this field should only perform hypnotherapy treatments.
Hypnotherapists with a factual medical background can differentiate between acquired and organic disorders and apply a treatment correctly. The tandem between internal medicine practitioners and hypnotherapy is crucial.
Hypnosis Treatment for Phobias in Philadelphia
Hypnotherapy near me is the most popular search on Google today. When you are looking for hypnotherapy near me to treat medical conditions (depression, anxiety, insomnia, fears, etc.), you would like to find the best hypnotist and the best hypnosis in Philadelphia. Don’t forget that a good hypnotherapist is a medical doctor who understands the mechanisms of medical conditions and knows how to apply the best-customized hypnosis techniques.
Victor Tsan, a doctor and well-known hypnotherapist, founded the Philadelphia Hypnotherapy Clinic, the top treatment facility in the tri-state area. The best hypnotherapist in the world, Johnathan Royle, trained him using the most cutting-edge hypnotic techniques. Johnathan Royle says, “Dr. Tsan has a special gift to hypnotize people. When he performs his sessions, the patients’ lives change on the spot.
Contact our clinic by calling (267) 403-3085 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tsan and have your first Hypnosis for Fears and Phobias session.
At the Philadelphia Hypnotherapy Clinic, you will benefit from the best services available in this field. The sessions will feature two main parts. One is linked to a desensitization hierarchy, while the other is meant to teach the patient self-relaxation methods. So, with professional aid and proper hypnotherapy methods adapted to your particular phobia, you can overcome it. You are not compelled to live with your fear. You can start dealing with it by attending 5 to 8 hypnosis sessions. It will aid you in regaining control over your life, freeing you from all the constraints you have felt before.
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