Phobia & Fear Treatment

A phobia is more than simple dislike or nervousness. It's an intense, irrational fear that triggers a powerful physical response — racing heart, sweating, difficulty breathing, sometimes full-blown panic. The rational part of your brain knows the fear is disproportionate, but that knowledge makes no difference when the phobia kicks in.

Phobias are among the most responsive conditions to hypnotherapy treatment. Because the fear response is largely automatic and subconscious, working at that level through hypnosis is particularly effective. Most phobias can be significantly reduced or resolved within two to four sessions.

Common Phobias I Treat

I've worked with a very wide range of phobias over the years. Some of the most common include:

• Flying (aerophobia) — fear of air travel
• Spiders (arachnophobia) — fear of spiders
• Needles (trypanophobia) — fear of injections and blood tests
• Dogs (cynophobia) — fear of dogs
• Heights (acrophobia) — fear of heights
• Dentist (dentophobia) — fear of dental treatment
• Enclosed spaces (claustrophobia) — fear of confined areas
• Driving — fear of driving, particularly on motorways
• Vomiting (emetophobia) — fear of being sick
• Water (aquaphobia) — fear of water or swimming
• Public speaking (glossophobia) — fear of speaking in front of people

If your particular phobia isn't listed, don't worry. The underlying mechanism is the same for all phobias, and the treatment approach adapts accordingly. Get in touch and we can discuss your situation.

How Phobias Develop

Most phobias fall into one of two categories. Some are formed by a specific traumatic event — being bitten by a dog, a turbulent flight, a painful injection as a child. Your brain learned a powerful lesson in that moment: "this is dangerous." And it's been applying that lesson ever since, even when the original danger is long past.

Other phobias develop more gradually, sometimes without any obvious trigger. You might have learned the fear from a parent (children are remarkably good at absorbing adult anxieties), absorbed it from media, or developed it through repeated avoidance that gradually magnified the fear.

Understanding how your phobia developed can be helpful, but it isn't always necessary for treatment. What matters is changing the automatic response.

The Treatment Approach

Systematic Desensitisation

This is a proven technique that gradually reduces your fear response. Under hypnosis, I guide you through carefully graded exposure to the feared object or situation — starting very gently and building slowly. Because you're deeply relaxed during hypnosis, your brain learns to associate the feared thing with calm rather than panic.

Rewind Technique

For phobias linked to a specific traumatic event, I sometimes use a technique called the rewind (or fast phobia cure). This allows your brain to reprocess the traumatic memory in a way that strips out the emotional charge, without you having to relive the experience in distressing detail.

Cognitive Restructuring

We also work on the conscious thought patterns that maintain the phobia. What specifically do you believe will happen? How realistic is that belief? What would a more balanced assessment look like? This cognitive work complements the hypnosis and helps prevent the phobia from returning.

What to Expect

Simple phobias typically respond within two to four sessions. More complex phobias, or those with multiple triggers, may take four to six sessions. The process is always gentle and you will never be pushed faster than you're comfortable with.

Children and Phobias

Children respond particularly well to phobia treatment because their imaginations are vivid and they're naturally good at entering hypnotic states. I work with children from around age seven, using age-appropriate language and techniques. A parent or guardian is always present during the session.

Evidence

Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis has demonstrated the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for phobia treatment, with many participants showing significant reduction in fear responses after just a few sessions. The NHS phobia treatment page lists several therapeutic approaches including desensitisation techniques used in clinical hypnotherapy.

View session fees or book your free consultation to discuss your specific phobia.