People who struggle with Phobias have a persistent, often debilitating fear. This can be a fear of specific circumstances or situations like social gatherings, confined spaces, driving, or even a fear of leaving their house. The fear might instead be directed toward a specific object or animal such as dogs, snakes, or spiders. Some people discover that beneath their specific phobia they also have a more general sense of worry or anxiety.
People with phobias have usually experienced a specific event that involved panic-like anxiety, along with physical body sensations associated with the object of their panic. Sometimes they react by totally avoiding any situation where they think they might again be faced with the source of their phobic feelings.
The result is a gradually cumulative pattern of avoidance and a generalization of their anxiety. This in turn has the effect of increasingly restricting
their daily activities and social experience.
Phobias often become extremely life-limiting, because the avoidance pattern that naturally develops in response to phobias is an effective mechanism for making phobias ever worse, leading to a downward spiral.
Phobias Are Treatable.
First and foremost, We’ll work together to help you to feel safe in therapy, and safe within your own skin.
Once we’ve achieved that feeling of safety, we’ll progresively approach the very objects of your fear, at your own pace.
Finally, we’ll work together to help you overcome the patterns of worry and anxiety that usually accompany phobias.
When you’ve succeeded in overcoming your phobia, you should feel empowered and free to live your life any way that you wish.