What is a Phobia?
A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.
How do you feel with a phobia?
Excessive fear
The level of fear is far greater than the actual danger.
Avoidance behaviours
Your child may go out of their way to avoid the feared object or situation.
Physical symptoms
Rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, dizziness, or shortness of breath when confronted with the phobia.
Emotional distress
Even thinking about the phobia can cause anxiety or panic.
Phobia's
While some fears are natural (e.g., being cautious around heights or dangerous animals), phobias are disproportionate and persistent, often leading to avoidance behaviours and distress.
Common Phobia’s
Spiders, vomit, dogs, heights, needle, blood, buttons,
What helps a phobia?
Exposure Therapy (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective treatment for phobias. It involves gradually facing your fear in a controlled, safe way until your anxiety decreases.
How it works:
- You create a fear hierarchy (ranking situations from least to most anxiety-provoking).
- Gradually expose yourself to each step, starting with the easiest one.
- Stay in the situation until your anxiety naturally decreases, rather than escaping.
Example for fear of spiders (arachnophobia):
- Step 1: Look at a cartoon image of a spider.
- Step 2: Look at a real photo of a spider.
- Step 3: Watch a video of a spider.
- Step 4: Observe a spider in a container from a distance.
- Step 5: Move closer to the spider.
What helps a phobia?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you challenge irrational thoughts and change unhelpful thinking patterns linked to your phobia.
Cognitive restructuring:
- Identify distorted thoughts (e.g., “If I get on a plane, it will crash”).
- Replace them with more realistic ones (e.g., “Planes are statistically safe”).
Behavioural experiments:
- Test your beliefs in real life (e.g., spend time near a feared object without avoiding it).
Relaxation techniques:
- Combine CBT with breathing exercises or muscle relaxation to reduce anxiety during exposure
Relaxation and Grounding Techniques
Deep breathing: Inhale slowly for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR): Tense and release different muscle groups to reduce physical tension.
5-4-3-2-1 grounding: Identify:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can touch
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
This anchors you in the present when anxiety strikes.
Visualization and Imagery
- Imagine yourself calmly handling the phobic situation.
- Visualizing positive, successful experiences can reduce anticipatory anxiety.
- Use mental rehearsal before exposure to build confidence.