Types of Phobias
It doesn't matter what you are phobic of, how long you have been phobic or how severe the phobia is. All phobias can be treated and overcome when you know-how! For simplicity, I have grouped them into 6 main categories. If your phobia isn't mentioned be assured it can also be treated and I will have worked with someone who was once phobic of it. Click on the links below to learn how you can Live Phobia Free.
Fear of Public Speaking
Stand up in front of a group and 3 out of 4 people will be nervous. Not all are phobic of public speaking some will just feel uncomfortable others terrified. A phobia of presenting, a fear of public speaking, or Glossophobia is one of the most common phobias.
There are a number of theories why this phobia is so common. Firstly, it can be learned when we are young. We are asked at school, college or university to stand in front of a crowd (our friends) read aloud. At school make a mistake and if friends and classmates giggle or laugh the brain then associates standing up in front as an unpleasant event or situation. Get in front of a group that you think are important and again the brain associates unease or even fear with talking.
Another theory is that most predators when they hunt fix their gaze on their prey; so when in front of an audience who seems to stare at us, the brain goes into "flight or fight" thinking we are on the menu!
Whatever the theory is - in practice, it's an unpleasant phobia as I know from personal experience.
One of the reasons I became a coach was because I had a fear of public speaking and wanted to change it. Which I successfully did 20 years ago after struggling with my fear and avoiding every opportunity to speak up. I now regularly present and train large groups and have appeared on National TV on 20 occasions and done over 40 radio interviews. If I can change so can you.
For those who don't have a phobia but are just anxious before meetings or presentations, we can deal with the anxiety first and then move into some simple yet very effective presentation skills that will improve your confidence and your communications. You will be able to express yourself with confidence.
Check out the testimonial page for references or simply email to arrange a no obligation conversation to discuss how you can Live Phobia Free
Medical Phobias
Phobias of Needles, Doctors, Dentists, Blood, Germs, Illness, white coat syndrome & emetophobia
The category of "medical phobia"s can have the most negative impact of peoples lives compared to other categories if a persons health depends upon medical care. The common solution to most phobias is avoidance, which can lead to people seeking medical advice too late or being unwilling or even unable to attend a doctor or medical practitioner.
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I am personally aware of the effect a medical phobia can have because as a young boy I had an unfortunate experience at the dentist which meant It was 20 years before I went again. The truth was he said it wouldn't hurt and it did and he hit me first. I eventually overcame my phobia and now am able to have dental work done without anaesthetic using hypnosis.
My wife and I while undergoing IVF discovered she had a needle phobia and using some of the techniques I now teach other coaches, was able to help her overcome her phobia so I could give her the injections.
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Emetophobia ( a fear of illness or being sick) is very common and can be very debilitating. Many emetophobics go through every day in states of anxiety and it can often lead to developing eating disorders. Living Phobia Free will enable you to no longer worry about illness and disease and cope even when feeling sick. One of the things many emeotophobics say is they would like to be able to go out and get drunk or enjoy going out to a restaurant. As weird as this sounds it makes sense because then they can enjoy a social life without the worry of feeling sick if they drink too much or get food poisoning.
Whatever your phobia, avoidance will only be a strategy for so long before you have to deal with the fact that at some time in our lives we all need medical care. Let's make it so you are calm and relaxed so you can be healthy and Live Phobia Free
Travel Phobias
Flying phobias, driving phobias, train phobias, bridges, tunnels & lifts (elevators)
Imagine being able to go where you want, when you want with no fear or anxiety.
Logical reasoning doesn't help overcome a phobia, knowing for example that flying is the safest form of transport that doesn't change the fact if someone is fearful. As we travel farther afield and transport becomes faster the number of people who experience phobias related to travel is increasing. Phobias are not restricted solely to people who have had a bad experience whether in a plane, by car or any other mode of transport even experienced drivers and pilots and aircrew can develop phobias.
Having worked with a formula 1 racing driver who took a spin and developed anxiety for driving at high speed which obviously affected his performance I have seen even the best and bravest of us suffer as well as seen how quickly this can change with the right approach.
No matter how long you have been phobic nor how severe your fears there is a solution that will help you to become a safer traveler.
Check out the testimonial page where I share some feedback from just a few of the clients who now Live Phobia Free.
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How a North sea fisherman who had to make 8 flights to see his new ship being built overcame his flying phobia.
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How a dad of 3 finally flew on holiday with his children to Orlando
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How Shirley who failed her driving test 36 times eventually passed on National TV
Then email and arrange a no-obligation conversation.
Spatial Phobias
Agoraphobia and Claustrophobia
Of all the phobia group which seems to have the biggest negative impact on a persons life, the spatial phobias win hands down. Although most people use avoidance to deal with their phobias for anyone suffering from agoraphobia or claustrophobia avoidance can often mean feeling stuck at home and unable to go out and live a fulfilling meaningful life.
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If you have been suffering and unable to get out or about or your travel is limited then please be assured there is a respite and there is help. Over the nearly 20 years I have been coaching I have met and worked with a number of people with extreme chronic phobias including people housebound for 8, 15 and on one occasion even 40 years. For all chronic long term sufferers, I ask them to book in for the Living Phobia Free Breakthrough Programme and to also budget for a follow up session in case we need the extra work time.
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Home Visits Can Be Arranged - Because of COVID all home visits have been put on hold until further notice.
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Check out the testimonials and then email and arrange a no-obligation conversation about how to Live Phobia Free
Animal Phobias
All creatures great and small
Many people with phobias are unable to even see pictures of animals (and in some cases even the written word) so it would be cruel to surprise anyone with a picture of the critter they are phobic of. Which is why I won't be showing any nor mentioning any names of animals.
Because most phobics reactions are to be terrified; most of the TV work I have done involves working with people with animal phobias simply because it makes for good TV viewing.
The most important thing to be aware of is; whether on TV on a live training with a demonstration subject, or in the coaching room' at no time do we subject a person to the animal they are phobic of while they are still fearful. On TV or on a training, the testing is done after the work has been done and the person is no longer fearful. For private clients the testing is always done by yourself when you will feel comfortable and at a rate and speed that works for you. Check out testimonials from past clients WARNING critters names are mentioned there.
No matter what the critter is whether large or small, email to arrange a no-obligation conversation so you can learn how to Live Phobia Free
Complex Phobias
A number of multiple Phobias which may seem connected or appear to have no relationship
Some people find that they are fearful of a number of different events and situations the term for this is a "complex phobia" meaning its not a complicated process to treat them but it's the relationship between the different phobias which seems complex.
A complex phobia is created after someone first experiences an event or situation which the mind perceives as being a threat, the protection mechanism known as "flight or fight" goes into action and a phobic response is learned. The human mind is a great learning machine and the protection mechanism can seem to spread to other often seemingly unrelated situations or events. What in fact is happening in the learning machine (unconscious mind) is that believes and learns that other events and situations are similar so it puts them into the category of "other things to be fearful of".
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The relationship between the various phobias may not be evident to the person who is experiencing them nor even to the practitioner who is helping them to overcome their phobias - but it is evident to the protection mechanism which is why when working with complex phobias hypnotherapy is particularly effective as it's a means of communicating to the unconscious mind. The treatment is to teach the flight or fight mechanism to downgrade its reactions and to do the same for ALL of the "other things to be fearful of".
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When working to clear one phobia the unconscious mind (learning machine) then learns to clear the other phobias. So the great news is that no matter how many phobias you have they can all be treated and many clients find as one phobia is cleared others seem to simply fade away also.
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Some clients do require a number of sessions in order to clear the stress chemistry from the system which may have been building up over years.
To find out what is needed simply email to arrange a conversation so we can discuss how to Live Phobia Free. Let's Talk