Phobia Therapy

If you live in or around Birmingham, or have access to video conferencing, and have been asking, “Is there a phobia therapist near me?”, then come to me here at Your Mind Therapy.  

Everyone is afraid of something. In fact, fear is a natural and important part of the human psyche. It makes us cautious around danger, it warns us to take action when needed, and it stops us from making bad decisions. However, sometimes fear can stop us from doing things that could improve our quality of life, and it can hinder us from doing the things we love. 

What is a phobia and how can you identify if you have one? 

It is an irrational, overwhelming fear of something that continues to impact on your life for an extended period of time. Sometimes, we may experience a difficulty or a trauma that, for a time, makes us feel anxious. This is an understandable response to a bad experience. However, if the anxiety continues for many months and years after the event, and it becomes debilitating, then you can class your fear as a phobia. It is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is something you can learn to manage, or even overcome with time and support from phobia therapy.

They can come about for a number of different reasons. For example, it can be due to some kind of recent or past trauma, or it can be a learned behaviour from early childhood. If your parents, or a relative seems to suffer from phobia’s then you may be more likely to develop phobias yourself.  However, exactly what you fear will usually be connected to some past experience or an idea that has somehow become seated in your mind. Therefore, using therapy for phobias can really help you to recover from your irrational fear. 

Other Symptoms of a Phobia 

Because phobias can cause an excessive amount of fear that has the power to stop you from doing the thing you love, it can mean that you may find yourself feeling isolated and limited in your capacity. This in turn can lead to more anxiety, depression, and even the development of other phobias.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Phobias 

Because CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is all about challenging the mode of thinking you have learnt, it is an ideal therapy for phobias. By first exploring the reasons behind your fear, we can establish and differentiate between what is an acceptable fear, and what elements we can start to reason on and change your thinking patterns. For example, a person may be scared of snakes because they once witness someone being bitten. This is a reasonable fear. However, if it stops you from going out of doors, or you imagine them in places they are unlikely to be, these are the aspects of the fear we can address and reason on. 

Because a thought always precedes an action, cognitive therapy for phobias means, we will also look at your reactions and behaviours when faced with your phobia. This in turn, helps you to stop feeding the thought and fear that something bad will happen if you do not act. 

Phobia Therapist 

Here at Your Mind Therapy, I (Raj) can help you make the changes you want and need to overcome any phobia that is limiting your life in any way.  By using proven methods such as CBT therapies, along with a holistic approach to your care, we can work together to reduce and even overcome your phobia.  I can help you focus on your end goal and on the things you want to achieve that may seem out of your reach at this moment in time. 

So, when you check online for ‘phobia therapy near me’, make contact today.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.