Overcome your phobia obstacles

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Natalie Timperio

Senior InsideOut Editor

So you’ve got a persistent, irrational fear of an object, activity or situation, and it leads to an intense desire to do anything in your power to avoid it?

Yeah, you’ve got a phobia.

It may cause difficulty breathing, a racing heartbeat, body tremors, a churning stomach or excessive sweating, which might require you to purchase bulk quantities of deodorant.

You may experience intense feelings of overwhelming panic and anxiety, borderline insanity or feeling as if death is upon you.

The bottom line is, unfortunately for you, when you encounter your phobia, you’re paralysed with a fear like none other. Unless you want to live with it for the rest of your life, in which case I advise you to shut yourself away in a cave right now (so long as you don’t have speluncaphobia, a fear of caves), then allow me to offer you some unqualified advice.

Revert to younger years

No, I do not mean cowering into fetal position upon encountering your phobia. Chances are, if you have a phobia, it’s more than likely a result of some traumatic childhood experience that’s somehow nested itself in your subconscious. So, try to think back to a moment in your prepubescent years when you may have experienced a life-altering moment that caused you great pain and anxiety. Often addressing the root cause of a phobia can help you to understand why you have a phobia in the first place. You can then thank your parents for a wonderful upbringing.

Take it easy, lemon squeezy 

Try calming techniques upon encountering your phobia. If you can visualize something happy, then perhaps your phobia will seem less frightening. And if shutting your eyes for just a moment to picture something comical is simply not feasible, try squeezing a stress ball; they’re a great and easy way to release tension without too much effort. Breathing exercises can help to settle your nerves as well.

Self-help with hypnotherapy 

Those crazy pendulum swinging dudes have it right – hypnosis can help to unlock those latent causes of phobia in your subconscious. We’re not born with phobias; they’re something we develop through experience. Your subconscious holds on to early instances of great fear and seeks to avoid repeating them. Hypnotherapy can delve into your subconscious in a way that you may not be able to do on your own.

Insist on the list

Make a list of all the situations that may lead to an awakening of your phobia. This has often been termed “the fear ladder.” Arrange your list items from mild to intense scenarios. Assign a final goal to each – what steps can you take to overcome this fear-inducing situation? Beginning with the least fearful situation, take the steps necessary to overcome your phobia in that particular situation. In time, you’ll be able to work your way up the fear ladder to overcome the worst of them all.

If all of this fails, then best of luck to you. You’re going to need it.