Phobias: Symptoms & Support in York, Manchester & online

What are Phobias?

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, it is an extreme form of fear which is overwhelming and incapacitating, and triggered by a particular object, animal, situation, or place.

A fear can become a phobia when your sense of fear is disproportionate to the real threat and interferes with how you go about your everyday life.

As a phobia causes a sensation of uncontrollable anxiety and panic when exposed to the source of fear, you may feel the need to avoid the trigger at all costs, even if that means organising your life around contact with what you are afraid.

Many people have phobias, with the impact ranging from uncomfortable to severely debilitating.

 

Symptoms of Phobias

Everyone will have different symptoms and ways their body will react to their phobia, but there are often some common symptoms. You may feel intense distress when you see, think, or talk about the source for your phobia.

 

Physical symptoms can include:

Light-headedness

Dizziness

Panic attacks

Nausea

Sweating

Trembling

Chest tightness

Stomach pain.

 

Psychological symptoms can  include:

Fear of fainting

Fear of dying

Feeling disoriented

Feeling detached from your body.

 

How to deal with Phobias

For some people, avoiding the source of fear is possible and can help your phobia to feel manageable, but there are other self-help techniques which you could try.

Relaxation and mindfulness techniques can help you to relax and control your breathing. Combining this with visualisation techniques, where you mentally visualise how you’ll successfully deal with a situation that could cause anxiety can be helpful to build your confidence in being able to cope with the source of your phobia.

You might find that avoiding or reducing caffeine and other stimulants helps you to manage your anxiety.

You could join a self-help group which can be a useful way of meeting others with similar experiences and sharing ways of coping.

 

How we can help with Phobias

For many, phobias can be manageable when the source of the fear is avoided, and self-help techniques are followed. However, if avoiding the trigger object, situation, place or activity affects your everyday life, or causes you distress, then it may be time to seek professional help.

Our team of expert therapists can offer you a range of specialist psychological therapies to suit your needs. Our starting point for therapy is to offer an individual consultation to think with you about your worries or concerns and identify the approach to therapy that is most likely to help.

As an independent therapy service, we are delighted to be able to provide a highly personalised approach, informed by clinical research and best practice, professional expertise, and your own preferences.

We understand that seeking therapy can be daunting and that taking the first step can be challenging. We have a team of trained experts who can work with you to design a bespoke and flexible treatment that works best, which is available at our clinics in York, Manchester and online.

Please get in touch using the form below to find out more about how we can help.