Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder where one have a persistent, irrational or excessive fear of certain things, places or situations, and this fear impacts upon one’s life. There are a number of causes of phobias and the signs of phobias are similar to those of other anxiety disorders. Dont get worried phobias can be effectively treated with professional help.
Causes of Phobia
There are many different things that can cause phobias. Often, if someone has had an experience that has led to the phobia developing. For example, he/she may have been jumped on and knocked over by a dog, and felt very distressed which could lead to a phobia of dogs developing, or been eating a peanut butter sandwich for the first time and felt like they had it stuck to the roof of their mouth and couldn’t breathe – this might create a phobia of peanut butter sandwiches.
Types of Phobia
- Fear of being taken away from a safe place – This could mean driving, leaving the house, travelling by bus, train, plane, car, losing your keys that unlock your house, a method of transport breaking down outside of your safe zone.
- Fear of being trapped and confined – This phobia often goes together with the phobia above. examples include, meetings, cinemas, Lifts, theme park rides, trains that break down.
- Social Fears – Meeting new people, socialising , public speaking, eating in front of others
- Fears of Natural Phenomena – Thunder and lightning, storms, water, heights or darkness, the sky
- Fears of Health and Illness-Vomiting, hospitals, needles, seeing blood or worry of serious illness.
Overcoming a Phobia
Identify Your fears and face it.
Write down your Goals.
Make a coping strategy.
To know that being afraid is perfectly normal and alright.
Pics of Workshop on Overcoming Phobias held on 11-6-2017: