Phobias are uncontrollable and irrational fears of objects or situations. Common phobias include Agoraphobia (a fear of open spaces) Acrophobia (a fear of heights) animal, airplane, doctor, dentist, thunder and lightening phobias and Arachnophobia (a fear of spiders) In addition, people suffer from what are termed "social" phobias and these can include a fear of public speaking, being watched at work or whist they are eating, a fear of crowds or examinations or even blushing in public. This type of phobia generally makes the sufferer feel that s/he is being negatively evaluated by others.

Though simple phobias can sometimes last for years they are relatively easy to treat, mainly by the sufferer gradually facing the threat (the technical term being the rather awkward sounding "sensitive desensitization") Sufferers of simple phobias usually function at a normal level in most aspects of their daily lives. With social phobias, however, there may well be more serious underlying causes and these can include previous disturbed life-experiences, genetics and even, though perhaps more rarely, brain chemistry.

Phobias tend to vary in severity among individuals. Some people simply avoid the subject of their fear and suffer only relatively mild anxiety over that fear. Others suffer fully-fledged panic attacks with all the associated disabling symptoms.

Dealing with phobias

If you can identify any threatening thoughts associated with your phobia, it is very helpful to try to write them down and "challenge" them. For example:

FRIGHTENING THOUGHT:
I cannot face crossing a road. I might get hit by a car.

RATIONAL THOUGHT:
If I look both ways when crossing a road, the chances of me
being hit by a car are probably one in a million, if that

FRIGHTENING THOUGHT:
Everyone at works seems to watching me

RATIONAL THOUGHT:
Chances are, they are simply looking in my direction,
and I happen to be in their range of view

If your fears are about making a fool of yourself and being judged negatively, remind yourself of your positive qualities, and of the times in the past when you have coped with similar situations, got on well with people, or have received positive comments from others. You may well be much more critical of your own imagined failings than those of others. Similarly, others are likely to be unaware of, or uninterested in your failings.

Pyschotherapy

If your phobias are making you uncomfortable, and you cannot help but avoid seemingly normal situations or events simply because you are terrified of what may happen to you, or if you cannot apply rational thought to what you know intellectually to be an irrational feeling then you may need help.

Most importantly, if you believe that you are suffering because of what may have happened to you in the past, then seeking the help of a psychotherapist may well be the answer. During the therapeutic session/s, you will be encouraged to look at past events and to apply different thought processes that will enable you to lead a normal life. Hypnosis may come into play in this instance, but if you feel you are not ready for this particular approach, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a matter of course will be utilised to help you understand the cycle of negative thought patterns and enable you to learn ways of overcoming them.