Phobias

Phobias

Anxiety Panic Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Phobia Therapy in Farnham Surrey by Anna Kenyon

A phobia is a debilitating and intense fear of an object, place, feeling, situation or animal. They occur when an individual has an exaggerated and unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object. The intense fear will drive the person to go to great lengths to avoid the source of the phobia, reinforcing the belief that they would not be able to cope with the feelings exposure would generate. Exposure or thinking about the source of the phobia may induce feelings of panic and may be accompanied by an array of physical symptoms such as light headedness, palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea and sweating.

There are two main categories of phobia: simple phobias and complex phobias. Simple phobias centre around a particular object, situation, activity or animal. Through gradual exposure an individual experiencing a simple phobia will learn to manage the anxiety associated with the phobia and over time the anxiety levels will reduce. Complex phobias tend to be more debilitating than simple phobias and generally involve a deep-rooted fear about a situation (e.g. agoraphobia or social phobia) leading to an individual withdrawing from any activity in which they suspect the anxiety associated with their phobia will be triggered. Again, reversing the pattern of avoidance, reducing the perception of risk, and increasing the individual’s perception of their coping resources will gradually reduce the anxiety associated with the complex phobia. Phobias are very treatable and The Psychology Clinic has a high success rate in treating both simple and complex phobias.

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Thank you for making my future more fulfilling

Attendee of the CMP group work suffering from anxiety and panic disorder.

If you would like to arrange an appointment or if you would like to speak to someone to discuss whether treatment at The Psychology Clinic may be suitable for you, please call Irenie Phillips, Practice Manager, on 07561 371 053 or e-mail Irenie on info@thepsychologyclinic.org.uk