Why are they so tenacious?

manage phobiasFinding the motivation to challenge a phobia is tough.

Why?

Because you have to want the discomfort of the fear long enough to teach your brain a new neural pathway. Remember that neurons that fire together wire together, so every time you indulge your fear, it actually gets stronger. Your brain learns from experience, so to change the fear, you have to give it a different experience. That means facing the fear instead of avoiding it.

You are in the habit of reacting the same way over and over. Your fear becomes your go-to reaction, what you train yourself to expect.

What are the most common fears?

The top five fears in America are: critters, heights, tight spaces, flying and water, closely followed by the dentist, blood, bad weather, crowds and the hospital. I have treated others that may seem unusual, but are not as uncommon as you might think, such as fear of vomit or fear of chewing gum. At their base, they are all forms of anxiety, which often leads to depression.

How do you get rid of phobias?

The weird but true paradox about your fear is that you must be willing to feel your fear in order to reduce it. You have to want the challenge of facing it—gently facing it—so together we will create real scenarios that allow you to genuinely manage your fears in a graduated manner at a pace you can tolerate. There is no set “recipe” for this because it is highly individualized.

manage phobias and fears

Why bother?

Because you are worth the challenge!

I realize that may not sound very appealing, but what is worse? Staying with these phobias and fears that keep you from fully living, or learning that you can be the boss of your own personal bully?

Call me now if you are ready to fight for change. You can do it.

I can gently coach you through this. And you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. When you are ready, so am I. Call me or shoot me an email and let’s get started.

Let’s untangle those anxious thoughts together.