Although it's natural for everyone to have fears, having a phobia is a more significant issue. A phobia is an irrational fear that a sufferer cannot control. Phobias are considered to be a type of anxiety disorder, and often create nervousness and anxiety attacks in an individual. When someone has an intense phobia, they become so determined to stay away from their fear that it interferes with their daily lives and their ability to enjoy life.
Among the most common phobias are arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, acrophobia, the fear of heights, and claustrophobia, a fear of enclosed spaces. The most common phobia is arachnophobia. Although lots of people have a fear of spiders, people with arachnophobia possess an abnormally high amount of fear. Even a photograph or realistic drawing of an arachnid can make some arachnophobes distressed. Some arachnophobes have anxiety attacks or get hysterical at the sight of an arachnid. They might do anything in order to get away from a spider; for example, people with serious arachnophobia might attempt to get out of a moving car if they see a spider in the car.
Sufferers often feel humiliated by their unrestrained responses. Other people and even the sufferers themselves might find their behavior irrational. Their fear of spiders and their reaction to arachnids may escalate into other problems as well. Arachnophobia and other phobias often lead to a condition known as agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia develops when an individual fears being in any potentially stressful place or situation. For someone with arachnophobia, this can mean avoiding any area a spider might be hiding, new places, and even resisting leaving the house or going outdoors altogether. This can negatively interfere with a person's quality of life. A person may be afraid of having anxiety attacks or embarrassing him or herself by losing control. Many people find themselves chronically stressed out over these fears.
People with phobias may struggle with the inability to control their fears. This is due to the fact that the root of the phobia lies at the unconscious level of the mind; so conscious effort or willpower can't work to control a serious phobia. A phobia is best dealt with at the unconscious level, which is why Ericksonian hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques are the most effective phobia treatments.
There are many different programs available for handling phobias. Most use older hypnosis techniques that depend on the use of post-hypnotic suggestions with very specific wording to work against fears. These days, post-hypnotic suggestions often do not work because our generation has a tendency to question and analyze everything. And since today's generation is likely to do the opposite of what they are told, post-hypnotic suggestions are ineffective and they experience a polar response.
Ericksonian hypnosis therapy is different from traditional hypnotherapy because it uses indirect suggestions that are hidden in conversation. That makes them hard for the conscious mind to resist, so they are more likely to make it through to the unconscious mind and be adopted.
The process typically starts by using relaxation hypnosis to make you feel very relaxed and calm. Then, instead of simply "telling" your unconscious mind what to do, Ericksonian techniques use stories and metaphors to guide your mind into a fear-free line of thought.
NLP techniques work by pinpointing the specific thought process that causes an irrational phobia and using it to extinguish the fear. Because of this, NLP can be used on any phobia.
People respond much better to the combination of NLP and Ericksonian techniques than to traditional hypnosis because instead of getting direct commands, the unconscious mind is convinced to follow a new, more logical line of reasoning. These hypnotherapy programs are most effective for people who are logical, critical thinkers and people who like to think on their own.
You don't need a different hypnosis program for each different phobia. One program that includes multiple sessions with the right combination of Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP techniques can treat any phobia. Furthermore, a well-designed program will work for everyone. The mix of different techniques in several different sessions guarantees success for anyone who uses them. By completing each step of the program, people are often amazed at how quickly they beat their fears.
Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP focus on transforming irrational fears and behaviors into calm, collected responses. For many people suffering from crippling fears such as an irrational fear of spiders, this is a life-changing treatment. Hypnosis is a powerful tool for overcoming anxieties and fears to live a better life.
