Transform Your Life: Behavioral Therapies for Phobias
Your Fearless Future Starts Here!
Your heart races. Your fingers tingle, and all you can think about is the intense fear rising inside of you.
Sound familiar? An intense and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity marks phobias. We’re not talking about the terror you faced when your child tried to walk across the street or your friend jumped from behind the wall and said boo. While those can be scary situations, phobias are a bit different. Phobia fear goes beyond normal levels of anxiety, leading to extreme avoidance and significant distress, interfering with daily life.
Here are some signs that you may be struggling with phobias:
1. Irrational Fear
The fear associated with a phobia is typically disproportionate to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation.
2. Physical Symptoms
Exposure to the feared object or situation can trigger physical symptoms like trembling, sweating, screaming, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, and panic attacks.
3. Avoidance Behavior
Phobia sufferers avoid feared objects or situations, disrupting daily life, work, and relationships.
Have you checked out the list above, and now you’re unsure if your fear is rational or closer to a phobia?
Take our phobia test below:
What are the Common Types of Phobias?
Phobias stem from experiences, learned behaviors, brain chemistry, and genetics. They develop gradually, all at once, without an apparent cause or from a traumatic event causing feelings of fear, embarrassment, anxiety, or shame. Reinforced by emotional avoidance, phobias can turn into a never-ending cycle.
We classify irrational fears into 3 types of phobias. Those include:
Specific Phobias
Intense fear of specific objects like frogs, bugs, dogs, or needles.
Social Phobias
Intense fear of social situations, performance situations, embarrassment, or being judged by others.
Agoraphobia
Intense fear of being in a situation where the person may become overwhelmed or unable to escape. As such, the person often avoids new places and unfamiliar situations, like open or enclosed spaces, crowds, or public transportation.
How We Can Help: 6 Types of Behavioral Therapies for Phobias
While several different behavioral approaches to treating phobias exist, the Finding Solutions Team uses current and recognized methods to treat specific phobias. At our clinic, you might encounter the following types of therapy:
1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Changing thinking and behavior patterns contributing to the phobia.
2. Exposure Therapy
Formerly known as systematic desensitization therapy. This method involves gradually exposing a client to a specific phobia/ situation in a controlled and safe manner, moving from low exposure (less fear) and progressively increasing the exposure toward more fear. Repeated exposure aims to help you overcome your fear and achieve long-term results.
3. Coping and Relaxation Techniques
We’ll take you through guided imagery, visualizations, mindfulness, and deep breathing to help you reduce anxiety.
4. Cognitive Restructuring
Let’s replace those negative and irrational thoughts with more realistic, logical, positive, and balanced beliefs.
5. Confidence and Mastery
When you and your loved ones stop avoiding your fears and start confronting them, you become less scared and anxious. This helps you feel more confident and better about yourself, encouraging you to face your fear positively.
6. Collaborative Medication
If you’ve been prescribed medication, our team will collaborate with our psychiatric affiliates to give you the best collective experience.
Systematic desensitization therapy is a well-supported therapeutic approach backed by scientific evidence. This means it has undergone rigorous testing and research, demonstrating its effectiveness. Numerous studies highlight the success of gradual exposure in treating anxiety disorders, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Though these behavioral therapies have proven themselves successful in treating phobias, your therapist might suggest one approach or a combination of two. Rest assured, we will develop the appropriate treatment plan for you or your loved one. Phobias can be highly distressing and limiting. But there is good news. With proper treatment, many people with phobias can lead normal, happy, and fulfilling lives.