Phobias

Phobias

Understanding Phobias

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes an individual to experience intense, irrational fear about a specific situation, living creature, place, or object. While fear and phobia may seem similar, there is a key difference.

Try this question:

“How much would I have to pay you to face your fear?”

A person with a fear might pause and say, “For a million pounds, I could pick up a spider or board a plane.” In other words, under certain conditions, they could tolerate it.

But a person with a phobia often replies, “No amount of money could make me do that.”
For them, the reaction is automatic, overwhelming, and completely non-negotiable.

Living with a Phobia

People with phobias often reshape their lives to avoid the trigger. This might mean never flying, avoiding lifts, refusing to go near deep water, or calling someone else to remove a spider from the house. The fear is so extreme that avoidance becomes the only option—no matter how irrational it may seem.

Even when individuals know their reaction is irrational, the fear response remains completely outside their control.

Fast Facts on Phobias

  • Over 2.5 million people in the UK suffer from a phobia.
  • Phobias are not limited to obvious fears like spiders or heights—they can develop around virtually anything.
  • Physical symptoms can include:
    • Rapid heartbeat
    • Shortness of breath
    • Sweating and trembling
    • Nausea or dizziness
    • Confusion or disorientation
    • A choking sensation or chest tightness
    • Pins and needles
    • Dry mouth and hot flushes

Most Common Phobias in the UK

  • Claustrophobia – Fear of enclosed spaces
  • Aerophobia – Fear of flying
  • Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders
  • Driving phobia – Fear of driving
  • Emetophobia – Fear of vomiting
  • Erythrophobia – Fear of blushing
  • Hypochondria – Fear of becoming ill
  • Aquaphobia – Fear of water
  • Acrophobia – Fear of heights
  • Nomophobia – Fear of being without a mobile phone (a more modern phobia)

What Causes a Phobia?

Most phobias begin in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood, and rarely develop after age 30. There are three common origin stories:

1. Learned Behaviour

A child observes a parent or caregiver panicking in response to a trigger—like a spider—and internalises that this is the “correct” response. Over time, the subconscious accepts this behaviour as essential for survival.

2. Overwhelming First Experience

Sometimes, a person’s first encounter with the object of fear is so emotionally intense that it forms a lasting psychological imprint, even if the situation itself wasn’t dangerous.

3. Emotional Misassociation

An intense emotional event (e.g. trauma, grief, or fear) happens while a neutral object—like a button—is present. The subconscious links the emotion to that object, even though it wasn’t the cause. This is how highly unusual phobias develop.

Once it’s ingrained, it’s ingrained.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be changed.

Treatment: Why B.W.R.T Works Best

Traditional therapies may try to rationalise or expose someone to their fear. While sometimes helpful, these approaches can be slow or emotionally distressing.

BWRT (BrainWorking Recursive Therapy) works differently.
It bypasses the conscious mind and targets the root of the fear where it lives—in the subconscious. Often, the phobia can be resolved in a single session, without requiring the individual to confront their fear directly.

BWRT is fast, effective, and one of the few therapies with consistent success in eliminating phobias completely.

Take the First Step Toward Freedom

Whether your phobia is a daily nuisance or something that limits your quality of life, it can be resolved. You can feel calm, in control, and free to live without avoidance.. Contact me today here to overcome a phobia!