| Specific Phobias
If you suffer with a phobia, you know you struggle with a certain fear of something, like a fear of flying, or driving, or needles, or germs, or elevators. It could be a fear of public speaking, or taking a test.
Do You Have Any of These Symptoms:
- A fear of something in particular, like flying, or heights, or elevators, spiders, germs, test taking, or public speaking
- The fear is extreme and painful
- You feel really anxious about dealing with that specific fear soon, like an upcoming plane flight, or a scheduled test
- When confronted with the specific phobia, you experience severe anxiety, and you may have a panic attack
- You manage the problem by trying to avoid the phobia, or, enduring the phobia with great pain and distress
You Can Eliminate or Drastically Reduce Your Fears and Conquer Them
CASE STUDY
(The name and identifying details have been changed.)
Bob, age 56, needed help with his intense fear of flying. Most of his family lived in the Midwest, and he flew out at least twice a year to visit them.
Bob was terrified of flying. The anxiety would begin when he made his plane reservations. As he got closer to his trip, Bob would get more and more anxious.
He barely slept the night before the flight. On the morning of the flight, he'd wake up severely anxious and panicky. His heart was pounding, and he felt shaky and unsteady.
As the plane took off, Bob sometimes grabbed onto the stranger sitting next to him, which embarrassed him. Every bump of the flight sent him into panic. By the time he got off the plane, he was exhausted.
Bob came to see me because he thought hypnosis might help. I started by using a hypnosis treatment called "systematic desensitization." This method began by guiding Bob into a state of deep relaxation. Then, I had him imagine each scary step of flying.
In the next step, I'd guide him down deep again into soothing relaxation. We repeated this process over several sessions. By combining profound relaxation with picturing the plane flight, Bob's anxiety about flying started to diminish.
Next, using hypnosis, I had him imagine how he'd like to feel when flying. In a deep state of relaxation, as he mentally rehearsed flying, Bob started to feel more confident he could fly with greater peace and calm.
I also helped Bob change the negative thoughts about flying that were contributing to his anxiety. We created new, realistic and positive thoughts that helped him feel more comfortable and in control on a plane.
After our initial work together, Bob's first flight went a lot better for him, yet he still had some anxiety. We did some more hypnosis work, and we fine-tuned every step so he could be relaxed on a plane.
On his next flight, Bob started to really relax, and felt more secure and self-assured. Soon, Bob surprised himself: he started to fly more, to destinations he had only dreamed about before.
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Possbile Benefits Of Treatment With Me For Specific Phobias:
- Systematically eliminate, or drastically reduce your fears and conquer them
- End the need or desire to avoid the former phobia
- Feel relaxed and confident in a situation that used to frighten you
- Feel free again to participate more fully in your life
- Feel good about yourself again
Are you ready to put a stop to painful fear and be in control again?
I invite you to contact me today to discuss how I can help you resolve your specific phobia.
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