A phobia is an extreme form of fear which is excessive in comparison to the level of threat posed by the situation or object which triggered it. It can be triggered by a wide variety of objects and situations – at Bon Accord Hypnotherapy I have helped people with phobias about flying, dentists, dogs, heights, even fish to name but a few. For those of you who like lists and names click here!

Those of us who have experienced a phobic reaction know only too well how different it is from simply being scared or disliking something. Many of us dislike spiders. We may even ask someone else to deal with one when it in our house. However for some one who experiences a phobia, the physical and emotional symptoms triggered can be utterly overwhelming. And if the subject of your phobia is commonly occurring, it is not unusual for people to organise their lives around avoiding it.

Symptoms may include:

• Dizziness, even fainting
• Nausea and vomiting
• Panic
• Crying and screaming
• An overwhelming need to run away
• Increased heart rate or palpitations
• Shaking

My own experience

How do I know all of this? Because I’ve been there. You’ll notice there are no pictures on this page of things that people tend to be scared of. I understand how distressing they can be. I was once described by a Professor at the Glasgow Dental School as the worst dental phobic he had ever seen and he openly admitted that he didn’t know what to do with me. Even toothpaste adverts on the TV would trigger a response and the fact that I managed to sit through my sister’s graduation (yes, she is a dentist!) is still a source of amazement to me.

Despite 30 plus years of this however, I’m about to have extensive dental work done thanks to years of neglect and am actually looking forward to it! So how did I manage it? Solution Focused Hypnotherapy of course. Even my sister is impressed!