Phobias - What They Are And How To Get Rid Of Them With NLP

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Phobias - What They Are And How To Get Rid Of Them With NLP

Author: Alan Densky | Total views: 81 | Word Count: 1239 | Category: Psychology | Date: Jul 10th 2007

Search for: phobia, phobias, phobic, panic attack, panicky, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, hypnosis, hypnotherapy, systematic desensitization, v/k disassociation, NLP

DEFINITION AND SYMPTOMS OF PHOBIAS:
A phobia can be defined as a fear not based in a real situation. When a person experiences a panic attack, they get terrified feelings; their respiration and heart rates increase; they may experience feeling choked up like their heart is in their throat; their palms very often get sweaty; they may hear the sound of ringing in their ears; and they often find that they are unable to participate in an activity. These feelings push the individual to avoid the activities and environments that cause them.

SOME EXAMPLES OF PHOBIAS:
For example, if a person has a fear of driving, they would show evidence of these symptoms when they endeavor to drive, or possibly even when they think about driving. Or a terror attack may well come about only when driving in certain places like across railroad tracks.

The irrational fear of talking in front of a group of people is a very widespread phobia. The frightened feelings appear when the person begins to talk in front of a person that they are frightened by, or they might experience fearful feelings only in front of an assembly of people. The number of people in the crowd of people can vary. This irrational fear can be triggered by fears of inadequacy, or a lack of self-assurance.

Those who suffer from social anxiety disorder can get extremely panicky just being around other people, even people that they are acquainted with. It's a fear of being criticized or evaluated by others. This fear can be triggered in almost any type of social relations. A person could be standing on line at a variety store and get stressful feelings as they imagine having to talk to the cashier while they checkout.

The fear of taking a test (which is commonly known as test anxiety) is quite a very common phobia. Phobias to taking tests are rooted in comparing yourself to other people, and is deeply rooted in a fear of failing.

People have experienced irrational fears to every kind of experience under the sun. For instance: Bugs; animals; snakes; high places; flying; small enclosed places; and even the great outdoors.

Agoraphobia is generally defined as a fear of open spaces. However, this definition is very misleading because Agoraphobics are really afraid of having a panic attack, wherever they may happen to be. This phobia is developed when a person begins to avoid places or situations they have associated with anxiety. For example, they could have a panic attack at home, church, or in a grocery store.

For many phobics, once the panic attacks have begun, they begin to expect them to occur. And this expectation actually triggers them with increasing frequency. Other people experience fearful feelings on a continuous basis. These feelings cause an overall sense of discomfort, rather than panic.

OBTAINABLE FORMS OF TREATMENT

DRUGS:
Some physicians treat their patients with sedatives, which can make the phobia worse over prolonged usage. Sedatives do not take care of the underlying origin of a phobia; they only camouflage some of the symptoms.

TALK THERAPY:
Some therapists advocate "Talk Therapy." Talk therapy is just talking about what is bothering you. Unfortunately, talking about or even thinking about a situation or environment that causes a panic attack can trigger one!

HYPNOSIS:
Traditional self-hypnosis has been used to treat phobias, but with severely limited success. Traditional hypnotic therapy is accomplished when the hypnotist places the client in a relaxed state of self hypnosis and then gives him post-hypnotic commands or suggestions. Since most people in this generation question and resist direct post-hypnotic suggestions, they also reject the concept that they will be more relaxed and at ease when they encounter the environment or situation that causes their panic attacks.

SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION:
Systematic Desensitization is the practice of slowly desensitizing a phobic person to the circumstances or environment that causes a panic attack. For example, if a person wanted to dive from a high diving board but she fears it, she is asked to first dive from a height that she feels confident about. She dives in and realizes that nothing bad happened and that she is secure.

The next thing she is asked is to dive from the first step of the ladder going up to the diving board. Again, she dives in and realizes that nothing bad happened and that she is again safe.

Over a period of time the woman is asked to dive in from increasingly higher steps on the ladder going up to the diving board. Each time she dives in and realizes that nothing bad happened and that she is safe, she is able to move up to the next rung. If she experiences fear, then she is told to step back down one rung on the ladder and dive from there until she feels complete comfort and security. In due course she makes it to the top of the ladder and dives in from the high board.

SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION WHILE IN THE STATE OF HYPNOSIS:
Systematic Desensitization can be done literally while in a hypnotic state with as good as or better results. While in a relaxed state of self-hypnosis, the woman would be told to visualize herself diving in from each rung of the ladder. She would be told to visualize herself feeling confident and relaxed as she watches herself dive in. Since she is actually disassociated while visualizing herself, she is unable to trigger a panic attack.

Next she is told to associate, in other words to put the camera inside of her head so she would see what she would see through her eyes if she was actually diving in from each step of the ladder. She is told to imagine feeling safe and relaxed as she dives in.

Just as in a live (in vivo) systematic desensitization, if she feels any anxiety she is asked to go back to the previous lower step on the ladder and visualize diving in from there. The woman might be taught to generate a kinesthetic (feeling or touch) "anchor" of feelings of safety and security. She could then set off that anchor while imagining that she is diving, and the feelings of safety and security could be subjectively transferred to the act of diving.

Systematic Desensitization while in hypnosis can be exceptionally powerful and totally successful, but is can also be slow and take several hypnotic sessions to bring about a cure.

NLP (NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING) V/K DISASSOCIATION:
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the study and practice of how we create our reality. The V/K stands for visual / kinesthetic. The V/K Disassociation is a technique that enables a trained NLP Practitioner to guide a subject through specific imagery that quickly and in many cases instantly disconnects or disassociates the feelings of terror from the irrational fear that causes them. The V/K Disassociation is known as the "One session phobia cure" in Neuro-Linguistic Programming circles, and with good reason.

CONCLUSION:
Irrational fears are common in our civilization. They are fears that are not based in reality. There are many techniques for treating phobias, but thus far in my opinion, the best finest available are Systematic Desensitization while in the state of self hypnosis, and the Neuro-Linguistic Programming V/K Disassociation technique.

Article Source: ArticleSoft.com

About the Author

Alan B. Densky, CH is a trained hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner who's been in practice since 1978. He can be reached through his Neuro-VISION Self-Hypnosis site where he offers hypnosis CDs for phobias. Visit his hypnosis article index, or download a free MP3.

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DEFINITION AND SYMPTOMS OF PHOBIAS: 
A phobia can be defined as a fear not based in a real situation. When a person experiences a panic attack, they get terrified feelings; their respiration and heart rates increase; they may experience feeling choked up like their heart is in their throat; their palms very often get sweaty; they may hear the sound of ringing in their ears; and they often find that they are unable to participate in an activity. These feelings push the individual to avoid the activities and environments that cause them. 
 
SOME EXAMPLES OF PHOBIAS: 
For example, if a person has a fear of driving, they would show evidence of these symptoms when they endeavor to drive, or possibly even when they think about driving. Or a terror attack may well come about only when driving in certain places like across railroad tracks. 
 
The irrational fear of talking in front of a group of people is a very widespread phobia. The frightened feelings appear when the person begins to talk in front of a person that they are frightened by, or they might experience fearful feelings only in front of an assembly of people. The number of people in the crowd of people can vary. This irrational fear can be triggered by fears of inadequacy, or a lack of self-assurance. 
 
Those who suffer from social anxiety disorder can get extremely panicky just being around other people, even people that they are acquainted with. It's a fear of being criticized or evaluated by others. This fear can be triggered in almost any type of social relations. A person could be standing on line at a variety store and get stressful feelings as they imagine having to talk to the cashier while they checkout. 
 
The fear of taking a test (which is commonly known as test anxiety) is quite a very common phobia. Phobias to taking tests are rooted in comparing yourself to other people, and is deeply rooted in a fear of failing. 
 
People have experienced irrational fears to every kind of experience under the sun. For instance: Bugs; animals; snakes; high places; flying; small enclosed places; and even the great outdoors. 
 
Agoraphobia is generally defined as a fear of open spaces. However, this definition is very misleading because Agoraphobics are really afraid of having a panic attack, wherever they may happen to be. This phobia is developed when a person begins to avoid places or situations they have associated with anxiety. For example, they could have a panic attack at home, church, or in a grocery store. 
 
For many phobics, once the panic attacks have begun, they begin to expect them to occur. And this expectation actually triggers them with increasing frequency. Other people experience fearful feelings on a continuous basis. These feelings cause an overall sense of discomfort, rather than panic. 
 
OBTAINABLE FORMS OF TREATMENT 
 
DRUGS: 
Some physicians treat their patients with sedatives, which can make the phobia worse over prolonged usage. Sedatives do not take care of the underlying origin of a phobia; they only camouflage some of the symptoms. 
 
TALK THERAPY: 
Some therapists advocate "Talk Therapy." Talk therapy is just talking about what is bothering you. Unfortunately, talking about or even thinking about a situation or environment that causes a panic attack can trigger one! 
 
HYPNOSIS: 
Traditional self-hypnosis has been used to treat phobias, but with severely limited success. Traditional hypnotic therapy is accomplished when the hypnotist places the client in a relaxed state of self hypnosis and then gives him post-hypnotic commands or suggestions. Since most people in this generation question and resist direct post-hypnotic suggestions, they also reject the concept that they will be more relaxed and at ease when they encounter the environment or situation that causes their panic attacks. 
 
SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION: 
Systematic Desensitization is the practice of slowly desensitizing a phobic person to the circumstances or environment that causes a panic attack. For example, if a person wanted to dive from a high diving board but she fears it, she is asked to first dive from a height that she feels confident about. She dives in and realizes that nothing bad happened and that she is secure. 
 
The next thing she is asked is to dive from the first step of the ladder going up to the diving board. Again, she dives in and realizes that nothing bad happened and that she is again safe. 
 
Over a period of time the woman is asked to dive in from increasingly higher steps on the ladder going up to the diving board. Each time she dives in and realizes that nothing bad happened and that she is safe, she is able to move up to the next rung. If she experiences fear, then she is told to step back down one rung on the ladder and dive from there until she feels complete comfort and security. In due course she makes it to the top of the ladder and dives in from the high board. 
 
SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION WHILE IN THE STATE OF HYPNOSIS: 
Systematic Desensitization can be done literally while in a hypnotic state with as good as or better results. While in a relaxed state of self-hypnosis, the woman would be told to visualize herself diving in from each rung of the ladder. She would be told to visualize herself feeling confident and relaxed as she watches herself dive in. Since she is actually disassociated while visualizing herself, she is unable to trigger a panic attack. 
 
Next she is told to associate, in other words to put the camera inside of her head so she would see what she would see through her eyes if she was actually diving in from each step of the ladder. She is told to imagine feeling safe and relaxed as she dives in. 
 
Just as in a live (in vivo) systematic desensitization, if she feels any anxiety she is asked to go back to the previous lower step on the ladder and visualize diving in from there. The woman might be taught to generate a kinesthetic (feeling or touch) "anchor" of feelings of safety and security. She could then set off that anchor while imagining that she is diving, and the feelings of safety and security could be subjectively transferred to the act of diving. 
 
Systematic Desensitization while in hypnosis can be exceptionally powerful and totally successful, but is can also be slow and take several hypnotic sessions to bring about a cure. 
 
NLP (NEURO-LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING) V/K DISASSOCIATION: 
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the study and practice of how we create our reality. The V/K stands for visual / kinesthetic. The V/K Disassociation is a technique that enables a trained NLP Practitioner to guide a subject through specific imagery that quickly and in many cases instantly disconnects or disassociates the feelings of terror from the irrational fear that causes them. The V/K Disassociation is known as the "One session phobia cure" in Neuro-Linguistic Programming circles, and with good reason. 
 
CONCLUSION: 
Irrational fears are common in our civilization. They are fears that are not based in reality. There are many techniques for treating phobias, but thus far in my opinion, the best finest available are Systematic Desensitization while in the state of self hypnosis, and the Neuro-Linguistic Programming V/K Disassociation technique. Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesoft.com" target="_blank">ArticleSoft.com</a> About the Author: Alan B. Densky, CH is a trained hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner who's been in practice since 1978. He can be reached through his <a href="http://www.neuro-vision.us/">Neuro-VISION Self-Hypnosis site</a> where he offers <a href="http://www.neuro-vision.us/Products/AudioAgoraphobiaHypnosisTapes.htm">hypnosis CDs for phobias</a>. Visit his <a href="http://www.neuro-vision.us/Hypnosis-Article-Index.html">hypnosis article index</a>, or download a free MP3.