Hypnotherapy – Treatment for Phobias

In the UK, as many as 10 million people have some kind of phobia. A phobia is a deep-seated response to the fear that can grow into a paralysing disorder. Phobias can develop regardless of age, gender or background. While simple childhood phobia can pass with age, complex phobias are different.

Typically complex phobias stem from a traumatic event or are behaviours learned from others. They become part of a subconscious reaction to a particular stimulus. The response to the perceived fear becomes instinctive. Recipients may feel they have no control over their fear, even if the fear or the reaction to it is irrational.

Hypnotherapy is a cognitive tool used in the treatment of phobias. There has been various literature gathered on the efficacy of hypnotherapy in treating phobias. Of the vast range of studies and treatments conducted, the overwhelming majority favoured a hypnotherapy approach.

In part, hypnotherapy empowers individuals to gain control over their own thinking and behaviour. You might think of it as a way to train your thoughts. For example, when a phobia triggers a specific type of thinking, feeling or action, hypnotherapy can be a way to manage that response.

The critical components of hypnotherapy for phobias include:

1. Relaxation training: Managing the physical fear response.
2. Mind over body: Understanding that the effect of hypnotherapy depends on the patient.
3. Ego-strengthening: An enhanced trust in oneself can further therapeutic effects.
4. Expansion of awareness: focusing on positive feelings.
5. Image exposure: Slowly building a tolerance to the source of the phobia.
6. Self-hypnosis: Repeating sessions over time.
7. Self-regulation: Teaching oneself to use the techniques of hypnotherapy.

By exercising these mechanisms, one can slowly gain control over their phobia. However, as you can see from points 6 and 7, hypnotherapy does not work in isolation. Its effects are best felt when practised regularly and over a long period.

The benefit of House of Wellbeing is that we structure hypnotherapy sessions to target specific fears. The audios are accessible online, so they can be listened to wherever and whenever the listener needs them. In addition, they can be listened to several times to help work the messages into the subconscious. These hypnosis sessions are built on the experience of qualified medical practitioners and researchers to give listeners the best tools to deal with their phobias.

Over time, these sessions can help a listener develop more self-awareness, tolerance and understanding of their fears.