You’re not just afraid.
Phobias are more than just fears. A true phobia makes everyday activities feel life-threatening, even when you know they’re not.
And you know your fear is not rational, but you can’t help it. You avoid important things, or you white-knuckle your way it through them while feeling panic-y and anxious.
Your list of things that are “too scary to do” just keeps growing, because you never know when you might get exposed to your fear or have a panic attack.
Others don’t understand. In fact, they think you should just get over it. They tell you things like:
- Flying is safer than driving
- Bridges aren’t dangerous
- It’s just a simple blood draw
- This dog is friendly
But it’s just not that simple!
Over time, you realize your life is getting smaller due to your fear. And you feel helpless to turn the tide.
You know you aren’t living your fullest life, because this fear is interfering with what you want and need to do. All you want to do is break free from this phobia!
I get it, and I can help you.
Picture this: after a couple months of therapy for phobias, that fear has eased its grip on you.
- You’re not constantly scanning the environment to see if you’re safe. You don’t feel on edge all the time.
- You resume activities that felt too scary before, and even relax during them!
- Now that you’re less preoccupied by your phobic fear, you have more energy to direct towards the rest of your life.
- The tightness in your chest and difficulty breathing gradually eases up.
- Things that felt impossible before just don’t feel like a big deal.
- Your confidence soars because you see a light at the end of the tunnel.
And all of this is possible, and I’ll tell you why.
I have the expertise and skills to help you overcome a phobia, just like I’ve helped many others with their phobias.
A specific kind of therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention therapy is the gold standard for treating fears and phobias. This is the therapeutic approach I will use to help you overcome your phobia.
- I’ll provide you with the tools and skills you need to overcome your phobia.
- You’ll know exactly what steps to take between each session to make progress at your pace.
- You’ll learn how you developed a phobia, and how to eradicate it.
- I’ll be with you every step of the way.
I’ll challenge you, and I’ll hold you accountable. We’ll use creative problem solving to help you, step by step, overcome your fear. We’ll also laugh at times, and we’ll talk about how to maintain your progress going forward.
So let’s get started! Let’s get to work. I’m ready to do this if you are.
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Therapy for phobias may be for you if:
- You have a marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood).
- The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety.
- The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation and to the sociocultural context.
- The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.
- The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes significant distress or impairment in your life.
- You’re tired of going to great lengths to avoid the source of this fear.
Get started with therapy for phobias
Phobias are treatable! Book an initial phone call with me, and let's work together to treat yours.
I'M READY TO TALKWhat is a Phobia?
Fear has a legitimate place in our lives. It helps keep us safe from threatening situations, like a wild animal or dangerous cliff.
Your nervous system believes it is in danger when you are exposed to your phobic fear. You may be fully aware that your fear is not rational, but your primitive “survival brain” thinks it is protecting you from an actual threat.
In other words, with a phobia, it feels like you are in grave danger of injury or death, even though you aren’t.
As a phobia progresses, you avoid engaging in activities where you might experience the gripping fear and panic related to your phobia. More and more activities appear risky to your nervous system. Over time, you become more and more constrained by your fear.
For example, someone with a spider phobia might eventually become afraid to go outside, making it difficult to hold down a job. Likewise, someone with a needle phobia might avoid all medical appointments, potentially putting their health at risk.
What Causes Phobias?
A phobia usually comes from a past experience that your brain now associates with serious danger. For example, severe turbulence on a single flight is enough to cause a fear of flying. Sometimes, though, a phobia develops for no identifiable reason.
I have a friend who developed a fear of water after getting caught in a dangerous rip tide on vacation. It started out with fear of the ocean. Over time, the fear generalized to swimming pools, then bath tubs and showers.
This water phobia is a classic example of our nervous system trying to protect us, but going overboard in the process. The good news is that he successfully overcame the water phobia with the same type of therapy for phobias that I use in my practice.
Just like my friend, you are not destined to live with the extreme fear and overpowering anxiety of a phobia. Let’s get started on the path to conquer your phobia.
Wondering if we can work together based on where you live?
I’m authorized to provide online therapy in 30 states. Check out my “States Served” page for a list of states in which I can practice. My offices are in Marietta, Georgia and Knightdale, North Carolina, but I have clients in many states.