Phobia treatments include exposure, systematic desensitization, virtual reality, fear hierarchies, positive reinforcement, massing, and extinction. Overcoming phobias effectively depends on your personality and the type of phobia.
Hal - A Case Study
Hal can’t shop for groceries because he has a phobia or irrational fear that the customers behind him in line will get angry. Even when Hal buys a single item, he feels fearful about their response. He totally avoids grocery shopping and gets all his meals from drive-throughs of various restaurants (he also has an irrational fear or phobia about eating in public).
This type of phobia is angrophobia, or fear of anger.
Other types of phobias that affect dailiy life are fear of flying or aviophobia and glossophobia (fear of public speaking). Dentophobia or fear of the dentist could cause serious health problems, and so could iotrophobia, or fear of doctors.
Since common phobias are irrational fears and sometimes even anxiety disorders, overcoming phobias involve reducing anxiety.
Overcoming Phobias by Exposure
Exposure to the situation is a widely-used phobia treatment. Exposure can be real: For instance, Hal would go to the grocery store for a visit at first, then to buy a single item, then two items, and so on. This is systematic desensitization and it works in overcoming phobias. Exposure can be also be imagined: a psychologist or counselor helps Hal imagine shopping at the grocery store, standing in line with people behind him, paying for groceries, etc.. This phobia treatment is imagined but still effective in overcoming phobias.
Hal could employ these techniques by himself or, perhaps preferably, with the help of a counselor. If there are other issues regarding overcoming phobias or irrational fears, it's important to have a trained professional.
Virtual Reality
Overcoming phobias by virtual reality involves 3-D computer graphics that simulate the situation that causes the phobia or irrational fear. Hal would enter a “grocery store program” that puts in him in line with people behind him. The beauty of this in overcoming phobias is they could give him more or less groceries, friendly or neutral people, big or small stores, etc – thus exposing him to a variety of situations that cause his irrational fear. The more he’s exposed to grocery stores, the less fear he’ll have in real life.
"The important thing to realize is that virtual reality is a tool in cognitive behavioral therapy," states Keith Saylor (a psychologist who uses this treatment in the suburbs of Washington, DC). "It's not the answer in and of itself." Overcoming phobias requires more than virtual reality alone.
Using Information to Treat a Phobia
Gathering information about the irrational fear could help in overcoming phobias, as could examining underlying beliefs or irrational fears of the situation. Perhaps Hal had a really negative grocery store experience when he was a child, or even as an adult. It would make sense for him to avoid the situation – we all shy away from negative experiences. Understanding why and where irrational fears come from is important in overcoming phobias.
How to Get Help
Overcoming the most common phobias in psychology can involve a combination of exposure, virtual reality, and information. If your phobia is seriously impacting your life and you want to get help, call your doctor and ask for a referral to a counselor.
Talk to your friends or family – are any of them in counseling and able to give you the name of a good therapist? Look up phobia support groups in your city or town. Read about overcoming phobias. Use the Internet, phone book, bulletin board at your community centre or church when you're looking for information about overcoming phobias.
If you found Treatments for Phobias helpful, read:
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen - Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time writer and blogger in Vancouver, BC, and the creator of the Quips and Tips blog series.
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