When fear starts getting in the way

Fear is useful. It’s your brain’s way of saying, “Pay attention, something might be important here.” But sometimes a fear sticks around long after it’s needed. It can become stronger over time, feel difficult to control, or start influencing the choices you make.

You might avoid certain places, situations or activities because of a fear. You may even know logically that you're safe, but your mind and body react as though you're not. That can be frustrating, especially when you know you want to respond differently.

Hypnotherapy can help you change the way your mind and body respond to fear, so you can begin to feel more comfortable, calm and in control.

What can hypnotherapy help with? Hypnotherapy can be helpful for a range of specific fears and phobias, including fear of flying, spiders and insects, heights, driving, public speaking, needles, medical or dental procedures, enclosed spaces, animals, crowds and other situations that trigger a strong fear response. You may also have a fear that doesn't have a neat label. You might simply know that there are certain situations you avoid because of how you feel when you're faced with them.

Changing the response, not fighting the fear. Trying to tell yourself “there's nothing to be afraid of” doesn't always work. That's because fear isn't just a thought. It's a learned response involving your thoughts, emotions, memories and body.

Through hypnotherapy, we can work with the part of your mind that has learned this response and begin creating a different one. Rather than forcing yourself to “just get over it,” the aim is to help your mind develop a calmer and more useful response.

You remain aware and in control throughout the session. Hypnosis isn't about giving up control. It's about using a naturally focused state of attention to work with patterns that can sometimes be difficult to change through conscious effort alone.

What might change? Everyone responds differently, but people often seek hypnotherapy because they want to be able to do something that fear has been stopping them from doing. That might mean getting on a plane, driving on the highway, visiting the dentist, walking past a spider, speaking in front of people or simply being able to think about a particular situation without experiencing the same intense reaction.

The goal isn't necessarily to make you fearless. It's to help fear become something you can manage, rather than something that manages you.

Your sessions are personalised. There isn't one approach that suits every fear or phobia. We'll start by talking about what happens for you, what triggers the response and what you'd like to be able to do differently. Sometimes a fear has a very specific trigger. Sometimes there are several layers to it and sometimes you may not even know where it came from. You don't need to have all the answers before you begin.