Phobias

Phobias can be really scary. I've seen grown men shake uncontrollably at the thought of touching a snake or popping a balloon. Whether it's a fear of flying, spiders, or whatever, it doesn't really matter. Phobias seem to be terribly misrepresented by the media, and are normally very simple to fix, usually in a single session. All my work with phobias comes under my guarantee .

The 5 Lies of Phobias

1. They can be cured but you'll still feel uncomfortable.
2. They can only be cured by gradual exposure to the stimulus over a long period of time.
3. They can come back when you don't expect it.
4. If you've had a phobia for a long time it will be harder to cure.
5. You must find the cause of the original phobia to cure it.

The 5 Truths about Curing Phobias

1. A proper phobia cure leaves the client feeling no animosity or fear towards the stimulus.
2. This seems like an excuse for therapists to torture people to me. There should only be two exposures: One at the beginning of the treatment to calibrate the response and one at the end to check that the cure is successful.
3. If a phobia is cured correctly then it will not come back. Once the unwanted behavior has been replaced by a preferable response there is no need for the behavior anymore.
4. Phobias can become more ingrained over time, but this does not make them harder to remove.
5. You do not need to know where a phobia came from to cure it, since he cure is based on the phobic process not on its content.