Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective treatment for many individuals with phobias^*. A significant percentage of the population suffers from a phobia of one type or another. For some individuals it can be mildly distressing but manageable.  For others it can be seriously debilitating. A phobia is an irrational fear of a particular stimulus. This stimulus can be a situation, a thing, or an activity.  People with phobias will either go to great lengths to avoid whatever it is they fear, or they will tolerate it with considerable anxiety. For some people, a phobia can trigger panic attacks. In severe cases the phobia can end up literally controlling a person’s life.

Hypnotherapy works by accessing the underlying cause of the phobia and eliminating the person’s conditioned response to the stimulus. When hypnosis is used to treat a phobia, the initial goal of the hypnotherapist is to discover the initial event from which the phobia developed. The cause is often a traumatic event which occurred at an earlier time in the person’s life. Often the phobic individual does not remember this event. It may be a memory which has been repressed for many years. Repression is a protective mechanism our mind utilizes by keeping memory of the trauma out of our conscious mind until we are ready and able to deal with it.

In order to access this memory, the individual will first need to be in an extremely relaxed state. The hypnotherapist will use techniques in order to help the person become very relaxed and focused. This state of heightened relaxation and focus is referred to as the hypnotic trance. It is during this state that the unconscious can be accessed. While in this trance state a person is very receptive to suggestion, which is what opens the door to bringing about the desired change.

Also, it is during this trance state that unconscious memories can be unlocked and brought to conscious awareness. The hypnotherapist does this by taking the person back to the place and time where the distressing event occurred. Addressing this old memory consciously will enable the individual to better understand it as well as begin to see it in a way which is no longer threatening. When this is achieved, the phobia will generally disappear.

Hypnosis allows you to take your first steps outside your fear in the comfort of your own mind. The hypnosis program for most fears and phobias is similar to hypnosis for panic disorder but will also probably need to help you combat depression and low self esteem as well as more extensive exposure to avoided situations and places.

As mentioned previously, hypnotherapy can lessen or remove all types of fears, here is a list of some phobias with the 15 most common fears and phobias highlighted in blue:

A

Achluophobia – Fear of darkness.
Acrophobia – Fear of heights.
Aerophobia – Fear of flying.
Algophobia – Fear of pain.
Agoraphobia – Fear of open spaces or crowds.
Aichmophobia – Fear of needles or pointed objects.
Amaxophobia – Fear of riding in a car.
Androphobia – Fear of men.
Anginophobia – Fear of angina or choking.
Anthropophobia – Fear of people or society.
Aphenphosmphobia – Fear of being touched.
rachnophobia – Fear of spiders.
Astraphobia – Fear of thunder and lightning.
Atychiphobia – Fear of failure.
Autophobia – Fear of being alone.

B

Bathmophobia – Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Belonephobia – Fear of pins and needles.

C

Claustrophobia – Fear of confined spaces.
Coulrophobia – Fear of clowns.

D

Dentophobia – Fear of dentists.

E

Elurophobia – Fear of cats.

G

Glossophobia – Fear of speaking in public.

Gynophobia – Fear of dogs.

H

Hemophobia – Fear of blood.
Herpetophobia – Fear of reptiles.
Hydrophobia – Fear of water.

I

Iatrophobia – Fear of doctors.
Insectophobia – Fear of insects.

L

Lilapsophobia – Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.

M

Musophobia- Fear of mice.
Mysophobia – Fear of dirt and germs.

N

Necrophobia – Fear of death or dead things.
Noctiphobia – Fear of the night.
Nyctophobia – Fear of the dark.

O

Ochlophobia –Fear of crowds.
Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes.
Ornithophobia – Fear of birds.

P

Pathophobia – Fear of disease.
Pteromerhanophobia – Fear of flying in close quarters with others
Pyrophobia – Fear of fire.

S

Scolionophobia – Fear of school.
Sociophobia – Fear of social evaluation.

T

Trypanophobia – Fear of needles / injections.

V

Verminophobia – Fear of germs.

X

Xenophobia – Fear of strangers or foreigners.

Z

Zoophobia – Fear of animals.

Abnormal Psychology Fourth edition: Ronald J. Comer

http://psychology.about.com/

*McGuinness, T. P. Hypnosis in the Treatment of Phobias: A Review of the Literature. Am. J. Clin. Hypn. 26, 261–272 (1984).