Phobia Therapy
Benefits Of Seeking Phobia Therapy In Dubai
Dealing with a phobia can have a significant impact on your life. If you have a phobia or feel as though you react strongly to certain things, it is likely that you will go to great lengths to avoid the object or situation that you are afraid of. This can lead to social isolation, as well as feelings of anxiety and depression.
Phobia therapy can help you by transforming and releasing the triggers related to the phobia so that you can start living a life with greater ease and resilience.
If you think that you might benefit from phobia therapy, then it is important to speak to a qualified therapist who can assess your individual needs and provide the right treatment for you.
Phobia Therapy Dubai- What Is It And What Does It Cover?
Exposure therapy is at the heart of treating phobias. A phobia develops through the learned conditioning of association that imprinted in our survival system the information that certain triggers are dangerous. For example, a child approaching to pet a small puppy who suddenly barks loudly because someone accidentally stepped on its tail may develop a fear of dogs. But, that’s not all. Our survival system, in order to protect us, can lump in all kinds of environmental cues that were around during the perceived threat. For instance, if the dog is white, the child can also become triggered by things that are colored white. Or if this incident took place at the beach while running towards the water, the child could develop a fear of water even though the root fear was the fear of the dog. And so on and so forth. These associations happen because of the learning mechanism we have that’s referred to as classical conditioning.
Exposure therapy involves becoming exposed to the triggers for a period of time to desensitize the sensitivity around the trigger as well as transform the association that was made by allowing the physiology to have time to take in the information that it is in fact safe.
Types of Exposure Therapy
In the past, flooding was a common form of exposure therapy. This would involve being fully immersed in the situation that causes fear. For instance, if someone had a fear of elevators, the therapist would have them stand in the elevator and “bear through it” until their fear subsides. Today, theories and models such as Polyvagal Theory and Somatic Experiencing have offered us better understanding of the intelligence of our survival system. As a result, we now know that there are more effective and less intensive ways of treating phobias. In fact, from the Somatic Experiencing lens, the appeared symptom reduction that seems to happen with flooding can likely be a result of the freeze response coming on (to anesthesize the pain of this experience) rather than transformation of the trigger and the increase of overall capacity.
Other exposure therapy modalities such as Somatic Experiencing and EFT use gradual exposure along with imaginary and in vivo exposure. These are gentler approaches that can be more effective by focusing on allowing the physiology to digest and connect with the cues of safety in order to untangle the “danger” associations that were made in the past.
Treating Different Types of Phobias
People can be affected by many different types of phobias. Some of the common phobias include (to name a few):
- Aerophobia – Fear of flying
- Amaxophobia – Fear of riding in a car
- Claustrophobia – Fear of tight places
- Cynophobia – Fear of dogs
- Decidophobia – Fear of making decisions
- Dentophobia – Fear of dentists
- Glossophobia – Fear of public speaking
- Insectophobia – Fear of insects
- Social Phobia
Emotional Freedom Techniques Or EFT For Phobias
One of the most effective ways to overcome a phobia is through Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT. This is a type of energy psychology that can help to release the emotions that are attached to your fear.
EFT works by tapping on specific meridian points on your body while you focus on your fear. This helps to release the emotional energy that is causing your fear to persist and allows you to start to let go of it.
EFT has been shown to be particularly effective for treating phobias, and it can often provide relief from symptoms after just a few sessions. If you think that you might benefit from EFT for phobias, then it is important to speak to a qualified therapist who can assess your individual needs and provide the right treatment for you.
Nora Sabahat Takieddine Offers Effective Treatments Via Somatic Experiencing and EFT For Phobias
Nora is a licensed psychotherapist who holds an EFT level 2 certification, which she pursued after being trained in EMDR. She offers this treatment technique to her clients and has successfully helped many individuals overcome their phobias.