Phobias & Fears

A fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the awareness or anticipation of danger. You may be afraid of driving on the freeway in the fog because you can’t see the car in front of you and conjure up the possibility of a collision. You may fear going to the dentist because it might be painful or you have a fear of needles. Getting put in a closet as a punishment or child’s joke can lead to a lifelong fear of enclosed spaces like elevators. Many people are afraid of dogs, cats or insects because they were once hurt or scared by them. Your imagination can get you into trouble when you can create a belief that a snake is slimy and will bite you. The same applies to fears of spiders, birds, bats, worms, and other unusual or creepy crawly things.

Sometimes we fear something that hasn’t happened but could. Fear of public speaking is the most common fear and stems from anticipation of failure or judgment. Fear of dying, fear of pain and fear of flying rank high on the list also. Reading about horrendous accidents, crimes, destructive acts of nature like tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes might lead to fantasizing that it could happen to you. No matter what the origin of the fear is, you can easily and quickly eliminate it with EFT.

A phobia is different from a fear. It is an exaggerated fear, usually strange and illogical.  Phobias can create chaos in your life. Avoidance of the thing you fear is always on your mind. In order to avoid what you fear you may even resort to lying to get out of situations that are “dangerous.”  You might find yourself building your life around your fearfulness. Phobias are often based on real life frightening experiences that you or someone else you know or have heard about encountered. When that fear gets blown out of proportion, it becomes a phobia.

For instance, even though your rational side knows that germs are everywhere, and you areimmune to most diseases, you may still over-react, developing complicated rituals and behaviors to keep from touching things that might have germs which could contaminate you. Dealing with the dread by using paper towels to touch doorknobs, for instance, becomes habitual.

Meridian Therapy eliminates fears and phobias quickly and permanently. Whether you have a momentary fright or a long-standing dread, you will realize dramatic results through tapping acupressure points. The most wonderful benefit is that the fear leaves effortlessly. It is as if it never existed. You may even forget how terrified you used to be.

 

Gloria Arenson is a Southern California based psychotherapist with a private therapy practice in Santa Barbara. She helps people to recover successfully from eating disorders, compulsive spending, anxiety, fears, phobias, PTSD, panic disorder and other problems. Gloria is a licensed hypnotherapist and is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychosynthesis, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She specializes in cutting edge energy therapies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), an acupressure based therapy method, Thought Field Therapy (TFT), and Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT).