What is the difference between a fear and a phobia? The simple answer is overreaction.
Ever since you were born, your mind has been working on two completely different levels; the conscious and the subconscious (or, unconscious).
Note: There's also a "Superconscious" that links all sentient beings, but we're not discussing quantum physics at the moment.
The conscious mind is the person actively reading this post - your normal, everyday logical and rational thinking. About 12% of your brain, capable of 7 different functions at once (if you're female - men are only capable of about 5 - doubt me? See how many functions you can do at once on an X-Box or PS 2 controller).
The subconscious - think 88% of your brain, capable of billions of functions at once, so far the most complex and powerful physical structure we have discovered in our known universe and it sits between your ears. It has only one primary program. Your self-preservation.
It's really important here to understand that your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between real and imagined. This is why a movie can make you jump. For a split second the subconscious thinks that movie is real and releases the "fight or flight" response inside you.
The subconscious has been designed to protect you from 2 things; physical danger and emotional pain. To protect you from physical danger is simple. It's called "common sense". Lessons you have taught your subconscious mind in the past that will keep you from harm in the future. Walking across the road? Look both ways. Taking something out of the oven? Don't use your bare hands. Things like that.
To protect you from emotional pain is a little different. It's really important here to understand that your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between real and imagined. This is why a movie can make you jump. For a split second the subconscious thinks that movie is real and releases the "fight or flight" response inside you. That vital shot of adrenaline.
Stay with me, now.
Your subconscious mind will try to protect you from that emotional pain associated with that situation or event (that it now sees as an actual physical threat to you) in 1 of 2 different ways.
Firstly, it will try to simply keep you away from that event or situation which it perceives is causing the pain. Of course, the subconscious does not have arms and legs, so it will simply use the power of suggestion to do this.
You "know" that plane is going down! You "know" you're going to fail that exam! You "know" that dog is going to bite you! You "know" that needle is going to hurt! Get the hell out of there!
Alternately, it will get you to FOCUS on that danger, so you know where it is at all times. It's called the "Psychological Law of Reversal". The more you try NOT to think about that blood test, the more you DO think about that blood test. What does that encourage?
Our old friend, the "fight or flight response". Rapid heart beat, raised blood pressure, clammy hands, shallow breathing, sweaty brow etc etc., starting a vicious cycle leading to a "self-fulfilling prophecy". You shake because you are panicking, the needle hurts you and reinforces that now phobic response "I knew that would happen! I hate needles!"
GETTHEHELLOUTOFTHERE!
Human beings are born with only 2 fears. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises, both of which are evolutionary mechanisms. All other human fears are learned. When the child sees the parent freak out when a puppy jumps on them, they react to the parents panic and from then on will associate a puppy with freaking out. Get it?
Under the direction of a trained therapist such as those at Perth Hypnosis Centre; in a gentle state of hypnosis, we can converse with the subconscious mind, thanking it for protecting you in the way it thought was most efficient and effective but dialling down the overreaction a notch or two, so that you can still instantly react to say, an angry dog growling at you, but differentiate that between a puppy that is simply exuberant.
You really can associate flying with joy, exams with confidence, spiders with indifference, needles with a calm respect.
Hypnosis, baby. Yeah.
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