Overcome Fears of Phobias

Phobia comes from the Greek word for “fear”. It is a strong, persistent fear of situations, objects, activities, or persons. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one’s control or if the fear is interfering with daily life then a diagnosis under one of the anxiety disorders can be made. So, in essence, phobias are a type of anxiety disorder much along the lines of panic and fear. An American study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that between 8.7% and 18.1% of Americans suffer from phobias. Learn how to identify phobias and how you can overcome the fears associated with them.



Phobias are among several anxiety disorders, which also include panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Such unrealistic or excessive fear of objects or situations is a psychological disorder that can makes life miserable for years. Phobias should not be confused with fear. Fear is much less dramatic than a phobia.




For example, to have a fear of cotton balls (yes, some people do) would technically be classified as a true phobia since cotton balls cannot cause harm. However, fearing lions or a hurricane does not classically qualify as a phobia because encounters with either do carry a possibility of harm or death. So what about the fear of spiders? Technically called arachnophobia, the fear of spiders is real, but is it irrational? Perhaps. After all, we, as humans are slightly bigger than our arachnid neighbors, so can they cause us harm? Yes, but only if we are unaware of their presence. Well, unless it’s the spider in that episode of “Gilligan’s Island” that was the size of a hippopotamus.

When encountered with the phobic stimuli, people are overcome with a strong and immediate anxiety reaction (sweating, palpitations, paleness, breathing difficulty). Gradually, mere anticipation or imagery of the phobic stimulus comes to provoke anxiety symptoms and can lead to avoidance behavior and/or significant modification of one’s lifestyle. It is at this point when the phobia becomes problematic and treatment should be explored. It can be confusing to try and figure out why some people fear certain things.

Phobias are common – arachnophobia being one of the most common. You’re not alone in this fight! We’ve given you some valuable information in this book to help get you on your way to overcoming your fear and being able to live without panic. Try the relaxation techniques. Practice them faithfully. Become a neutral observer of your own life.

When you discover the source of your fear, you may be surprised to find that the reality is much less scary than the perception. Then you can start down the road of living without that fear and perhaps read “Charlotte’s Web” without cringing! Good Luck!


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