I love helping my wonderful clients to rid themselves of their fears and phobias. To witness somebody finally being free of a debilitating fear which has dogged them for years is deeply fulfilling. I have been privileged to have been able to help people get rid of all sorts of different phobias, from the quite common ones like fear of flying to the not so common, such as a fear of burping (yes really!)

Fears and phobias are often rooted in trauma, maybe from childhood but that’s not always the case. My approach is always very gentle as the last thing I would want to do would be to re-traumatise the client.

Not every therapist has a gentle approach, however. I recently watched a programme on Channel 4 called ‘The Fear Clinic’. Based in Amsterdam, the main premise of the treatment seemed to be exposure therapy which means subjecting the client to their particular fear, followed by popping a beta blocker in their mouth. I actually found this quite disturbing to watch, in particular the lady with emetophobia who had to witness hearing another person being quite violently sick. Obviously this type of thing makes for good television but I could not help feeling that it is deeply irresponsible and traumatising to say the least.

I am happy to say that I do not practice this type of exposure therapy, instead using calming hypnotherapy suggestions in order to reinforce a belief within the client that they can let go of their fear completely and live a normal and fulfilling life. I also record a relaxing download which they can use at home to further strengthen their confidence. I then encourage the client to set themselves achievable challenges, so that they continue to gradually build up their strength, at their own pace.

It is my belief that therapy should not involve any further trauma for the client, there is absolutely no need for this.

If you have been considering therapy for a fear or phobia, please do get in touch.

Best wishes,

Wendy x