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PrintCauses of Phobias
How do phobias happen?
Unconscious or emotional learning takes place to keep us safe. In
primitive conditions when coming into contact with something dangerous,
the mind/body would create the optimum state for survival - a panic
attack.
This type of learning is not of the intellectual, or rational type.
If you had to think, “Yes, I think this would be a good time to
have a panic attack" our species would have died out long ago.
This type of learning takes place at an emotional level so that
the response can bypass the ‘thinking brain' In the past, an immediate
phobic response to a predatory or poisonous animal would have been
exceedingly useful.
We therefore evolved with the ability to become phobic. In today’s
complex world however, this learning mechanism often works in an
inappropriate way. For an example of this, see the introductory
paragraph of our anxiety article.
To become phobic, all you need is a high anxiety state paired with
an object. The object does not have to be causing the anxiety. Robert
Graves the poet, for example, had a phobia of phones because he
was using one when a bomb went off near him during the war!
You can also generate a phobia through the misuse of the imagination.
Children often get phobias this way, or by seeing a phobia parent.
Non-specific phobias can come about either through a 'spreading-out'
of panic attacks, or through a person's levels of general anxiety
becoming so high that panic is easily triggered whenever stress
levels are raised even slightly.
What can be done about phobias?
In order to cure a phobia (which is usually surprisingly easy and
painless) we need to change the experience on an unconscious level.
Simply put, the person needs to be able to treat the phobic object
in the same way as they would any other everyday object. The best
way to do this is to keep the person relaxed whilst they imagine
the phobic object. Hypnosis is extremely useful to keep the person
relaxed whilst doing this.
This process is called 'de-conditioning', and it simply changes
the association a person has with the phobic stimulus.
When dealing with non-specific phobias, the person often needs a
combination of de-conditioning, cognitive anxiety management techniques,
ongoing relaxation and gradual exposure to the problem situation,
such as going out of the house.
For those suffering from excess anxiety, panic attacks, or phobias,
you may like to look at our audio program, the Panic
Prevention Programme.
To learn more about how emotions and the emotional brain works,
see the article on Emotional
Intelligence.
Back to Anxiety, Panic and Stress articles
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