Exclusive phobia treatment centre
At Paracelsus Recovery, our programmes for phobia treatment are centred on intensive psychotherapy and biochemical restoration. We can help you overcome your phobia and restore your health on a physical, emotional and social level.
How do we treat phobias
Phobia treatment
At Paracelsus Recovery, our phobia treatment plans are centred on helping you develop the necessary coping skills to overcome your phobia. Treatment often includes EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing), a method that has proven effective for treating anxiety and trauma. We also use exposure therapy which is a behavioural treatment method that involves gradual exposure to the source of your phobia while providing strategies for overcoming the symptoms that this exposure provokes.
Physical health plays a significant and often underemphasised role in the development of phobias. Severe anxiety produces a lot of stress in the body which can lead to other health problems such as adrenal fatigue or elevated blood pressure. At Paracelsus Recovery, we use functional medicine and biochemical restoration to restore your physical health to its optimal state. To do so, we develop an individualised formulation of micronutrients and amino acids that can help to significantly reduce symptoms of both anxiety and phobias when combined with adequate rest, nutrition and lifestyle counselling.
Our psychiatrist can also prescribe medication to treat the phobia, however, we would only do so if our holistic treatment has proven ineffective. We will also provide you with a live-in therapist who will stay in a self-contained part of your residence and be available for around-the-clock emotional support.
Fear of breakdown is the fear of a breakdown that has already been experienced.
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Signs of phobia include
- Shaping one’s life in such a way so as to avoid phobia.
- The imagined threat is far greater than any actual threat posed by the phobia.
- Experiencing intense distress when faced with the source of the phobia.
- The phobia has grown in size, e.g. what was once a phobia of public spaces such as stadium arenas has become an inability to take taxis or elevators.
- Experiencing symptoms of anxiety when in contact with the phobia, such as sweating, abnormal breathing, increased heart rate, dizziness or nausea.
Phobias do not have a single cause but are the result of numerous interrelated factors. These factors can include genetic vulnerability, learnt behaviour from a parent or caregiver and traumatic experiences. For example, if a child loses a parent at a young age, they may not be able to handle the grief and as a result, a phobia can develop as an unconscious coping mechanism for this traumatic event. The child can avoid the phobia but not their grief.
Types of phobias
Specific phobias
A specific phobia is an intense fear of a specific object or situation. A person can develop a specific phobia for almost anything and they often occur alongside other anxiety disorders. Common examples of specific phobias include aeroplanes, thunderstorms, heights, blood, dogs, insects, vomiting and clowns.
Complex phobias
Complex phobias are far more distressing than simple phobias and usually develop during adulthood. They are often caused by deep-seated anxiety about a particular situation or experience. There are two main types
Social phobia or social anxiety — This is an intense fear of either physical or psychological danger (such as public humiliation or being judged) in a social situation. The idea of large social gatherings can be terrifying for someone with social anxiety.
Agoraphobia — This is the fear of situations that would be difficult to escape — for example, elevators, open spaces, small spaces, public transport or busy areas.
Understanding phobias
A phobia occurs when a person has an intense and overwhelming fear of a situation, object, feeling, place or animal. Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder that can negatively impact a person’s life, relationships, career and health. Phobias can also escalate over time which means that a person’s life can become increasingly restricted as their fear grows larger.
It is essential to address a phobia as soon as possible because phobias can become more severe if not addressed quickly. For example, if a person has a phobia of public spaces with 50 people or more, this can quickly become a phobia of areas with 30 people, 20 people, 10 people and so on. However, phobias are highly curable with adequate treatment and support.
FAQs
Phobia is characterised by a debilitating fear of a place, situation, feeling, animal or object. Phobias develop when a person perceives a situation or object to be unrealistically dangerous. There are two types of phobias; specific and complex. If a phobia remains untreated it can become very severe and as a result, the person may organise their life around avoiding the things that are causing them such extreme anxiety.
Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder where a person suffering from a phobia will usually not experience any symptoms of anxiety until they come into contact with the source of their phobia. In extreme cases, just thinking about the source of the phobia can make a person feel extremely anxious.
Social phobias are complex phobias that tend to take longer to treat. The most effective treatment for social phobia is centred on cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), and more classic phobia-related therapies such as exposure therapy.
If you are struggling with a phobia, upon arrival at Paracelsus Recovery, we will conduct a comprehensive assessment to identify any co-occurring mental health conditions and what type of phobia is present. Based on the results of these tests, we will tailor-make a treatment programme to suit your unique needs. This phobia treatment programme will be based on a combination of intensive psychotherapy, biochemical restoration and complementary therapies.
Specific phobias can be successfully treated through exposure therapy, which involves the gradual exposure to the animal, object, situation or place that causes anxiety. Effective treatment for complex phobias consists of a combination of exposure therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).
