2. Behaviour Therapy A classic approach to ending phobias, along with the attendant anxiety and possible panic or anxiety attacks, is behaviour therapy. In essence, this consists of exposure to the feared object. You do this in small steps, moving on to the next step only when relaxed and comfortable enough with the earlier step. Known as “systematic desensitization”, this process eventually enables you to be completely unphobic about whatever it was that you used to avoid, such as spiders. It is not a pleasant procedure. But the boost to your self-esteem and self-control is well worth the temporary discomfort. (Guidance on how to choose a psychotherapist is available here: http://hypnosis.org/therapysite/how.htm A similar article about choosing the right hypnotherapist is available at my Hypnosis Headquarters site). 3. Hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy builds on the opposite reflex to the flight-or-fight response that often paralyses the phobic person: relaxation. With hypnosis you can deal with both the cause of the phobia or panic attack (feeling abandoned at Aunt Susanna’s wedding) and the symptoms (shortness of breath, sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, etc.) Hypnotherapy changes the negative messages stored in your subconscious, freeing you from the power of the anxiety. During hypnotherapy you are awake and aware. You gain more self-control. The underlying cause for your phobia may be exposed while you are in hypnosis. The dual nature of phobias a distraction from an inner conflict and yet a signal that such a conflict exists is well illustrated by Rebecca’s experience: 30 Rebecca sought hypnotherapy to deal with her fear of speaking at business meetings. She is intelligent, resourceful, imaginative and competent. Which is why Rebecca was in line to become a vice- president at a prestigious company. However, her fear of speaking at staff meetings and her terror at speaking at company functions or at sales meetings with potential clients, threatened to block her advancement. In hypnosis Rebecca said her phobia served no purpose. But when she imagined being at the nearly all-male board meetings her subconscious indicated a different answer. Her fear was serving a purpose. The subconscious was asked to provide an image of what that purpose might be. Rebecca immediately saw her father and brother. What did this image mean to the subconscious? “They’re men; I’m a woman.” Out of hypnosis, Rebecca mentioned that she’d quit a previous executive position because she earned more than her husband and he couldn’t bear that. It became clear that her phobia both pointed to, and distracted her from, the notion that a woman should keep quiet in the presence of men. Something, it turned out, she’d learned through the unintentional behaviour of her father and brother. Only a little hypnotherapy was needed to rid Rebecca of that self- negating notion. Positive suggestions cemented what her conscious mind already knew she had as much (in some cases more) right to speak as did her male colleagues. 4. Psychovisual Therapy [PsyV] This self-help approach is available on hypnotic video and DVD. Two PsyV titles [ http://hypnosis.org/kn-video.html ] that can help you overcome panic attacks are “Stress Control” and “Relax & Let Go”. “Self-Confidence” has also proven useful when low self- esteem underlies a phobia. (I’m the distributor of these cost-effective DVDs and videos.) 31 5. Emotional Freedom Techniques [EFT] Swift relief is usually available — and permanent — w approach. Very different to the t ith this herapy techniques described above, Emotional Freedom Techniques are a form of either adding EFT to their practices, or switching entirely to this combination For full information, including examples of people erasing their hobias, click here: http://www.emofree.com acupuncture, without needles. Many psychotherapists and hypnotherapists are of Western psychology and Chinese medicine. p 32 Self-Help Cure You can put an end to your phobias, anxiety and panic attacks ause even without a therapist, you can combine the five solutions mentioned above. Your own personal, powerful anic-free, relaxed and confident. ise that the power to change lies with you. tional Freedom Techniques you can at the least reduce anxiety and r. Go here for simple instructions on how to use EFT: yourself. That’s bec antidote. This can result in you being p Here’s how to cure yourself: First of all, recogn And no one else. The first step is to decide to be rid of whatever bothers you. The second is to accept that, one way or another, you’ll have to face the fear to overcome it. But, if you begin with Emo fear. And, at best, remove the phobia or panic foreve http://homepages.which.net/~michael.millett/index-page69.html Essential to success with EFT is that you zero in on what really nd completely accept myself”, while another person will say, I’m worried about panicking in the plane’s toilet, I deeply …”, or “Even though I’m concerned about the stale air, I deeply …” bothers you. For instance, one person who fears to fly will say, “Even though I am terrified the plane will crash, I deeply a “Even though I feel I’m not in control, I deeply…” It’s also important to tap on each aspect that bothers you. So, for example, the people afraid to fly might also tap on “Even though 33 It also helps (as with any method of change, including hypnosis) to add the element of choice to your self-statements. “Even though I’m scared to enter the mall, I choose to be calm, confident, relaxed and strong…” With or without EFT, essential to freeing yourself from fear and anxiety is to alter the way you think. We alluded above to stopping catastrophic thinking. Similarly, the anxiety-prone person engages in what Albert Ellis, the guru of Rational-Emotive Therapy, calls “mustobatory thinking.” Examples of such destructive thoughts are: I MUST know precisely why I’m feeling like this; I MUST be certain it’s not serious; I MUST never lose control or act crazily; I MUST not do something stupid or look foolish; I MUST have a guarantee I’m not going to die; I MUST not make myself panic. If you find yourself having MUST thoughts know that such extreme statements only serve to make you feel worse. Let go of the pressure of MUST thinking. You can do this with rational thought, and by re-programming your subconscious. To change your conscious negative thinking question your MUST thoughts in the same way you challenge your catastrophic thoughts. For instance, “I must not do something foolish or look stupid.” Tell yourself, “So what if I do something silly. It’s no big deal.” You can also remind yourself that most people are preoccupied with themselves – they don’t really care if you do something you think is foolish. 34 While tapping with EFT, you’d challenge this fear with an affirmation like “Even though I’m afraid I’ll do something stupid or foolish, I deeply and completely accept myself.” With hypnosis you’d use a positive suggestion such as “I choose to enjoy letting go of upsetting thoughts.” Hypnosis is the way to re-program your subconscious. Detailed instructions on how to use hypnosis to let go of anxiety and of fears that impede your life, are spelled out in my ebook , “Self-Hypnosis: Safe. Simple. Superb.” [ http://hypnosis.org/self-hypnosis.html ] How would you use behavioural techniques to change your fear of “doing something stupid or foolish”? You’d deliberately do something “stupid or foolish.” But start small. Remember the film “What About Bob?” in which Richard Dreyfuss plays the part of an inept psychiatrist? His patient takes literally Dreyfuss’ advice to “take baby steps.” That’s how you tackle the fear of doing something stupid or appearing foolish. If you are afraid of dancing, for example, you don’t just jump on a stage somewhere and perform in public. Create a list of what frightens you, from the least frightening to the most. For the dancing example, perhaps looking at photographs of dancers is the least anxiety-provoking. So you begin there. Use your slow-deep breathing and thought-stopping until you’re totally comfortable, then move up to the next item on your list. Perhaps that is reading biographies of dancers. Then you could take a class in the easiest form of dancing. Gradually work up to whatever kind of dancing you aspire to. 35 Talking about dancing reminds me that I used to be much too shy to dance at social functions. (Incidentally, shyness is the height of egoism: so focussed on oneself that you think everyone else is, too!). However, several years ago at a social function with my new wife I had to either hold on to my phobia and displease my beloved, or face the challenge and go on to the dance floor with her. Fortunately I chose the latter. And this despite my silly fear of looking foolish. As it turned out, my wife’s pleasure at my fumbling attempts to dance freed me to be more and more relaxed. Not that I became an expert. But the important point is that this small step (literally) enabled me to subsequently enjoy dancing with my wife in public. To Sum Up You can rid yourself of your phobia, anxiety or panic. 1. Make the decision to change. 2. Substitute rational thinking for irrational. 3. Gradually face the fear(s). 4. Develop appropriate EFT and/or hypnosis skills. 5. Reinforce changes with books, videos, DVDs, CDs or audiotapes. I’d be happy to hear about your progress. Email me at mailto:drknight@hypnosis.org 36 About Dr Bryan Knight Bryan M. Knight, MSW, PhD, holds a degree in psychology from Sir George Williams University, a Master's in social work from McGill University and a doctorate in counselling from Columbia Pacific University for his dissertation, Professional Love: The Hypnotic Power of Psychotherapy. His 37 years in private practice have taught him to appreciate the uniqueness of each individual, and how to strengthen the client's positive values. Dr. Knight is the author of numerous articles and several books, including The People Paradox; Enjoying Single Parenthood; Love, Sex & Hypnosis: Secrets of Psychotherapy; Health and Happiness with Hypnosis. And these ebooks: Hypnosis: Software for Your Mind; SELF-HYPNOSIS: Safe, Simple, Superb; How to Get Started as a Hypnotherapist; How To Avoid a Bad Relationship; Easily Hypnotize Anyone, and Marketing Action Plan for Success in Private Practice. Dr. Knight, a certified hypnotherapist, has frequently been a speaker at the National Guild of Hypnotists. Consulting Hypnotherapist to the Westside Medical Clinic in Montreal, he is also the distributor of Psychovisual Therapy DVDs and videos. Dr Knight created The International Registry of Professional Hypnotherapists. And The Global Directory of Hypnosis Training. He introduced Emotional Freedom Techniques to Canada. He can be reached by e-mail at mailto:drknight@hypnosis.org , by 37 regular mail at 7306 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada, H4B 1R7, and by phone at (514) 332-7902. 38 Resources Anxiety Network http://www.anxietynetwork.com/pdhome.html Emotional Freedom Techniques http://www.emofree.com/ ABIL: Agoraphobics Building Independent Lives http://www.anxietysupport.org/b001menu.htm Dental Phobia and Anxiety http://www.dentalfear.org/ National Phobics Society http://www.phobics-society.org.uk/ Rational-Emotive Therapy http://www.rebt.org/ Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Association http://www.socialphobia.org/ Anxiety Disorders Association of America http://www.adaa.org Women Helping Agoraphobics, Inc. http://www.nmha.org NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) http://www.nami.org National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov Self-Help book for Anxiety/Panic Problems http://stressrelease.com/booktext.html Description of various psychotherapies http://hypnosis.org/therapysite/art.htm 39 . A classic approach to ending phobias, along with the attendant anxiety and possible panic or anxiety attacks, is behaviour therapy. In essence, this consists of exposure to the feared object as “I choose to enjoy letting go of upsetting thoughts.” Hypnosis is the way to re-program your subconscious. Detailed instructions on how to use hypnosis to let go of anxiety and of. frightening to the most. For the dancing example, perhaps looking at photographs of dancers is the least anxiety- provoking. So you begin there. Use your slow-deep breathing and thought-stopping