PHOBIAS
Two Case Studies
The case studies delve into two detailed accounts of phobias. We follow their journeys as we witness their struggles and efforts to conquer their fears.
Both individuals receive distinct forms of treatment, with one undergoing a more hands-on therapy (exposure) and the other engaging in a more talking therapy approach, although of course, there is overlap.
What exactly is a phobia, you might wonder?
Everybody is scared of something, but what defines a phobia? A phobia is an extreme fear that can get in the way of everyday life. An example would be somebody who suffers with agoraphobia (a phobia of going outside) ordering their shopping on-line so that they didn’t have to go outside of their home to get it, or avoiding any social occasions. This could develop over time into an inability to go to work, having a knock – on effect on everything else in their life – their home, their ability to pay bills, eventual isolation.
Sometimes we talk about “Simple Phobias” where there is no realistic risk, such as animal phobias and phobias where there is an element of risk which we can no longer reasonably assess, such as travel phobias. Agoraphobia is often a disguise for inter-personal and deeper emotional problems.
Treatment is more complex than “Face your Fear”. In order to rid yourself of fear, you have to face it, that is true, but for most that is putting it far too simply. Dealing with a severe phobia that has taken over your life usually requires treatment in the form of therapy. This can help find the root cause of phobia, and if there isn’t one, it can help you plan your steps forward. Having said this, it’s extremely scary to even make the decisions to start therapy.
Exposure Therapy For Phobias.
A common treatment of phobias is exposure therapy. It is used to help the patient become less anxious around their trigger over time. It’s important that small steps are taken so that they don’t end up going backwards instead of forwards in their recovery. It’s not a great idea to ‘face your fear’ completely alone, for this reason. For example, somebody with arachnophobia may be encouraged to try and hold a spider – depending on the severity of their phobia, this could be too big a step and cause a panic attack. It would be better to have a therapist guide them through steps, maybe beginning with a drawing of a spider, followed by looking at a photo of a spider and touching the photo. Eventually this may move onto being in a room with a spider (perhaps in a glass box), and approaching it. The last step, of course, would be holding the spider.
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