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Specific and Complex Phobias

Specific phobias, also known as specific phobias, are not trivial. They can significantly get in the way of us doing what we would like to do. A simple phobia is an intense, irrational, fear of a specific object or situation, like spiders, flying or the dentist. They often develops in childhood and may be associated with a particular event – but not always.

Sometimes we “catch” simple phobias from our parents or others who are significant in our lives. And, as we catch them, we are also able to let them go – as long as we are willing to do so. A key factor is that the degree of fear is out of proportion to the risk. Some things that we can be scared or very cautious about are rational – it makes sense to be careful around wild animals.

What makes something a phobia is when that fear is well out of proportion to the risk – many people have a moth phobia but they are unlikely to harm us.. though some may munch on our woollens. Through understanding how our brains hold onto simple phobias, we can “rewrite” how we respond through the therapeutic practice. We may not come to love moths, but we don’t need to be alarmed by them.

The solution focused approach can be remarkably quick. They can be positively impacted after just an initial consultation and 3 sessions (it may be more if they are not consecutive weeks).

A complex phobia is a more pervasive fear, like agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) or social phobia (fear of social situations). These are not so easy to pin down as a simple phobia. Very often complex phobias are an outward representation, or response, to other fears of anxieties that we may have.

Unlike simple phobias, rather than addressing the object of the phobia itself, the solution focused approach will, for example, support a client to explore how they can become more confident or less anxious. That is likely, in turn, to enable them to feel happier and more able to go outside or to be in social situations. These sorts of phobias are best treated through a longer series of sessions.

Q – I have complex and simple phobias – can you help? Yes, of course. We would just need to discuss your situation and agree the best way forward. In some cases, tackling a simple phobia first will be a significant confidence boost that will make it easier to work with the complex phobias. But sometimes, the complex phobias may be so debilitating, that they need to be managed before tackling more specific changes.

Neuro Diversity

ND is a complex and often sensitive subject. My personal experience, growing up with dyslexia, ADHD, depression and bipolar, is that mostly, those realities are far less of a “problem” than the attitudes of other people – parents, teachers, bosses etc. Valuing ND means much more than simply understanding and accepting that we all understand and respond to our worlds in different ways.

I don’t “treat” any aspects of neuro diversity. I am well aware though that many ND people will have experienced very poor treatment in response to how we are. That experience can have long-lasting, negative impacts that go far beyond any issue they may have with how we perceive the world.

As with any other client, but with a greater awareness perhaps, my aim will be to support any ND client to be more how they want to be – that might be more confident, more able to speak out, to feel calmer, more satisfied and so on with their life. Fundamentally, I hope that the ND people I work with will appreciate that their way of understanding their world is not just valid, it is of huge value.