Are You Destined to Share Your Parents Worst Fears?

From Generation to Generation: How Fear and Phobias Can Run in Families

Whilst phobias do not appear to have a single cause, there are often associated factors.  Whilst a phobia may be associated with a particular event, incident or trauma. 

Phobias can also be a learned response often learnt at a very young age from a parent or perhaps sibling.

  Spider Image Courtesy of Chris Kowalski

Common phobias (inherited so to speak from our parents or siblings) are fear of spiders (arachnophobia) and social phobia.  With social phobia the person develops a fear of social situations.  Therefore, being invited to a social occasions can cause extreme stress as opposed to being excited about the coming event.

Studies undertaken have shown that children who have parents who suffer from anxiety are more likely to suffer from anxiety themselves.

Phobias are the most common form of anxiety disorder and in the UK it is estimated that approximately 10 million people have phobias.

Passing down fears and phobias to our children can be totally unintentional but unfortunately it does happen.  Most of us have a fear of something, it is part of being a human.  From surveys undertaken a high percentage of parents were aware and concerned that they could pass on their fears and phobias to their children.  Anything from fear of spiders and snakes, or heights but the list is endless.

Is This a Fear or a Phobia I Experience and How do I Cope?

Firstly, breath and try to calm down, whether you are struggling with a fear or phobia will depend on how you react.  You may experience a faster heartbeat, sweaty palms, feel frozen to the spot and these are just a few of the sensations. In this situation, try not to fight it.  Breath slowly and deeply and the aim of this is to get your mind to cope with the panic and by doing so start to take away the fear of feeling panicky. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a phobia is "an extreme fear or dislike of a particular thing or situation, especially one that is not reasonable" The NHS states that severe phobias can cause a person to "organise their life around avoiding the ting that is causing them anxiety" It would be correct to say that certain feelings will be experienced with a fear or phobia. However, a fear only really becomes a phobia when you begin to organise your life around avoiding the thing/situation that frightens you, for most people fears are minor.    Fear can assist in ensuring that we behave appropriately and cautiously in certain situations, especially dangerous situations.  However, a phobia is an intense feeling of fear, often in association with something that poses little or no real threat.  With a phobia there is an overwhelming desire to avoid all contact with the source of your fear and anxiety.  Phobias can therefore interfere with the ability to lead a normal life.

A survey undertaken by YouGov Real Time found that of 10 phobias, heights (otherwise known as acrophobia) is one that Britons are most likely to suffer from. In fact 23% said it affects them, with 21% saying they suffer from an extreme fear of spiders. This breaks down further with 26% of women suffering from arachnophobia and 16% of men.

The top fears as listed in percentages by YouGov are as follows:-

All Britons

Heights 23%

Spiders 21%

Public Speaking 15%

Snakes 14%

Enclosed Spaces 13%

Going to the Dentist 10%

Flying 6%

Needles 6%

Clowns 3%

Dogs 2%

Knowing When to Seek Help and Would Clinical Hypnotherapy Help?

If you are avoiding living a normal life and always avoiding the situation that causes you to be frightened and anxious. In effect you are prevented from undertaking things you want to do and the life you want to live, then it is time to seek some help to resolve the issues.

An example of this would be to consider the fear of public speaking also known as glossophobia and as already mentioned and seen from the above list. This is an extremely common phobia characterised by the extreme fear of public speaking.  In the region of 21% of British people admit to avoiding public speaking and it is the third most common phobia in the UK with approximately 15% of individuals having this fear. 

Public speaking phobia can interfere with our choice of career, cause terrible stress when requested to address work colleagues or undertake presentations or indeed social events where we have perhaps been asked to “say a few words”. In particular weddings and the involvement in any, "just say a few words" or speeches can cause a serious issue for those suffering from glossophobia.  The thought of refusing can cause extreme anxiety but the thought of standing up to present causes excessive fear and anxiety.

The list of life restricting phobias is endless and can make our everyday lives an absolute misery when faced with the challenge of how to get out of the event in question.

The fear for instance of spiders also known as arachnophobia. this particular fear at its extreme can interfere once again with career, job choices and relocation.  The fear experienced can make life absolutely miserable. Decisions can be taken regarding holidays, where you are prepared to travel and where you live, can all be based around the fear of spiders or arachnids.

 Spider Image Courtesy of Chris Kowalski

We are all aware that it is that time of year when the male spiders in our home's are more noticeable. The male spiders are on the march in order to find their lady spider mate. Whilst we should be really grateful to spiders, that is often easier said than done when you experience arachnophobia. Whilst it is not uncommon for people to dislike arachnids (as already mentioned) or insects, spider or arachnid phobia, can have a significant impact on everyday life .

Just imagine the thought of relocating (if offered promotion to certain countries) and how this would strike immediate fear into someone with arachnophobia.  Whilst in the UK there are approximately 660 species of spider, in Australia this number increases to approximately 10,000 species of spider with more being discovered all the time. Facing the challenge of how to deal with an offer of employment but in addition the extreme fear associated with the thought of accepting the employment, could be lifechanging in the decision making process and quality of life going forward.

It is important to realise when considering seeking help, that there is absolutely no need to feel at all embarrassed. You are certainly not on your own and the figures provided for just a few of the many phobias prove this. Seeking and gaining help for a phobia can be life changing.

Can Clinical Hypnotherapy Help Me?

Clinical Hypnotherapy can certainly be effective with certain phobias. Here at Hypnocares a free consultation is always provided and most professional clinical hypnotherapists will offer a free consultation to ascertain whether clinical hypnosis is suitable for you. This should be undertaken prior to agreeing to work with you.

The initial free consultation gives the opportunity to discuss the situation in respect to the fear or phobia and how it affects you. In addition what you believe is the potential cause.  However, often the perceived cause is not necessarily the reason for the fear or phobia experienced and this would be discussed with you too.

EFT (emotional freedom technique, often referred to as "tapping") is also successful in treating certain phobias, especially the fear of heights. Recent research has found that EFT can significantly reduce the intensity associated with the response to a phobia. With a substantial improvement often being gained after a few sessions of EFT.

Just imagine a life whereby nobody has to suffer from a phobia and that their lives are not controlled by a phobia. Seek help today if the person suffering is you, do not allow fears and phobias to control your life.

For more information regarding fears and phobias and how clinical hypnotherapy or may be of help to you, please contact Sharon Mason of Hypnocares:-

Sharon Mason

Adv.Dip.Hyp. ISCH ADPR GHR

Clinical Hypnotherapist

Hypnocares

www.hypnocares.co.uk

Tel: 07538 470420