It is estimated that more than 90% of all adults have at least one intense fear. For some it is as extreme as crowds and for others it is a seemingly silly fear like a cat or a bird. Although it may sound silly to the person who is afraid, it can be debilitating. Regardless of why the person has established fear, they commonly react in the same way to their feared situation. In most cases, the reason for fear is buried deep within the brain and comes from a previous experience or association in life.

Past times: cause present fears

In everyone’s life there is a situation or circumstance that has made them feel a certain way or associate two things. Just as a young child learns to associate McDonalds golden arches with happy food, others associate things that can cause fear in their daily life. Most of the time, the individual can recall a traumatic experience, association, or behavior that caused fear. It is easier to understand if the person has some memory of the situation, but in some cases the person may not remember anything at all. In fact, several people who suffer from fear really have no idea where their fear came from. And this is where hypnotherapy can help you, not only to discover the root of fear, but to eliminate it completely.

Hypnotherapy to discover the root

During the hypnotherapy session, the trained hypnotherapist guides the client through their stored memories to discover the root of their fear. It can be decades in the past or be as simple as a scratch on the surface. Since memory, awareness, and senses increase during hypnosis practice, the individual can easily access memories that may have been repressed. It is not uncommon when a person experiences a negative or traumatic experience to repress or “hide” that experience. With a lot of concentration or guidance from the hypnotherapist, this memory can be accessed and replaced. When memory is questioned, it can be put into proper perspective, calming or alleviating fear.

With the help of the hypnotherapist, the individual can learn to cope with this negative event and relax. One of the problems with fear is that the person automatically tenses up, blood pressure rises, and fear-stress behavior becomes a vicious cycle. At this point, the “fear” response is not due to the “item or event”, it is simply a habit triggered by a particular thought, saying, sight or smell. Hypnotherapy helps the individual to regain control of their thoughts, senses and control them to reduce this cycle.

What about irrational fears?

No fear is a little fear. They all cause the same panic, stress, and automatic reaction, no matter how small. The fear of a clown may sound insignificant or nominal to one person, but to another it is phenomenal. It is important to understand that hypnotherapy is not a practice for evaluating or classifying fears or disorders. It is a discovery of the true memories, thoughts or behaviors behind that fear, so it works regardless of the level of fear.