What's the Difference Between a Phobia and a Fear?

A phobia is a symbolic outward expression of an internal anxiety.

All phobia sufferers are afraid of the same thing - some form of anxiety inside of themselves that is projected outwardly and attaches it's self to a symbolic real situation or object in their environment. The symbolism (from spiders to open spaces) varies greatly form person to person, but how it works is the same in all instances.

Fear is a strong emotion aroused by a sense of an impending danger.

In the presence of danger we are poised to 'fight' or 'flight'. The heart beats fast as the adrenaline flows and all the mechanisms of the body are put on full alert. Then once the danger has been met and overcome, there is a return to normality.

Anxiety is 'fear spread thinly' (Carl Jung). So when a person feels anxious they are experiencing something inside of themselves that's outside their control. Out of control because they don't know where it has come from and what is the cause of the feelings's. There also is an air of not knowing when the impending danger is over. There are so many fears and phobias as we can be fearful of anything in our thoughts and lives. Fears and phobias can start to dominate our lives and can have a negative impact.

Common fears and phobias are where someone is afriad of spiders (arachnophobia), snakes, or hieghts (acrophobia). The fear of flying is very popular today. Other more general fears and phobias can be social anxiety where someone is feared of being judged, like blushing (ereuthophobia), stuttering or the fear of public speaking. There are also phobias where having anxieties about open spaces (Agoraphobia) or enclosed spaces (Claustrophobia) which cause panic attacks.

If you're fear or phobia is becoming more severe then it is probably time to do something about it and take steps to free yourself. Please don't think your fear or phobia is not important because it is not mentioned here, gives us a call or book a free consultation to talk it over.

E-mail: stephen@spalding-hypnotherapy.co.uk