I still remember that day, it was raining heavily and the chilly wind was the highlight. Everything was so breezy, and out of nowhere, this lizard came in front of my eyes.

I was petrified. I was so scared that I screamed, and I was scared all day.

Since childhood, I’ve been terrified of lizards; heard a lot of daunting stories about them. So, I opted for the EFT Practitioner Course, and on one particular day, the topic being discussed was fears and phobias.

While working upon the root cause of my fear of lizards, I opened up about many stories I had heard in childhood.

A story of a mother feeding milk to her son, which a lizard fell into. The son died after consuming the milk, and I think this was the scariest of all stories. Also, the texture of the lizard kind of freaked me out.

This was the reason I was so scared of lizards. But after using EFT, my fear was in control.

What are you most afraid of? Maybe your phobia is of needles, blood, heights or even dentists (another of mine).

Perhaps just the thought of driving, being in a crowded elevator or flying makes your heart beat fast and palms sweaty.

Fears and phobias are more common than you might realise.

I was surprised to learn that according to the Institute of Mental Health (April 2015), the fear of public speaking is the number one fear in the world, beating the fear of death and spiders.

People would rather die than speak in public! It is so scary, for so many people, including me. Other examples of common fears include the fears of darkness, thunder, and confined spaces.

What exactly defines a fear AND phobia?

Fear is when we are scared of something, and a phobia is an illogical fear. The difference between fear and a phobia lies in the normality of fear, versus the abnormal features of a phobia.

When it comes to tiny children, the line between fear and phobia can be blurry. Childhood fears are a natural aspect of growing up.

Normal childhood fears, unlike phobias, entail a normal fear reaction, have a minor impact on daily function, and go away as the kid grows older.

Fears and phobias are frequently distinguished by psychologists. Fear is an emotional reaction to a perceived or real threat.

Fears are frequent in the population, and they are often normal – or at the very least harmless – reactions to items or occurrences.

Many people, for example, are afraid of spiders and have a mild to moderate anxiety reaction when they see one.

A phobia is comparable to fear, with the exception that the anxiety they feel is so severe that it affects their quality of life and/or capacity to operate.

While many people are afraid of spiders, only a small percentage of the population is considered to have a spider phobia.

People with arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) often spend a lot of time thinking about spiders, and they spend a lot of time making sure they don't come into contact with one.

They will avoid certain areas and activities to prevent contact with spiders.

I recall my university friend Becky, who had a fear of sharks. If she ever came across a picture of a shark in a magazine, she used to scream out loud and immediately throw the magazine out of her hands, as if the shark was right in front of her.

This is what makes the phobia illogical. The shark is not in front of her and yet her experience is as if the shark is in front of her.

She is not even in the sea, and yet she feels as though the shark is right next to her.

It's helpful to distinguish between a fear and a phobia because they're qualitatively different concerns. (2)

 TYPES OF PHOBIAS

Phobias occur in a variety of sizes and shapes. The list of specific phobias is quite long due to the endless number of items and situations. 

Not everyone is terrified of the same thing, person, location, or scenario. Unlike those with anxiety disorders, who feel apprehensive, irrespective of the reason, phobias are frequently linked to a specific source. 

Psychiatrists classify phobias into four categories based on the source or scenario that may cause a worried feeling or reaction:

CAUSES AND COMPLICATIONS OF PHOBIA

Causes of phobia may include:

1. Negative experiences - Many phobias arise as a result of a bad experience or panic attack involving a specific object or situation.

2. Genetics and environment - There could be a link between your phobia and your parents' phobia or anxiety, which could be attributable to heredity or learned behaviour.

3. Brain function - Changes in brain function may also contribute to the development of specific phobias.

Specific phobias, while amusing to others, can be disastrous to those who suffer from them, causing issues in many areas of life, like the following:

1. Social isolation - Avoiding places and things you are afraid of might lead to academic, professional, and personal issues. 

Academic challenges and loneliness are common among children with these disorders, and they may struggle with social skills if their actions differ greatly from their peers.

2. Anxiety disorders - Many individuals who suffer from specific phobias often suffer from depression and other anxiety disorders.

3. Substance abuse - Living with a severe particular phobia can cause stress, which might lead to drug or alcohol dependence.

4. Suicide - Some people who suffer from specific phobias may be in danger of committing suicide. (2)

What if you could let go of all that fear that is holding you back from doing the things that you love? The first step is to accept that you are going through something and you need help.

Once you realise you require professional help, go for it. After all, overcoming a phobia is only going to improve your lifestyle and will help you maximise your mental health. 

Eliminating even the scariest of phobias is now possible through EFT(Emotional Freedom Techniques). EFT gets to the root cause of the fear or what is holding you back and eliminates it from there.

For those new to EFT, it is also known as Tapping Therapy, which combines tapping on acupressure points while saying statements out loud to accept situations. 

If you would like to experience the power of EFT first hand just download the EFT Booklet below:

EFT TAPPING FOR PHOBIAS

EFT Tapping for Phobias is an alternative therapeutic method which has proven to be long-lasting and effective.

The sample procedure of EFT Tapping for phobias is as follows:

If the fear has reduced to a level that you’re happy about, you can stop and close with positive tapping. If you feel it's the same or worse than before, explore and clear the memories.

Once fear takes hold of you, it can cripple you from taking action.

Just imagine your dream was to become a leader or someone in an upper management position in your organisation, and it was a requirement for you to hold constant meetings and even speeches. However, you have a fear of speaking in front of a crowd or a gathering.

Pop! There goes your dream. Just because you let your fear take over you. 

It does not allow you to move forward and take action to achieve your goals and dreams.

does eft tapping work for fear and phobias?

Clinical studies show that Fear of Public Speaking is rated highest among people (3).

"Glossophobia, or a fear of public speaking, is a very common phobia and one that is believed to affect up to 75% of the population. Some individuals may feel a slight nervousness at the very thought of public speaking, while others experience full-on panic and fear."

Clinical studies showing improvement in spider phobic patients (4).

It was aimed at investigating predictors of treatment success, attrition and the extent of treatment needed to achieve clinically significant improvement in spider phobic patients. 

A total of 103 patients were included in the study after a detailed screening interview. There were four treatment conditions; self-help manual, video, group, and individual treatment, which the patients received in a hierarchical order providing they were not clinically significantly improved after the previous treatment. 

Pre and post each treatment the patients went through a behavioural approach test and filled in a number of self-report questionnaires. The results showed that 38 patients dropped out during the manual treatment, and 59 fulfilled the treatments to become clinically improved.

The patients achieving clinical improvement after the two self-help treatments were significantly predicted, as was the extent of treatment needed. The significant predictors were the credibility of the manual treatment and motivation for psychotherapy in general.