What Types of Therapy Can Help Treat a Phobia

1. What Types of Therapy Can Help Treat a Phobia? What types of therapy can help with a phobia? The good news here is that psychotherapy is usually effective at treating phobias. Here are a few approaches worth exploring. Exposure therapy Exposure therapy is a type of behavior therapy. With this type of treatment, a therapist usually begins by training you in relaxation techniques that can calm you when you’re under a lot of stress. Another approach to exposure therapy is systematic desensitization. This is a process of gradually exposing you to fear-provoking situations from least scary to most scary. Once you’re equipped to calm yourself when under stress, you and your therapist can build a hierarchy of experiences related to your phobias. Include the least scary ones at the bottom and the biggest fears at the top. Cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) often incorporates the same systematic desensitization methods used in exposure therapy. CBT also focuses on the specific thoughts and beliefs you have associated with the phobias. Often, people with phobias have developed thought patterns around the phobia that aren’t based in reality.

2. For example, when you encounter a specific fear, you might have a tendency to catastrophize (imagine the absolute worst that might happen). This can amplify your anxiety. CBT helps you identify cognitive distortions. These are unhelpful thought patterns that aren’t accurate. Once you’ve identified these thoughts, you can replace them with more accurate ones instead. Mindfulness training Mindfulness techniques can help reduce the level of stress you feel. This technique may not stop the initial rush of anxiety a phobia can release, but mindfulness training may help you lessen the severity of the fear. It may be a good idea to work with a therapist to learn mindfulness techniques. Practicing them often on your own as well can help you use them when you’re face- to-face with a phobia. Here are some mindfulness techniques that may be helpful: meditation  deep breathing  progressive muscle relaxation  The bottom line If you have a phobia, working with a trained therapist can be an effective way to learn how to manage your symptoms and to correct the inaccurate thinking that provokes your anxiety.

3. Exposure therapy is the gold standard for treating phobias. Many people have also had success with cognitive behavioral therapy, which aims to replace cognitive distortions with realistic ideas about what scares you. If you’ve ever experienced a phobia, you probably already know that the terror you feel isn’t rational. But there are effective, well-researched treatments that can bring you relief and help you unlearn the fear response that may be interfering with your daily life.