Fears
Fears are often an understandable way we have of protecting ourselves - we may have burnt ourselves, or been bitten by a dog in our childhood. We therefore grow up to be afraid of fire, afraid of dogs - but these fears are logical and normally don't interfere with our everyday lives.

Phobias
As children we sometimes experience terrifying situations, but because we are only children we cannot deal with the emotions generated. We can therefore block out (or repress) the memory of the event and/or the memory of the emotions involved. Later on, in adult life, when we experience something that triggers those original emotions we will project them outwards onto something, probably completely unrelated to the original problem. Hence a phobia will develop.

Phobias can be lived with - it is when they start to interfere with your life or to alter the quality of your life, that you may want to 'sort it out' - to find the root cause of the phobia and thus relieve the symptoms permanently.

During 8-10 sessions of hypno-analysis, in the comfort and privacy of the therapist's office you will link and connect thoughts, memories and emotions back through time until the original cause of the problem is reached. As an adult you will be able to understand how as a child those events were so difficult to handle.

Some of the more Common Phobias include:

• Fear of spiders
• Fear of flying
• Fear of being sick
• Fear of small spaces
• Fear of being outside your house/open spaces
• Fear of public toilets

However, there are hundreds of other phobias not listed here.

If you are prepared to devote the time and effort to be free of your problem then please call me and make an appointment. You will find it a fascinating route to greater self-knowledge and understanding.

Monica Birkett, 20a The Quomp, Ringwood, Hants, BH24 1NS
Telephone: 01425 480053

e-mail me at: monica@ringwoodhypnotherapy.co.uk