Phobias are characterized by a strong fear of specific objects or situations, and a desire to avoid or flee from the object if one comes close to it. On this page, you can read more about how phobias can affect you, as well as how Dr. Dropin Psykologi can help you deal with your phobias.
Phobias are characterized by a strong fear of specific objects or situations, and a strong desire to avoid or flee from the object if one comes close to it. The most common phobias are to insects, animals, blood or syringes, heights and closed spaces. Historically, humans have tended to develop phobias that protect against objects that may be dangerous, such as poisonous spiders or snakes. In today's society, this ability to protect us has a somewhat unfortunate consequence - that we can develop phobias even against things that are not dangerous. Therefore, phobias are a very common condition that many people live well with. If the phobic anxiety becomes so strong that avoidance makes it difficult to live the life you want, it may, on the other hand, be a phobic condition requiring treatment.
We offer several types of treatments for phobias. Exposure therapy is the most common, which involves gradually exposing yourself to the anxiety-provoking situation, without running away, until you feel that the anxiety subsides. The aim is to unlearn or reduce the anxiety reaction so that the phobia becomes less inhibiting.
Alongside exposure, the treatment is also about learning about the thoughts and assumptions you have about your anxiety and how they contribute to maintaining the anxiety. Two common assumptions are, for example, "I can't stand this" and "this is dangerous for me". Such thoughts give good reason to continue avoiding the phobia object, and every time you avoid, you also confirm to yourself that the assumption is true. By becoming aware of one's irrational assumptions, it can become clearer that one does not need to listen to them, and it is then often easier to start the exposure. In the end, it is often the body and the brain that need to physically learn that the situation is not dangerous, before you experience recovery. It is therefore difficult to get rid of the phobia if you only work with thoughts, and if you do not stay in the exposure situation long enough.
Dr. Dropin has psychologists who have extensive experience with physical and digital talk therapy against phobias. Find your psychologist here and download the app to book an appointment.
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Why do we have phobias?
Humans have an innate ability to develop fear as a way to protect us from danger. Phobias act protectively because it makes us stay away from the object we have a phobia of. Those of our ancestors who had phobias towards dangerous objects had a better chance of surviving and passing this feature on to the next generation.
What is the difference between anxiety and phobia?
Anxiety is a general term that is often used for fear of harmless objects/situations. Anxiety is something we all have from time to time. Phobia is used for fear of a specific situation or object. You therefore have anxiety if you have a phobia, but it is not certain that you have a phobia even if you have anxiety.
Are phobias hereditary?
Some people have an easier time developing phobias than others, and many get the same phobia as their parents. This is probably due to heredity, but in many cases phobias also develop through frightening experiences or through observing that others are very afraid of an object. Phobias develop as a result of a combination of heredity and environment.
Are fear and anxiety the same thing?
Fear and anxiety are emotions that activate the same biological systems, and can feel exactly the same. Biologically, this is the same feeling, but it still makes sense to talk about fear and anxiety as different things in order to distinguish between useful and useless fear. Useless fear is often fear of things that cannot harm us, then it is called anxiety.
What helps against phobia?
Exposure training is most effective in reducing phobic anxiety. It involves practicing being in the feared situation in gradual steps. Repeated training often leads to the phobia becoming weaker and eventually disappearing completely.
