Phobias & Agoraphobia

Up to 20% of Adults are impacted by Anxiety Disorders Each Year

Miner, S., Takov, V., 2022

Almost 10% of Children Ages 3-17 are Diagnosed with Anxiety

CDC

What is a Phobia/Specific Phobia?

A phobia is having high levels of fear or anxiety around a specific object or situation. People who have a phobia avoid the object or situation or endure it with great difficulty. This fear impacts people by either causing them a great deal of distress or by making it challenging to attend to daily activities.

Common phobia include:

  • Animals and insects

  • Natural environment (heights, storms, water)

  • Blood, injections, injuries, medical care, dental care

  • Sitational (airplanes, elevators, enclosed spaces)

  • Other (like vomiting or loud sounds)

What is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is different from a specific phobia (as stated above) in that it is centered around being in public, which makes those with agoraphobia feel like escaping may be difficult or help could be unavailable.

People with Agoraphobia may experience intense fear and anxiety around one or many of the following situations:

  • Using public transportation

  • Being in open spaces 

  • Being in enclosed spaces 

  • Standing in line or being in a crowd

  • Being outside of the home by themselves

Signs of a Phobia

You may be experiencing a phobia if you have intense fears or anxiety regarding a particular object or situation which causes physical sensations such as:

  • Tremors

  • Heart palpitations

  • Sweating

  • Shortness of breath 

  • Dizziness

  • Nausea

  • Other sensations related to the “Fight/Flight/Freeze System”

  • Having other sensations consistent with a panic attack

How I Treat Phobias

Research indicates that Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are the most effective types of therapy to treat phobias with about 75% of people completing therapy overcoming their phobias.


During Exposure Therapy, people work closely with their therapist to slowly, safely, and gradually introduce themselves to the feared object or situation. Clients that work with me often hear me ask: “does this feel challenging, but do-able?” Clients find this helpful because it reminds them that they are in control and get to go at their own pace.

Sources:

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

  • Harvard Health. (2024, May 7). Phobia. https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/phobia-a-to-z

  • Thng, C. E., Lim-Ashworth, N. S., Poh, B. Z., & Lim, C. G. (2020). Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: A rapid review. F1000Research, 9, 195. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

  • What is exposure therapy? (2017, July 31). https://www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy#:~:text=The%20exposure%20to%20the%20feared,Phobias