Phobias are very common. An estimated 10 million people in the UK experience some form of phobia.
So what are the common phobias? And why do they happen? Read on to find out more.
Fear is not always rational
A phobia is “an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling, or animal” (source – NHS)
All fear starts in the brain with the stress response. The adrenal glands release chemicals and hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. As a result, the body becomes immediately primed and prepared for a ‘fight or flight’ response.
The part of the brain called the amygdala handles the fear response. It is an almond-shaped structure within the limbic system of the brain. This is also known as the primitive brain.
This is the part of the brain that processes and reacts to any frightening stimulus. It controls basic body functions such as heart rate, breathing, food digestion, and sleeping.
You can create a fear response just by thinking of something frightening. The brain can’t tell if the fear is based on a real or imagined threat. So a person with a phobia can experience a real fear even when they are, in reality, completely safe.
There is a vast range of triggers for phobias, but these are some of the most common that I see in my clients.
Being Buried Alive
It is not surprising that the most common phobia is the primal fear of Taphophobia, or being buried alive (87%). Not surprisingly, it is closely aligned with a phobia of small or enclosed spaces (60%).
This ancient fear was recorded as far back as Roman times. Convulsions, seizures or fevers could cause people to experience a comatose or near-dead state. With only the most rudimentary medical understanding, Roman doctors may have often made misdiagnoses that resulted in premature burial.
The fear of being buried alive has been kept prominent in our collective consciousness by horror films. The horror film producers know that people have a love/hate relationship with fear. This could be the latest box office release breaking all records, or a classic tale from the work of American macabre short story writer Edgar Allan Poe. Poe actually wrote a short story called The Premature Burial!
Fear Of Living Creatures
The next set of statistics for fears and common phobias is around creatures that are always sensible to avoid, such as snakes (72%), spiders (65%), and rats (64%). It is a universal truth that people would prefer to avoid these three for fear of being bitten. The real-life consequences of bites in any of these cases can be severe and, in some cases, can lead to an early death.
Flying And Heights
Fear of Flying (78%) polled high as a real fear for many people as did fear of heights (70%). Although many people say they are afraid of flying far fewer than 78% submit to it, and refuse to fly to holidays in the sun.
Many people experience low-level discomfort when flying. This is often caused by the whole experience, such as being corralled and kept waiting, sitting in cramped conditions, and feeling overcrowded. But most people will offset their discomfort for the more compelling appeal of arriving somewhere exotic on holiday.
Gender Bias Common Phobias
The survey statistics showed that women admit to experiencing a more significant amount of fear than men. In my work, I’ve found men are much more reluctant to disclose their fears or phobias. They are often not supported and instead made to feel ashamed and weak.
If, for instance, a man feels afraid to fly, he might drink excessively to numb himself, as opposed to admitting his true feelings. Women are not judged negatively for saying they experience fears or common phobias. Unfortunately, men often are.
Fears and phobias are the ancient brain’s way of keeping us safe. This is especially true of fears of darkness (47%), water (38%), and thunder and lightning (35%). These would have seemed otherworldly and inexplicable to our early ancestors.
How To Manage Fears And Common Phobias
For most people, fears and phobias are not a problem in themselves. They are only a problem when they get in your way of living your life to its full potential. Luckily, phobias are some of the most straightforward emotional challenges to resolve. This can happen with just a few sessions of therapy. So don’t let them get in your way of flying long-haul on holiday or scooping up a spider to put it safely outside.
The first thing that happens to your body when you go into fear mode is that your breathing becomes unregulated. You may go into hyper-breathing, which is fast, shallow breathing, or hold your breath as if in shock. These two ways of breathing exacerbate feelings of panic and can make a person feel worse.
It is crucial to get your breathing back into a regular, natural rhythm as quickly as possible. The easiest way to do this is to tap with a soft fist around your collarbone. This is a Meridian Energy tapping point that helps you to feel grounded and safe. As you tap around, begin to breathe deeper and slower until your breathing is back to normal.
Why Do People Have Phobias?
You may wonder why some people suffer from fears and have phobias while others don’t. It’s not that they are braver than you or anything like that.
The thing that makes the difference is their thinking style. People who suffer from irrational fears tend to be ‘Black and White Thinkers’. This is recognised by therapists as an unhelpful thinking style. This type of thinking is an ‘either, or’ approach that tends towards the extreme in any situation. Black and white thinkers generally fail to recognise all the shades of grey in their lives and have an ‘all or nothing’ attitude.
An example would be seeing a rat scuttle by on the street would plunge black and white thinkers into shock and panic. They forget that any rats they’ve seen in the past are always very keen.
It is as if people with fears and phobias forget times when they have faced one of their common phobias and nothing bad has actually happened. They have to relive their experience time and time again as if for the first time.
Are you a black and white thinker or a catastrophic thinker who always imagines the worst-case scenario? You’ll be relieved to know you can transform your thinking to be more rational, measured, and helpful to you. Most fears and common phobias respond really well to the right therapy intervention. Treatment can usually be completely resolved in a single session. So you don’t have to let them ruin your life.
Want To Solve Your Phobia?
If fears or common phobias are limiting your ability to live your life to the full, then reach out and schedule an obligation-free call with me now! with me to find out how you can set yourself free once and for all.
Sally Baker wrote a version of this blog post for the official sponsors of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Tombolo Bingo Gambling Company.
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