| Many people ask me whether travel phobias - fear of | | | | not effectively cure the problem or they require the |
| flying, boating, automobile travel etc. - are justified or | | | | client to subject themselves to an unnecessary |
| irrational. | | | | amount of sessions revisiting the past. |
| I would be hard pressed to think of a single | | | | Depending upon the client and the particular phobia, I |
| travel-related phobia that is "justified" per se. If a | | | | recommend using either NLP, clinical hypnotherapy or |
| person has been in a serious car/plane accident and is | | | | Thought Field Therapy (or a combination of these |
| therefore, afraid to return to that method of travel, | | | | techniques). |
| his/her fear could possibly be said to be "justified" | | | | Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) was developed |
| under the circumstances. However, most phobias | | | | by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the early 70's - |
| related to travel are based on worries that simply will | | | | based on their observations of the work of Virginia |
| never eventuate. | | | | Satir, Fritz Perls and Milton Erickson. NLP was created |
| By its very definition, a phobia is not a rational | | | | to help us understand how verbal and nonverbal |
| process. It is mainly an irrational fear of something | | | | communication affects the human brain. It gives all of |
| that poses no real, impending danger. Take for | | | | us the opportunity to learn how to gain more control |
| example one of the most common phobias - fear of | | | | over the automatic functions of our own brain |
| flying. Fear of flying is a partly rational and partly | | | | neurology. Essentially, if you know the structure of |
| irrational fear. Yes, planes do crash from time to time | | | | behaviour (i.e. a phobia), you can change it....and you |
| and it is remotely possible that the one you are | | | | can change it quickly. It is not necessary to analyse |
| thinking of travelling on, could crash. But the likelihood | | | | the reasons or causes for the behaviour. |
| of that happening is minuscule. You have a better | | | | Hypnotherapy minimises the symptoms of phobias by |
| chance of winning the lottery. | | | | reprogramming the existing thought patterns that are |
| No doubt you are aware that it is statistically more | | | | stored in the subconscious mind - which bring about |
| dangerous to walk the streets or travel by car. We | | | | the fears. The thought-feeling reactions created form |
| know all of these facts "intellectually" but this does | | | | a chain of events, much like a string of pearls: A |
| not stop many from dreading or fearing travel by | | | | "string" is created from the initial sensitising event (or |
| plane. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 8 to 10 | | | | "ISE") to each of the subsequent events that |
| out of every 100 individuals suffers from some sort | | | | reinforce those particular thoughts and feelings. The |
| of travel related phobia (with symptoms ranging from | | | | ability to trace back the presenting issue/problem to |
| mild to severe). | | | | the first time it was ever a problem for the client |
| Because phobias are not a rational process, facts, | | | | (ISE) and break the thought feeling connection, is the |
| safety precautions and statistics do little to calm the | | | | key to eliminating the problem and the symptoms |
| fears of anyone who suffers. It is simply a learned | | | | forever. The key is to identify the problem (not |
| emotional response in which your imagination causes | | | | merely the symptoms) and to uncover the ISE. |
| a powerful surge of fear and anxiety. Once triggered, | | | | Energy Psychology (i.e. Thought Field Therapy) is one |
| the phobic response is fueled by runaway emotions | | | | of the newer approaches that dramatically reduces |
| and powerful imagery created by the subconscious | | | | emotional distress and restores emotional well-being |
| mind. | | | | by clearing the flow of the body's "energy system". |
| The critical point here is that although the event (i.e. a | | | | It is effective in treating phobias because it is safe, |
| flight or the thought of taking a flight) triggers this | | | | effective and long lasting. Energy psychology is based |
| chain of events, it is purely our imagination that fuels | | | | on the centuries old philosophy that there are lines of |
| it, maintains it, and makes us dread the next time. | | | | energy, called meridians that run through the body. |
| And if we continue to avoid travelling in order to | | | | Every negative emotion that we experience is simply |
| avoid the phobic reaction, our avoidance actually | | | | a blockage of energy somewhere in the body. The |
| intensifies the phobia related to flying. In essence, all | | | | symptoms of blocked energy can include emotions |
| phobias are the result of not knowing how to | | | | such as fear, anxiety, etc. and behaviours such as |
| manage our own imagination. | | | | phobias. Many of these symptoms will simply fade |
| And to successfully overcome phobias we need | | | | away on their own if you clear the blocked energy. |
| methods to successfully manage our own thoughts | | | | This is done by tapping on a series of points on the |
| so that they do not produce the phobic feelings. | | | | body, usually while focusing on the specific problem, |
| Ironically, despite the prevalence of phobias related | | | | either as an image, or by saying a word or sentence |
| to air travel, most suffers do still choose to travel by | | | | out loud. When your energy is balanced and runs |
| air and many use drugs or relaxation as their primary | | | | clear, your emotional distress goes away on its own. |
| method to overcome the physical symptoms. Neither | | | | There is no need to explore it, analyse it, or subject |
| of these is a cure but rather a temporary fix. | | | | to lengthy therapy sessions. |
| Ironically, the best way to treat the aerophobia (fear | | | | In my own practice, more often than not, I will use |
| of flying) is to fly more frequently. Every successful | | | | either TFT or NLP to assist clients with phobias. From |
| flight will build hard evidence to support the belief | | | | time to time I use clinical hypnotherapy. The results |
| that air catastrophes are an exception rather than | | | | from NLP and TFT are usually immediate (1-2 |
| the rule. However, this may not be palatable for | | | | sessions depending on the presenting issue) and |
| many sufferers (esp. those whose symptoms are | | | | permanent. Also, these do not subject the client |
| the most severe). There are a few common | | | | [unnecessarily] to revisit painful memories from the |
| approaches that I do not recommend. They either do | | | | past. |