Treatment of phobias, fear and anxiety in Moscow

Experience of actual momentary danger, vague or specific. It can be a symptom of both a relatively mild disease (phobias in neuroses) and a rather severe one (fears in psychoses).

A phobia is an irrational obsessive fear, familiar to every 10th person on the planet. He is uncontrollable. At the same time, the person understands that fear is senseless and unfounded, but he cannot cope with it.

Example: When a boy who is pathologically afraid of dogs sees a shepherd on a leash, he mentally convinces himself: don’t be afraid, she won’t touch you. But this does not help, fear cannot be overcome. Even if there is no real danger, the person still panics, experiencing only one desire - to escape as quickly as possible.

List of the most common phobias

The number of obsessive fears people have is innumerable. Any thing, event, action, phenomenon, even memory and imagination can become the object of obsessive fear. There is even an obsessive fear of obsessive fears (fear of being afraid)! But there are not that many widespread phobias. The most common ones are presented below, using the links you can go to a detailed description of each of them:

• Claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces);
• Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces);
• Aerophobia (fear of flying);
• Social phobia (fear of society);
• Fear of death;
• Fear of losing control of oneself;
• Arachnophobia (fear of spiders);
• Cancerophobia (fear of getting cancer);
• Fear of going crazy.

Causes of fears and phobias

Fear is normal.
It protects a person from dangers. It is a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation. If a person does not experience fear, then he is not viable. Fear is based on intuition and experience. Children's fears - fear of darkness, loneliness, closed spaces - help the child survive.

But fear can be a sign of illness. If a feeling of fear interferes with a normal life, there is no reason for it, then fear can be a painful component of phobias, panic attacks, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, organic diseases of the brain, and the endocrine system.

At the heart of anxiety is a threat to well-being and survival. It is characterized by excitement, anticipation of danger, and activation of the endocrine system. But inadequate anxiety does not help you cope with life’s problems.

Phobias affect 20% of the population. Among them there are more women. The cause of phobias is associated with the characteristics of a person’s character, which is determined genetically and formed under the influence of the environment, upbringing, and various life circumstances. The causes of fears and phobias are the following character traits:

• suspiciousness;
• low self-esteem;
• impressionability;
• a penchant for creative thinking.

There are several biological and psychological factors in the occurrence of fears and phobias:

• pathological activation of certain areas of the brain in response to stress reactions. That is, the cause of any phobia or anxiety disorder is the functioning of the brain;
• increased activity of the pituitary-hypothalamus axis;
• imbalance of mediators: norepinephrine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, serotonin;
• psychological traumatic events, for example, fear of contact with the opposite sex, after rape, fear of leaving the house in the dark, fear of deserted places can be indirectly associated with trauma;
• development of psychological defense against taboo, “forbidden attractions.” For example, a subconscious desire to harm someone can turn into fear;
• The cause of phobias in healthy people may be stress and a high level of emotional stress, then fears that appeared in early childhood begin to appear.

If you have fears and phobias, anxiety states, obsessive thoughts, or other neurotic disorders, it is better to consult a psychiatrist - psychotherapist, carefully choosing a specialist. It is a dual specialty doctor who can help you. Because first you may need to prescribe medications, and then psychotherapy sessions.

Treatment methods for phobias

Drug treatment of phobias

. We select medications that alleviate and reduce the manifestations of anxiety. We use the following tools:

• beta blockers to block the production of adrenaline, the fear hormone;
• antidepressants to eliminate apathy and low mood;
• tranquilizers to eliminate vegetative symptoms of anxiety, for example, headache, nausea after an attack of fear;
• antipsychotics to eliminate “protective rituals”, such as compulsive knocking or counting.

Psychotherapeutic treatment of phobias

. We conduct a course of psychotherapy to establish the cause of anxiety, reduce or eliminate it, correct an inadequate reaction to a stimulus, and teach the patient to relax. We organize:

• consultations where we tell you how to behave in a crisis situation, how to cope with difficulties;
• correction that helps to quickly overcome an attack of fear;
• education, during which we talk more about fear and its nature, and teach skills to combat it.

Complementary and alternative treatments for phobias and fears

Treatment of phobias by a psychotherapist can be supplemented by some alternative treatment methods, including self-treatment. Among these additional measures, the following are particularly effective:

• Group trainings.
• Art therapy (drawing, modeling, vocal lessons or playing musical instruments).
• Meditation.
• Reading mantras and affirmations.
• Mastering self-hypnosis techniques.
• Healthy lifestyle, adjusting your diet and daily routine.
• Sports and active recreation.

Benefits of treating phobias in our clinic

1. We combine treatment
   . We use proven medications and combine them with psychotherapy to achieve maximum results.
2. We select therapy individually
   . We take into account the patient’s health status, gender, age, severity of phobia and other factors. Based on this, we draw up an individual treatment program.
3. We accept requests from relatives
   . We make an appointment for a consultation by calling relatives if the patient does not want to be treated himself, for example, he has a fear of doctors.
4. We provide support after treatment

   . We leave a contact for the treating psychotherapist, who you can contact at the end of therapy for advice and support.

To learn more about treating phobias or to make an appointment, call us or use the contact form.

Which doctor treats phobias? How to cure

Experts say that there are different methods of treating phobias, differing in the type of impact on a person. It is possible to treat ingrained fears in the following ways:

1. Hypnotherapy. Treatment of any phobias and fears has become possible on an unconscious level since the second half of the 20th century thanks to the discovery of the method of hypnotherapy. The essence of the method is that the doctor instills in our subconscious a positive perception of our fears. The method is very complex and has many nuances, because its success solely depends on the professionalism of the hypnotherapist. However, treating phobias with hypnosis is not the rarest way to combat fears.
2. Treatment of phobias with medication. It is used in cases where other methods are not effective, and the patient is in a constant state of depression, panic and anxiety. Only the attending physician has the right to prescribe drug treatment for fear. To achieve the best effect, drugs from the benzodiazepine group are used. They can help overcome phobias in a short time, but may have the side effect of addiction. Therefore, the use of these medications is strictly regulated in dosage and timing. The mechanism of action of benzodiazepines is to inhibit the process of nervous excitation. Another group of drugs is more common in the treatment of fears and phobias - antidepressants. They begin to act on the patient’s body only after 5-10 days of use and can cause side effects such as constipation, dry mouth, and tremors in the limbs. However, this medicine has a significant advantage - it is not addictive. The mechanism of action of antidepressants in the treatment of phobias is to block the breakdown of those substances in the body that are responsible for a positive outlook on the world and a good mood: serotonin and dopamine.

Treatment of fear

Classical psychology offers a comprehensive approach to treatment. Antidepressants, beta blockers, tranquilizers are prescribed in difficult cases, panic attacks, hysterics.

Psychotherapy can take quite a long time, especially if we are dealing with an anxiety disorder. To treat fear, a psychologist needs to understand the causes of fear and analyze the patient’s behavioral reactions. Only treatment of anxiety, mastering the relaxation system, helps patients avoid acute attacks of fear. Doctors use the principles of NLP (neurolinguistic programming) and hypnosis. It is important to learn self-help techniques.

Technology of transformation of perception filters (TPT) allows you to get rid of anxiety and phobias in a shorter time. The patient does not need to analyze the past for a long time, talk about past experiences, or look for reasons in childhood. Our task is to teach the brain to respond adequately to a stressful situation.

First you need to understand the logic of experiences and the nature of fears.

Correctly formulated questions will help you come to an awareness of the problem that triggers the mechanism of phobias. True filters of perception must be separated from false attitudes that confuse consciousness. Along with discovering the right filter, a feeling of relief will come, and fear will recede.

The TPW (Transformation of Perception Filters) technique allows you to get rid of all types of fear. Few people know that fear, excitement, anxiety, anxiety are defensive reactions that our limbic system turns on if, in its opinion, we are in danger in a particular situation. For some it may be fear of air travel, for others it may be fear of relationships, for others it may be poverty. For TFV, this is just a starting point, from which we will move on to find out why exactly does fear want to protect you, from what negative forecasts and conclusions?

So, if a person is afraid to fly, then behind his fear lies, most likely, the fear of death and some kind of suffering emotion from which his fear is trying to protect him. Very often, a person is afraid that if the plane crashes, then he will have regret that he did not have time to live, did not have time to achieve something, did not have time to go where he dreamed, and perhaps after death, the person will experience despair because that nothing can be fixed or changed.

And here’s an interesting moment: as soon as a person clarifies what lies behind his fear, he turns off! The fear goes away as if it never existed! And this is not a trick, this is a wonderful discovery of the author of the technique, Ivan Pirog, who found out that if you want to get rid of fear, realize what exactly he is afraid of!

Let me give you a more detailed example:

If a person is afraid of relationships, and he is thrown into sweat and heat from meeting the opposite sex, then very often shame is hidden behind such fear! Shame about your behavior, manner of speaking, thoughts. Fear is turned on so that a person does not even think about approaching anyone, so that God forbid, he does not feel shame for himself.

It’s a paradox, but from the point of view of the unconscious, it’s better for you to never have a family than to feel shame. Why is this happening? The fact is that the limbic system, including defensive reactions, proceeds from its logic and beliefs. It is far from our life realities and our own desires.

And there is no better tool than TFV . In order to turn off fear, you and I must clarify what exactly you will be ashamed of when communicating? You may feel ashamed of your “unscrupulousness” or “intemperance” or “vulgarity.” By clarifying negative conclusions and judgments about yourself, we will turn off your fear forever!

Imagine how dramatically your life will change if from a timid person who does not dare to go on a date, you become confident in yourself and your actions. You can easily and freely communicate with anyone you want.

Treatment of phobias can be carried out with a psychologist online , which eliminates the provocation of many types of fears and creates a comfortable environment. No need to go out, meet a lot of people, etc.

You can also contact me for help in solving the following psychological problems:

• Treatment of psychosomatic diseases
• Solving Relationship Problems
• Getting rid of self-doubt
• Treatment of depression
• Treatment of panic attacks

See you at the session! Your TFV processor is Alena Yurkevich.

What are phobias

A phobia is an uncontrollable state of obsessive irrational fear, which worsens in the presence or anticipation of certain stimuli and is accompanied by persistent anxiety, concern, and a number of physiological symptoms.

A person suffering from the disorder may have a panicky fear of certain objects, situations or activities, for example, spiders, snakes, small rooms, large crowds of people, etc.

As a rule, phobias have no logical basis and are associated with the development of intrapersonal problems in the patient, so their treatment can be of different nature, intensity and duration. In each specific case, the strategy, methods, intensity and duration of therapy are determined individually.

The AlkoSpas clinic provides comprehensive treatment for phobias and panic attacks, which allows not only to relieve unpleasant symptoms, but also to get rid of the causes of the pathology. We guarantee complete confidentiality and security at all stages of therapy.

Classification and symptoms

The feeling of danger is one of the body's protective functions. But in most everyday situations, we do not experience pronounced fear when coping with potentially dangerous situations that fill the life of a modern person: flying on an airplane, crossing the street, driving a car, lighting a burner, swimming in a pool or open water, etc. Most of us instinctively assess the level of real danger for ourselves or our loved ones and choose a way to overcome it.

The situation is different with phobias, when we are talking about an imaginary, far-fetched or exaggerated danger. It is enough to familiarize yourself with the classification of phobias to understand that they are mental deviations in the assessment and perception of reality.

The variety of forms - more than 300 types of the disease have been described today - has led to various ways of classifying them into main groups. One of them is based on the plot (content) of fear. The eight groups of this classification include:

• fear of space - closed (claustrophobia), open (agoraphobia), fear of being at depth, at heights, in public transport;
• social phobia - associated with being in the company of other people - fear of public actions (speeches, exams), dating, separation, loneliness, crowds;
• nosophobia – fear of becoming infected or contracting a dangerous disease;
• Thanatophobia – obsessive fear of dying;
• obsessive fears in the sexual sphere;
• obsessive-compulsive phobias – fear of harming others or oneself, including fear of pollution (mysophobia), dust (koniophobia), and the possibility of being injured by sharp objects;
• contrasting fears - fear of losing control over oneself and behaving indecently or speaking out in society;
• photophobia – fear of repeated attacks of fear.

Phobias are also classified according to the number of objects that cause uncontrollable fear (mono- and polyphobia), time of appearance (primary, secondary), direction, genesis - cause of origin, etc.

Common to all these forms may be the following symptoms that accompany the attack:

• cold sweat at normal ambient temperature;
• labored breathing;
• dizziness;
• nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain;
• involuntary body movements - tremor (trembling) of the limbs;
• loss of orientation in reality - space, time;
• changes in cardiovascular activity - increased or decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate;
• dizziness, nausea;
• feeling of panic, desire to run.

It would be a mistake to say that everyone who suffers from obsessive fears is mentally disabled. Many successful people suffer from phobias, including world-famous actors, musicians, athletes, businessmen, and writers. Despite the fact that this did not prevent them from taking their place in life, most of them try to get rid of the disease by visiting a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, which they do not hesitate to talk about in the media, since looking after their health is a matter of prestige and responsibility in developed countries.