What actually is a phobia?

A phobia is an irrational fear derived from a significant negative emotional event in your past.

Brought about by a rapid change of emotional state i.e.. Going from neutral to startled or terrified extremely fast.

This is involving one specific event.

For example, your mother screaming at a spider when you were a child, a fright or bite from a dog, being startled by a clown all of these could create a rapid change in emotional state. The more rapid the change in emotional state, the more likely a phobia will develop.

If this is repeated the phobia will become established.

People tend to know at a conscious level that their phobias are irrational.

Yet because unconsciously you have been directed to fear or be cautious of that "terrible event" every time you come into contact with it, your phobia is becoming more established.

By changing the way the unconscious mind connects the emotion to that event, the phobia can be eliminated without stress or fear.

Catherine Wensley-Green