Why Phobias are no Laughing Matter

Dr. Fränzi Ng, Ed.D., TFT-RCT

“It’s just a little spider!

My peers won’t eat me alive when I have to make my presentation.

This airplane will not drop out of the sky today.

Riding this crowded bus is not scary.”

These and other affirmations individuals with phobias may have heard or even said before. Yet they do little to abate the often overwhelming feeling of trepidation, fear and sheer panic phobics often feel when faced with their particular trigger. Rationally, phobics know that the snake, the dark, the elevator won’t hurt them, yet they have no control over their persistent, overpowering reaction.

One in 20 people suffers from a phobia. If you are one of them, then you are in “good company”: Madonna is said to be scared of thunder and lightning, Pierce Brosnan despises tight places and Ronald Reagan was supposedly afraid of flying. Often phobics feel ashamed and embarrassed that they are so terrified of a harmless situation which can exacerbate their sense of isolation and loneliness.

Many people can learn to cope with their phobias and live a nearly normal life, but sometimes the price is much higher. To realize her dream of becoming a lawyer, Melanie put herself through three gruelling years of law school after working in the forestry sector for more than a decade. However, during her studies, when she was expected to participate in her first mock trial, she was simply overcome with stage fright. Her mouth went completely dry, her heart pounded fast and hard in her chest, and cold sweat ran down her forehead. That experience shaped the rest of Melanie’s career: she knew that being a trial lawyer was not going to be an option for her. She had to settle for working as a solicitor, at a reduced income, with more limited opportunities for advancement on the job.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), it is impossible to cure phobias. There are drugs that can help take the edge off, there is exposure and cognitive therapy, there is the old trick of trying to distract yourself from the stimulus (try to do that on an 8 hour airplane flight), but other than that, the western medical model has little to offer to those who suffer from phobias and hence considers phobics incurable.

But there is help for people like Melanie. With the right tool, anything is possible – including the elimination of phobias. Over 30 years ago, Dr. Roger Callahan, a renowned clinical psychologist from California, was working with his client, Mary, a middle-aged lady with a very serious water phobia. After 2 years of intensive therapy, using every tool available, Mary was able to sit by the pool, her back facing the water. Her phobia had not decreased in severity; she had just increased her ability to suffer.

Whenever Mary thought about water, she experienced an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. At that point in time, Dr. Callahan was studying applied kinesiology. At the end of his rope, expecting nothing, he asked Mary to tap on the acupressure point under her eye (according to Traditional Chinese Medicine that is beginning point of the stomach meridian). Mary did, turned on her heels and started running towards the pool. Dr. Callahan, fearing the worst cried after her: “Mary! Stop! You can not swim.” “I know I can not swim,” replied Mary with a big grin on her face, “but the fear is gone!”

Thirty years later, Mary is still enjoying water free of fear and trepidation. In the meantime, after much refinement, what came to be known as Callahan Techniques or Thought Field Therapy (TFT) was born. With thousands of practitioners around the world and more than half a million people treated, TFT has evolved into a reliable, comprehensive system that yields unprecedented, positive results not just in the elimination of phobias but also many other emotional problems like trauma, anger, grief, stress, anxiety, shame, embarrassment, depression and addictions. What distinguishes Thought Field Therapy from other approaches is that anyone can learn these simple and safe techniques, that they can be used under virtually any circumstances, and that the success rate, even with just the basic two day training, is well over 80%.

In fact, eliminating phobias of any kind with Thought Field Therapy usually is so easy and straight forward, that in the introductory workshop, trainees begin practicing TFT by treating each others’ fears. But you do not have to take a class in order to benefit from TFT. The May/June 2009 issue of Optimum Health Magazine featured a simplified TFT protocol that you can use right away for the elimination of most phobias. Alternatively, you can download a free TFT protocol from my web page at www.DrNg.net.

Phobias no longer need to affect the way you live. You can now demand to be freed from this oppressive yoke. You will not only gain a higher quality of life, it may even have an effect on your bottom line. Virgin Atlantic knows that. In order to reach a larger clientele, Virgin Atlantic now offers a “Flying Without Fear” program that draws on Thought Field Therapy. The actress Whoopie Goldberg already benefited from this course. Ms. Goldberg has not stepped onto an airplane in 12 years. But after securing a gig in London, England, she simply could not bus it anymore. She was treated on “The View” (see YouTube) for her phobia and later enjoyed a relaxing flight over the Atlantic ocean.

Don’t let fear stop you from pursuing the career and living the life you could have. Even though the “tapping thing” may seem odd at first, give it a try. And start doing with ease what previously seemed to be but an impossible dream.