Phobia Therapy
Therapy for Phobias in Hampshire
Everyone experiences fear at times. Some of us are afraid of the dark, while others feel nervous in enclosed spaces. Certain situations, feelings, objects, or animals can trigger intense discomfort and activate the body’s fight-or-flight response.
While fear is a natural human emotion, some individuals experience fear much more intensely, which can develop into phobias. Phobias cause persistent anxiety, worry, restlessness, and difficult functioning in everyday life. They can develop at any age and can affect anyone, no matter the age, gender, or social standing.
If you’re struggling with one or more phobias, you may experience overwhelming fear and an exaggerated sense of danger in specific situations. The good news is that phobias are highly treatable and therapy can help you regain a sense of control.
I’m Dr Sonney Gullu-McPhee, a Clinical Psychologist who has helped many individuals address and overcome the negative effects of phobias. Join me at my Petersfield clinic or online across the UK for tailored therapy and learn healthier and practical ways to manage your phobias.
Book a 15-minute complimentary consultation with me today.
What Are Phobias?
A phobia is defined as an intense, persistent, and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or an activity. In the DSM-5, phobias are classified under Anxiety Disorders and can take different forms.
Specific Phobias
Specific phobias may originate during childhood or adolescence and usually centred around a specific object, situation or activity.
Examples of specific phobias include:
- Animal Phobias: a fear of snakes, spiders, rodents, dogs, etc.
- Situational Phobias: fear of flying, visiting the dentist, or riding in elevators.
- Environmental Phobias: an uncontrollable fear of germs, or a fear of heights.
- Blood-Injection-Injury-Phobia: intense fear triggered by seeing blood, injuries, or receiving injections.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Social anxiety disorder is a persistent fear of social or performance situations where one may be exposed to scrutiny or judgement. If you experience social phobias, you may feel overwhelming anxiety before, during, or after a social event, and may avoid them altogether.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia involves intense fear about being in situations where escape might be difficult or help might not be available during a panic attack. It often results in avoiding places such as shopping centers, public transport, or even leaving the house.
Living with phobias can be highly stressful and can gradually take a toll on your well-being and quality of life. Phobias may cause you to live in the constant fear of whether you may come in contact with what you’re afraid of, making it difficult to get through your normal, everyday routines.
Dealing with phobias is a personal journey, with some people finding it more difficult than others, and requires a tailored therapeutic approach. My therapy for phobias helps you manage the fear and dread that lead to phobias.
Challenges Addressed in Phobia Therapy
Phobias can be overwhelming, limiting your freedom and causing intense fear even when the danger isn’t real or immediate. In therapy, we’ll work together to gently reduce the power your phobia holds over you and regain a sense of safety and control.
Some areas we may focus on include:
We’ll explore the origin of your phobia — whether it began with a specific event or gradually developed — and how it affects your day-to-day life.
Phobias can trigger intense bodily responses — racing heart, dizziness, nausea. You’ll learn grounding, breathing, and calming strategies to regulate your nervous system.
We’ll identify and gently challenge unhelpful thoughts that fuel your fear, creating more balanced and reassuring ways of thinking.
Avoidance can offer short-term relief but often reinforces fear. Therapy helps you face your phobia at a manageable pace, with techniques to build confidence and reduce anxiety.
As you progress, we’ll work on rebuilding your sense of control over your life and choices, so your phobia no longer dictates what you can and can’t do.
How Dr McPhee’s Therapy for Phobias Can Help
Therapy provides you with the tools to manage, reduce, and eventually overcome your fears. Instead of avoiding feared situations, you can learn to face them with greater confidence and calm.
My phobia therapy sessions take an integrated approach, away from the conventional single therapy approach. I’ll assess your needs and tailor a comprehensive plan of sessions, which may include Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and Mindfulness strategies, to facilitate feelings of calm and manage your fears.
Let’s look at these therapies in more detail.
Schema therapy can identify the maladaptive schemas and patterns that result in specific phobias developed from childhood.
CBT is an evidence-based approach that helps you challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviors related to your fears. It often involves techniques, such as graded exposure, where you gradually and safely confront the fear situation under professional guidance.
For some individuals, particularly when a phobia stems from a traumatic or distressing experience, EMDR therapy can be a highly effective treatment option.
Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR therapy focuses on helping the brain reprocess and desensitize distressing memories that may be “stuck,” continuing to trigger fear responses. By reprocessing these memories in a safe and structured way, EMDR can significantly reduce the emotional charge associated with a particular fear. EMDR Therapy might be helpful if your phobia developed after a specific traumatic event, such as a dog bite, a frightening flight experience, or a medical emergency. You may experience vivid flashbacks or intense emotional reactions linked to past memories.
Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing, grounding exercises help you stay present, manage physical symptoms of anxiety, and respond to fear in a calmer, more controlled way.
My Phobia Therapy Process
Why Choose Dr McPhee for Therapy for Phobias?
I’m an ISST Certified Advanced Schema therapist and a Chartered Clinical Psychologist offering personalised treatment for managing phobias, uncontrollable fears, and anxiety. I have worked with many adults with phobias in my 15 years of extensive training in psychology.
I specialise in using various forms of therapy to address the underlying causes of phobias that stem from childhood experiences or negative events. My therapy sessions are conducted in a safe, empathetic, and private space in Petersfield, Hampshire, or online for you to help you feel comfortable in finding the root cause of your irrational fears and phobias.
Phobia Therapy in Hampshire or Online
If you’re feeling powerless because of a deep-rooted fear, let my therapy help you. My therapy for phobias can help you face your fears, reframe negative feelings, and take back control of your life. Choose from in-person sessions at my Petersfield clinic or online, at your convenience.
Push your phobia to the backseat and empower yourself to make changes. Book a complimentary 15-minute consultation via email or call today and take the first step towards effectively dealing with your phobia.
While therapy may not completely get rid of phobias, they’re highly treatable with therapy, teaching you better and practical ways to manage your fears.
Combining medication and therapy is considered safe, but effectiveness varies from person to person. If you’re taking or considering medication with therapy, please contact your GP or psychiatrist to discuss how medication can be helpful.
Anyone, no matter what age or life stage, can seek phobia therapy. If your chronic fears and phobias are spiraling out of control, therapy can be a great way to start healing.
Yes. Whether your fear is related to animals, medical procedures, enclosed spaces, or something more unusual, therapy can be tailored to your specific phobia.
That’s very common. Phobias often don’t respond to logic — but therapy isn’t about judging your fear; it’s about understanding it and helping you move beyond it with compassion.
This varies depending on the severity and type of phobia, but many people experience significant improvements in just a few sessions. Therapy moves at a pace that feels safe for you.
No. Exposure work, if used, is always done gradually and with your full consent. Therapy is collaborative, and we’ll only take steps you feel ready for.
Yes. Many clients find online therapy highly effective for working through phobias, especially when it allows you to feel safe and comfortable while beginning the process.
Please schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation to explore how we might work together.