How Does It Benefit To Go To A Psychologist To Treat A Phobia?
Phobias are among the most widespread psychopathologies in today’s society; However, the good news is that these alterations respond very well to psychotherapeutic treatment.
Let’s delve into the way in which the work of a psychologist helps to overcome a phobia and the way in which this process of improving mental health develops.
The benefits of going to psychotherapy if you suffer from a phobia
Phobias are an anxiety disorder characterized by an intense irrational fear of an object, living being or specific situation; which is accompanied by a variety of symptoms of anguish and stress, both physical and psychological, reaching an extreme where it interferes with the person’s quality of life.
The sources that generate this fear or panic do not usually pose a real danger for the person who has said phobia: these can be pets, fear of heights, flying on an airplane, blood, having to talk to unknown people, or lack of access to help from friends or family.
These psychological disorders have been studied for several years by research teams in clinical psychology, neuroscience and medicine, and can currently be treated successfully through detailed and systematic intervention.
In today’s article we will see the main benefits of going to a professional psychologist to treat a phobia, whatever type it may be.
1. Allows for individualized and effective intervention
Putting ourselves in the hands of a psychologist to treat a case of phobia is the best way to receive an individualized and professional intervention, that is, adapted at all times to our particular characteristics and specificities.
This means that the professional will put into practice various therapies, techniques and strategies depending on the type of phobia we present, our psychological state, family or social environment and personal characteristics.
In addition to that, psychology professionals apply proven effective therapies, based on previous research with high scientific evidence, which is why the probabilities of success are so high.
2. Allows you to maintain your social life
Another benefit of starting a psychological intervention specialized in phobias is that in cases of social phobia, as clients, it is not necessary to give up having a quality social life during the therapeutic process.
In addition to that, if our phobia is something else, we can also maintain a normal and ordinary quality of life, doing the same activities that we did before, while having the help of a psychology professional.
3. Allows you to understand the nature of the phobia
In cases of phobia of any type, affected people feel and perceive the world differently from other people, often experiencing fear or terror that they are not able to understand.
A psychology professional will help us understand the reason for each of the fears, stress or anxiety that we experience which prevents the person from blaming themselves or harboring erroneous conclusions about their irrational fear that could affect their self-esteem.
In short, knowing in depth the nature of the phobia allows us, as patients, to learn more about ourselves, know ourselves better and acquire tools to overcome our personal problem.
Many of the therapies that are put into practice in the office of a psychology professional specialized in phobias consist of working together with the family, since This can be a very useful therapeutic element.
The family members of the person with phobias can provide great support so that they can overcome their problem more quickly and make the patient feel understood, supported and loved.
5. Allows you to change erroneous strategies
Psychological therapy specialized in phobias also offers us a series of professional tools with which we can see that avoiding what causes us anxiety or discomfort is not the solution.
The strategy of avoiding the focus of fear is one of the classic responses that people with phobias implement and in the consultation of a psychologist we will learn how to launch other types of responses, both cognitive and behavioral, that are much more useful and adaptive.
6. Allows you to put virtual reality techniques into practice
For several years, virtual reality techniques have been some of the most used therapeutic strategies to treat cases of phobias of all types, due to their proven scientific evidence.
The use of these techniques by qualified professionals allows us to be immersed in a virtual scenario that can generate fear, but without leaving home or the office, which helps us to confront that terror progressively in a controlled environment.
7. Helps reconfigure limiting or negative beliefs about yourself
Self-esteem is one of the components of the personality that a professional is responsible for working on and improving in people with phobias, since it is essential to overcome said problem.
Many times, phobias are rooted in low self-esteem: that feeling of not having the skills or abilities necessary to face an encounter with a person, an animal or an object, something that the rest of the people would have and therefore (supposedly) they have no reason to worry about their well-being in the face of those experiences. This type of narrative serves to maintain a mirage of rationality when assessing what the phobia is and how it affects us.
Therefore, during the process of psychological therapy for phobias, it is also essential to overcome, replace or reconfigure a series of negative or limiting beliefs that contribute to maintaining the phobia in the person.
With the help of a professional psychologist we will achieve Identify these harmful beliefs and thoughts, understand them and change them by more positive ones that allow us to acquire strength, resources and motivation to overcome the problem.
Improving self-esteem, gaining confidence and acquiring all kinds of resources to overcome our fear is the path that will help us overcome the phobia that affects us so much daily and recover our previous life.
8. Allows you to treat other associated disorders
Psychological therapy specialized in addictions also allows the treatment of other disorders that may be related to the first, in a global manner and taking into account all aspects of the person’s life.
In addition to presenting phobias of any type, people They may have developed cases of anxiety or depression as well as other mental health disorders that can be perfectly treated by a psychology professional.
Are you looking for psychotherapy services?
If you want to go to therapy to overcome a phobic disorder, contact me.
Am Ignacio GarcÃa Vicente and I am a psychologist specialized in emotional and anxiety problems.
