Phobias and Fears

Coronavirus Anxiety – Are You Suffering From Coronaphobia?

by Dan Regan | Sep 12, 2020 | Phobias and Fears

Coronavirus Anxiety – Are You Suffering From Coronaphobia?

As I write this article, new restrictions have just come into force limiting social interactions and the number of new cases of coronavirus that are being reported seems to be rising back up again here in the UK. There is a lot of anxiety and fear around the prospect of a second wave and the many impacts that may follow from this for all of us.

As well as fears around contracting the virus and the potential impacts for your health and for those around you, the uncertainty and ongoing nature of coronavirus can feed your anxiety and fear and may all add up to mean that you struggle with a new emerging phobia specific to Covid-19, called coronaphobia.

The fear and anxiety around coronavirus can relate not only to contracting Covid-19 and the health impacts (worries about falling ill, infecting others and worries around death and dying), but also extends to worry around finances, employment, education and just about every facet of our normal routines and lives. There can psychological, physiological, social and financial consequences

With the many diverse and uncertain impacts of the pandemic and coronavirus, it’s no wonder that it evokes high levels of anxiety, stress and worry that can impact on your mental health and general sense of well-being.

Fear of Flying – How Safe Are You Up In The Air?

by Dan Regan | Nov 5, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Fear of Flying – How Safe Are You Up In The Air?

Recently I ran another great Fear of Flying course with the awesome Serena at Sim2Do Flight Simulator Centre in Mildenhall.

On this particular fear of flying course there were a lot of questions about how safe flying actually is. Sure, we are all told that flying is the safest form of transport and so any fears around flying aren’t really rational or logical, yet what are those things in place that mean flying is so safe?

After all, isn’t it just a piece of metal somehow moving through the nothingness of air at the control of some pilot or other in the cockpit??!!

And haven’t we all read the news stories of plane accidents and crashes. If flying is so safe, how come these scary stories seem to keep popping up in news feeds?

Research estimates that anywhere up to 40% of people experience a fear of flying, the experience of an unreasonable amount of anxiety regarding flying and causing it to be avoided or endured with intense anxiety.

On our fear of flying course, we not only include hypnosis and coping mechanisms to reduce anxiety and put you more in control of your thoughts and feelings around the flying process, we also cover anything and everything to do with air safety, how planes work and what exactly goes on behind the scenes to keep you safe.

Emetophobia – A Fear of Vomiting

by Dan Regan | May 29, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Emetophobia – A Fear of Vomiting:

Recently emetophobia, or the fear of vomiting, has been something cited by quite a few clients as either the main thing they are struggling with, or as part of their wider anxiety and panic issues.

While most of us can happily and calmly eat whatever we chose and go from place to place relatively worry free, someone with a phobia of vomiting can find their life becomes pretty restricted and filled with the potential for panic. There may be worry about going places where people may be sick (or places associated with themselves or others having vomited in the past), you may worry about contact with others and look to see whether they may look ill or likely to vomit (e.g. if they are vigorously coughing) and you may restrict what you will eat and worry that you may be sick.

A phobia of vomiting can manifest itself in three main ways: a fear that you may vomit yourself, a fear of others vomiting (which could lead to you catching something that makes you vomit) and a fear of vomiting in front of others and being embarrassed or judged negatively by them.

Certainly clients I’ve helped have described avoiding foods to reduce the risk of being sick, staying away from people who have had a bug and panicking if they think someone near them may vomit. For most of us casually saying we feel sick or mimicking vomiting is just a bit of fun; for someone with emetophobia it could add to a whole spiral of worry, tension and fear.

Coping with Turbulence and a Fear of Flying

by Dan Regan | May 25, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Coping with Turbulence and a Fear of Flying:

Since the launch of my new fear of flying course with the great people at Sim2do, I’ve written quite a bit about overcoming the fear of flying and how combining knowledge about flying, coping strategies, hypnotherapy and the virtual simulator can help to alleviate your flying fears.

As part of our course preparation we have people spend a few minutes before they come completing a brief fear of flying questionnaire. This means we can tailor the support we provide based on whether someone gets anxious in anticipation of a flight, on the plane or if they have a generalised fear around flying. For the latest course participant it was all about the turbulence (or more precisely, the fear of there being turbulence on an upcoming flight).

And this person is not alone in worrying about turbulence and being able to deal with it (without panic). It’s one of the most common concerns when someone has a fear of flying, particularly if severe turbulence has been experienced before.

Before I get on to a little more about coping with turbulence, this week I found myself wondering what it must be like to be an astronaut and to fly into space. I mean, what must that turbulence be like?

Overcoming a Food Related Fear and Phobia

by Dan Regan | Apr 29, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Overcoming a Food Related Fear and Phobia:

Thoughts and feelings around food can cause all sorts of issues and problems that people come to me for help with.

For example, for some people their anxiety / social anxiety is so overwhelming that they struggle to eat in front of others. The anxiety and stress makes their mouth go dry, their throat feel like it’s closed up so they can’t swallow and their stomach is in knots. It can easily cause all sorts of problems in areas of their life such as socially and in relationships.

I’ve also worked with people who struggle to eat certain foods, often fruit and vegetables, and can get panicky when thinking about or trying to eat these. Some people struggle with the sounds of eating and the anxiety, anger and stress of chewing and swallowing noises may mean they have to eat alone. And there are also those who are so worried about being sick and vomiting that they avoid certain foods or, at the peak of the panic, may struggle to eat very much at all.

Recently I worked with someone who would get panicky and anxious around even the thought of seeds and nuts, let alone being near them or eating them (like she used to).

Fear of Flying Course Covered by the Ely Standard

by Dan Regan | Apr 26, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Fear of Flying Course covered by the Ely Standard:

My new fear of flying course is now fully open and up and running. The course, which is a joint venture with Flight Simulator Instructor Serena from Sim2do (www.sim2do) includes many research backed elements that can help you to overcome your fear of flying.

We’ve been getting lots of interest about the course – particularly with peak holiday season fast approaching!

And I was really happy to have the Ely Standard cover the fear of flying course on their website this week (check it out here: Fear of Flying Course launched with hypnotherapist Dan Regan

Virtual Reality Exposure and Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy For Fear of Flying

by Dan Regan | Feb 20, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Virtual Reality Exposure and Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy For Fear of Flying:

Last week I headed back over to the virtual reality flying simulator team that I’ll be delivering my fear of flying course alongside. I’ve written already about the VR machine and the fear of flying course we have developed, in these two articles: i) New fear of flying course – help to overcome flying nerves and anxiety; and ii) Fear of Flying – Calmly Taking To The Air in a Boeing 737.

Naturally, one thing I’ve spent a fair amount of time researching and investigating is the added value of virtual reality for helping with fear of flying and the best methods of integrating that aspect with my cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy. And there is actually a fair amount of research out there that has looked at virtual reality exposure treatment for fear of flying and its benefits and effectiveness.

Many existing approaches make use of anxiety management and cognitive techniques, alongside providing accurate information about aeroplanes and flying as a way to calm that fear. Some approaches make use of exposure techniques that could range from going to an airport, watching and listening to the sound of aeroplanes taking off and landing and then, where practical, sitting in a plane before then moving on to actually flying somewhere.

Of course, some of these elements are easier to realise than others to help you overcome your fear of flying. As long as it isn’t too far, getting to an airport and watching and listening to planes is probably achievable. Actually arranging to sit on a stationary plane for a bit is harder to achieve and the opportunities for repeating this and subsequent steps become less and less. This is where virtual reality exposure can really nail the gap in your progress to reduce your fear before you actually fly.

New Fear of Flying Course – help to overcome flying nerves and anxiety

by Dan Regan | Feb 14, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

New fear of flying course – help to overcome flying nerves and anxiety:

Fear of flying is perhaps one of the most common fears and phobias around (along with the fears of public speaking and death). It’s estimated that up to 25% of the population battle with the fear of flying.

This can lead to avoiding flying completely due to the fear and anxiety associated with it, or perhaps simply trying to force yourself through it and living with the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that come with a flight. Other people may also use alcohol to try and numb the anxiety and help them relax or rely on prescribed medication such as diazepam. And, of course, all these methods can have negative and anxious connotations and consequences that make air travel something to be feared and limited.

I’ve helped many people to overcome their fear of flying and there is no doubt that hypnotherapy can be a very effective method of overcoming that aviophobia. Yet there is always a leap between the hypnotherapy sessions and then an actual flight. Unless you have easy access to a plane then there is not much scope for testing your therapeutic progress and for having an opportunity to put strategies and techniques into place. There isn’t much scope for developing confidence and self-efficacy around flying.

Which is where my new fear of flying course comes in. I’m pretty excited at how well this can combine psychological processes along with education about flying, and the opportunity to put that learning and those calming techniques into practice in the cockpit.

Fear of Flying – Calmly Taking To The Air in a Boeing 737

by Dan Regan | Jan 18, 2019 | Phobias and Fears

Fear of Flying – Calmly Taking To The Air in a Boeing 737

Another busy weekend has passed and I’m back in the office ready for a whole new week helping people to overcome limitations and make progress with their goals. As with most other weeks, Saturday was a trip to boot-camp before a fully booked day of clients, and Sunday was a seven mile run before relaxing with the kids. I even found time to have a little go on my ten year old ‘original’ x-box because there is nothing like a virtual reality game or Star Wars to mentally switch off from everything else.

January has been manic with clients seeking to overcome anxiety, over-thinking, fear and worry. And whilst some fears are easier to approach in real life, such as overcoming driving fear by getting behind the wheel, fear of flying is much harder to re-create in real life (not many people have easy access to a plane!). Even though it is possible to overcome that flying fear, it is a little trickier to get the proof of change until the day of the actual flight (although most people notice they feel calmer and more relaxed beforehand).

That’s why last week I headed over to a flying simulator centre not far from me to progress our plans to create a course for overcoming fear of flying that combines the best of my psychological help with their knowledge and expertise of plans and flying, along with the opportunity to learn more and experience feeling calm and in control in the cockpit of a Boeing 737. It’s a pretty awesome piece of kit and uses virtual reality to fill that gap of overcoming flying fear before your actual flight.

Overcoming The Fear of Swimming in Open Water

by Dan Regan | Aug 2, 2018 | Phobias and Fears

Overcoming The Fear of Swimming in Open Water:

Do you have a fear of swimming in open water? Well, if you are a triathlete then that fear can seriously impact on your enjoyment of competing as well as your performance levels. Further down this article you can watch a testimonial from Miranda who overcame her fear and absolutely smashed her triathlon.

I’m just back from a week away with my family in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, an absolutely lovely place where we all had a great time. The weather was good, the beaches were amazing and we all really enjoyed our time there. Even the weather was just right (mostly!)!

The kids loved playing in the sea, whether it was splashing around, swimming a bit or getting knocked over by the waves. It was great to see how confident they have become in the water compared to previous years (I splashed around a bit but mainly stuck to dry land because the water was freeeeezing!!).

There were also plenty of swimmers out in the sea and we often watched them make their way along the horizon. There’s an Ironman triathlon event coming up in Tenby so I’d bet a few of them were in training for the open water swimming part.

Yet if open water swimming fills you with fear then a triathlon, or any other open water swimming, could fill you with dread, anxiety and worry.

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