Understanding Phobias

It’s normal to feel nervous from time to time, but when fear becomes overwhelming and starts to disrupt your life, it may be something more than temporary anxiety. You might be experiencing a phobia. The good news is that phobias are treatable, and therapy can help you live a life that aligns more closely with your values and supports you in moving toward your dreams with more confidence.

What Is a Phobia?

A phobia is an intense, persistent, and often irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), phobias create a strong desire to avoid the feared thing, even when there is little or no actual danger. Avoidance may start small, gradually creeping in and narrowing a person’s world—like a balloon slowly deflating—until it interferes with daily life, work, and relationships.

Phobias are typically grouped into three main categories:

• Specific Phobias – fear of particular objects or situations (e.g., flying, spiders, needles, heights).
• Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) – fear of social interactions, being observed, or being judged.
• Agoraphobia – fear of being in situations where escape may be difficult or help might not be available.

Phobias can feel overwhelming because they often trigger powerful physical and emotional reactions. For some people, these reactions can even emerge simply from thinking about or anticipating the feared object or situation.

Common symptoms can include:

Sometimes people feel as if they are “going crazy” when they experience a phobic response. You are not broken—these reactions are understandable responses that can be worked with in therapy.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure-based approaches are often at the forefront of phobia treatment because they tend to produce strong and relatively quick results. Working closely with a therapist you trust, you gradually face feared situations in a safe, manageable way, so your brain can learn that the situation is not as dangerous as it has been signaling.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps you notice and understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. By identifying unhelpful patterns and gradually shifting them, CBT can reduce anxiety and support lasting change in how you respond to fear.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT focuses on values-based living. Instead of trying to eliminate fear or anxiety entirely, ACT helps you change your relationship with those feelings so they no longer control your choices. You learn to move toward what matters most to you, even when discomfort shows up.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT can be especially helpful when phobias show up alongside emotional sensitivity or a history of trauma. DBT can help you:

• Regulate overwhelming emotions
• Tolerate distress without shutting down or acting impulsively
• Practice mindfulness and stay grounded in the present moment
• Build effective coping and interpersonal skills