Phobias are anxiety conditions characterized by intense fear that is triggered by specific situations or objects. Unlike more general anxiety, people with specific phobias often do quite well as long as they avoid these triggers. Some triggers are easy to avoid, while avoiding others can make life pretty difficult. For example, being afraid of elevators when you work on a high floor of an office building can cause real problems. The more a person avoids, the more fear they tend to feel about facing the situation.
Common phobias include animals, airplanes, blood/injury, clowns, loud noises, crowded places, going over bridges or under tunnels, storms, heights, water, and more.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an effective treatment for phobias. Exposure-based exercises are crucial to decrease the anxiety associated with the specific feared situation. During these exercises, the client is gradually exposed to aspects of the feared object. For example, they might begin by simply talking about a spider or looking at a photo online. Through the process, the person begins feeling more comfortable and is able to move closer and closer to being in the presence of an actual spider.