You’re fine on the drive, listening to the radio with a warm coffee resting in the cup holder. A bridge comes into view, and it’s the same bridge you’ve crossed countless times before. Nothing is different. Your hands tighten on the wheel. Your shoulders tense, you hold your breath, and your chest locks up. The ground disappears from beneath you, and for a moment, you feel weightless as your eyes search for an exit you know isn’t there.
On the far side, the feeling drains away. By the time you reach the next light, you’re fine again.
That’s how fear works. It shows up with the bridge, and it leaves when the bridge is gone.
Fear runs on a switch
In my last post, I described anxious feelings as a dimmer. They rise and fall through the day, with or without a clear cause.
Fear works differently. My teacher, Mike Mandel, describes fear as digital. It’s a switch. When the trigger shows up, the switch flips on. When the trigger leaves, the switch flips off. No spider, no fear.
The trigger doesn’t need to be in the room. A photo of a spider flips the switch. So does the thought of one crawling across your pillow. To your nervous system, a picture in your mind counts as the real thing.
Where fear comes from
Fear is a learned response. Somewhere in your past, your brain linked a thing with danger. I don’t know if a dog bit you when you were just six years old. Or perhaps, you got stuck on an elevator that stalled between floors. Or maybe you had a parent who screamed at every spider.
Whatever happened became a lesson your brain held onto. This thing means danger, and danger means run. It still runs that lesson today, even after you know the danger has passed. That’s why telling yourself “it’s only a spider” doesn’t flip the switch off.
Some people remember the exact moment the fear began, while many do not. Whether you know the exact cause doesn’t matter because research shows many fears have no single starting event. They grow from a mix of temperament, family, and experience.
You don’t need to remember how it started to change it. I won’t dig for buried memories or ask you to relive anything. If a memory comes up on its own, we work with it. If it doesn’t, we work with the fear as it shows up today.
How hypnosis helps
Hypnosis is focused attention where you are in control. You stay aware and in charge. In that focused state, your mind becomes more open to new learning, and fear is a learning problem.
Several techniques are useful for changing your response to fear, and I tailor each session to the client’s individual needs. When you work with me to address fear, I’ll use hypnosis and NLP techniques that will build new resources and skills for your particular fear. You might find the negative charge of the emotion drains away and is replaced by more positive, empowering feelings.
The proof happens out there
A change during our session is a good start. A change on the bridge is the goal. Between sessions, you’ll take small, planned steps toward the thing you fear, at a pace you choose.
Truthfully, you might feel some fear along the way. That’s part of the work. The goal isn’t to feel perfectly calm. The goal is to do the thing and find out the disaster you expected never comes.
If the fear knocks again months later in a new place, that’s normal. It doesn’t mean the work failed. A few more practice steps usually settle it.
Hypnosis works alongside your care team
Hypnosis is not a replacement for therapy or medical care. I don’t diagnose or treat mental health conditions. I help people with everyday fears, and I work alongside your doctor or therapist.
Here is how the pieces fit:
- Your doctor checks your health and helps with medical procedures. If you fear needles or blood and have fainted before, talk with your doctor first. That fear response often drops blood pressure, and it needs a different approach.
- Your therapist treats phobias that block work, school, medical care, or leaving the house. A therapist also treats panic attacks, trauma, and OCD.
- Hypnosis helps you change your response to a specific fear, then practice it in real life.
At our first meeting, I screen for anything outside my scope. If you need more support than I offer, I’ll tell you plainly and help you find it. A referral is part of good care.
If you are in crisis
If you’re having thoughts of suicide or feel unsafe, call or text 988. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere in the United States. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org.
Veterans, press 1 after dialing 988 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, or feel you might faint, call 911.
Change the switch
Your brain learned this fear. It learns new responses too. Fear work is often brief. Many people notice a shift within the first few sessions, and the real-world steps lock it in.
I see clients in person in Radcliff and Elizabethtown, and online through Zoom. If you’d like to talk about whether this fits you, book a free Discovery Call.
Sources
Leave a Reply