Specific Phobias

A specific phobia is an extreme, magnified fear of a specific situation. Specific phobias are not rare: Close to 20 million Americans have a specific phobia. People who suffer from a phobia usually know that their fear reaction to the situation is much stronger than is reasonable. And sometimes the phobia gets in the way of their quality of life.

Some examples of the more common phobias:

• Fear of flying (airplanes, helicopters, etc.)

• Fear of dogs

• Fear of elevators

• Fear of closed-in spaces

• Fear of water

• Fear of blood or injuries

• Fear of spiders or insects

• Fear of heights

• Fear of highways

• Fear of escalators

• Fear of tunnels

Those are some common phobias. But any object or situation can turn into a phobia. The fear feels similar, no matter what one is afraid of, and the ways the phobia is successfully treated tend to be rather similar, too.

If you'd like to begin work on mastering your phobia, and no longer being limited by it, please call Michael Posner, MSW, LCSW at (918) 809-4777.