Understanding and overcoming phobias: everything you need to know

Ines Sellami
Sep 24
2 min read

Being afraid of flying, speaking in public, or even seeing a spider – it happens to everyone. But when this fear becomes so intense that it interferes with your daily life, we call it a phobia. The good news? Phobias can be understood and treated very effectively.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• How phobias develop

• Why they persist

• Myths and facts about them

• How to overcome them (with practical tips you can try today)

How phobias develop

Phobias are not a “quirk” or a sign of weakness — they build up progressively.

Classical Conditioning: A significant event can associate an object or situation with fear.Example: a turbulent flight → fear of flying.
Observation and Learning: As children, we often learn by imitation. Seeing a parent scream at the sight of a spider can lead us to develop the same fear.
Biological Predisposition: Our brain is wired to detect certain dangers quickly (snakes, heights, darkness). This survival mechanism can sometimes become overactive.

Why phobias persist

Phobias don’t go away on their own. Here’s why:

The Vicious Cycle of Avoidance: Avoiding what we fear feels relieving in the moment, but it prevents the brain from learning that the situation isn’t actually dangerous. As a result, the fear becomes even more entrenched.
Anticipation: Fear begins even before the confrontation: just thinking about the situation triggers anxiety, reinforcing the phobia.
Hypervigilance: The brain stays in “alert mode,” making the person even more sensitive to potential triggers.

Myths and facts about phobias

❌ Myth	✅ Fact
“It’s just in your head.”	A phobia triggers very real physical reactions (racing heart, sweating, trembling).
“You just need to be rational.”	A phobia is emotional, not logical. Reasoning alone won’t erase the fear.
“Avoiding it is enough to cope.”	Avoidance strengthens the fear in the long term.
“It can’t be treated.”	Phobias respond very well to cognitive therapies, hypnosis, and other approaches.

How to overcome a phobia

The key is learning to calm the body and retrain the brain.

Gradual Exposure: Get used to the feared situation in small steps (pictures → videos → real-life situation).
Relaxation Techniques: Deep breathing, cardiac coherence, meditation – anything that calms the nervous system.
Cognitive Restructuring: Challenge catastrophic thoughts and replace them with more realistic ones.
Hypnosis and Brief Therapies: These techniques can reprogram the emotional response and help desensitize fear more quickly.

Practical exercises to try at home

Fear Journal: Write down every situation where you felt fear, rate its intensity from 0 to 10, and note how you dealt with it.
Visualization: Close your eyes and imagine the situation while breathing deeply. Repeat until the emotional intensity decreases.
Calm Anchor: Place your hand on your stomach, breathe deeply, and repeat the word “calm.” Link this gesture with a state of relaxation.
Daily Mini-Exposure: Start with very small steps: read about the topic, look at a picture, then gradually increase the level of difficulty.