Two thirds of Britons plagued by phobias
Research by the world’s largest online therapy and coaching platform has revealed that 67% of Britons have a phobia that they’d like to be rid of, with the most common being the fear of ‘spiders’. A hypnotherapist from the site has given tips on how to deal with phobias.
A new study by the world’s first webcam based therapy service has revealed just how commonplace phobias are amongst members of the British public, with more than two thirds admitting that they have a phobia that they’d like to cure.
Online therapy service www.Mentaline.com carried out the study in order to find out more about people’s phobias and whether or not Britons take the necessary steps to help them better deal with their fears. 2,017 people in the UK were subsequently polled, asked questions surrounding their biggest phobias.
When asked, ‘Do you have a phobia that you’d like to get rid of?’ 67% of the people polled answered ‘yes.’ These respondents were then asked to state what exactly these phobias were and were told to select more than one if they had multiple phobias. The top ten most common answers were as follows:
1. Spiders (Arachnophobia) - 54%
2. Heights (Acrophobia) – 42%
3. Dark (Nyctophobia) – 39%
4. Small spaces (Claustrophobia) – 33%
5. Snakes (Ophidiophobia) – 29%
6. Flying (Aerophobia) – 27%
7. Dying (Thanatophobia) – 22%
8. Clowns (Coulrophobia) – 19%
9. Germs (Msyophobia) – 12%
10. Dogs (Cynophobia) – 11%
When asked what their phobias were, respondents were also given the option to select ‘other’ if it was something that didn’t appear in the list. 6 respondents claimed to have a phobia of ‘bananas’ whilst 2 respondents also had a phobia of cotton wool.
Of those with a phobia, 37% could trace their fear back to something that happened to them in the past, whereas 44% of the respondents were unsure where their phobia originated. The remaining respondents with phobias (19%) thought their phobia was passed on to them from their parents.
Jesper Buch, founder of Mentaline.com, commented on the findings;
“The majority of people evidently have a phobia of some description and the results of our latest research were very interesting. The aim of our site is to put people in touch with the right professional to suit their needs; the most important thing to remember is that the user can select which therapist or coach they want to work with and that choice is always in their hands. Many of the professionals on our site have had brilliant results when working with clients who have phobias.”
Simon Maryan, a hypnotherapist on Mentaline.com, commented;
“As a practicing hypnotherapist, I frequently work with people who have phobias. It is important for people to understand when they developed this fear and if there is a critical moment that caused it, sometimes this is the case and sometimes it is a gradual process. Whichever is the case, it is a learned pattern of behaviour and there are various ways in which this can be treated and by asking the right questions, the therapist can unwrap the possible clues to the cause.
“Once this has been done, the therapist has a better idea of which method will be most ecological for the client to go through, and I have found that this is crucial in creating a successful outcome for the client. This is a difficult situation for the client to be in and they have to feel comfortable with the process they will be going through and this creates the confidence they need in the therapist.”
« Back to the list