Arachnophobia

A fear of spiders, or arachnophobia is an intense or irrational fear of spiders and/or other arachnids. People suffering from this type of phobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid situations where they might encounter a spider or other arachnid. This avoidance will frequently impact on the person's personal life by avoiding tasks like hanging up or taking down washing, constantly checking for spiders in clothes, or worrying excessively about the possibility of encountering a spider. Encountering a spider by chance could lead to intense fear or even feelings of panic.

Animal Phobias

People suffering from animal phobias will go to extreme lengths to avoid situations where they might encounter the kind of animal/s they fear. This avoidance will frequently impact on the person's personal life by avoiding tasks such as walking down to the shops, going out with friends, or even visiting loved ones that own feared animals as pets. The person may experience extreme anxiety or panic in the presence of these animals and may actually put themselves in serious danger in their efforts to escape. The most common animal phobias we see are dogs, birds, snakes, and insects but we are able to treat any animal phobia.

Driving phobia

Fear of Driving may involve a general fear of driving due to concern for an accident or may be due to fear of having a panic attack while driving, particularly when driving on high-speed roads, amongst dense traffic, over bridges, or in tunnels. 

fear of heights

Fear of heights, or Acrophobia, is an intense or irrational fear of high places and/or falling. People suffering from this type of phobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid situations involving heights. This avoidance will frequently impact on the person's professional and personal life by avoiding tall buildings, elevators, bridges, and sometimes even airplanes.

weather phobias

Fear of storms, or Astraphobia, is an intense or irrational fear of thunder, lightening, and/or other weather events. People suffering from this type of phobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid storms, especially being outside or driving in a storm, may go to great lengths to avoid seeing or hearing storms even at home and may excessively check weather forecasts and be reluctant to make plans in advance.

Emetophobia

Emetophobia is an extreme and irrational fear of vomit and/or vomiting. People suffering from emetophobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid vomiting, such as limiting foods, excessively washing or checking, as well as avoiding situations where they may see others vomit- like parties or if others are unwell. The avoidance behaviours associated with emetophobia may have health implications and/or interfere with social activities and life decisions. People may not travel far from home or in some cases may delay pregnancy for fear of becoming unwell. Feelings of nausea or seeing someone being sick may lead to intense fear and/or panic attacks.

Blood and needle phobias (BII)

These medical-type phobias, often called Blood-Injury-Injection phobias, can include all medical procedures, or be specific to blood-related situations, dental visits, or needles. 

A fear of needles is a condition marked by intense anxiety around procedures involved hypodermic needles and syringes. Often, the person suffering from this type of phobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid situations involving needles. This avoidance can lead to negative health outcomes if left untreated and can also impact an individual's life by causing delay or distress related to life choices like travel or parenthood.

ARFID/ Food phobias

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is classified as an eating disorder marked by extreme food avoidance or ‘picky-ness’. People suffering from ARFID avoid food due to fears of eating new foods rather than due to any weight-based or image concerns. As such, ARFID is more closely related to food phobias and benefits from food phobia treatment. Typically, restrictive eating habits result in very few foods consumed and often ‘safe’ foods are bland, ‘beige’ and of low nutritional value. ARFID and other food phobias can impact relationships and social engagements as celebrations and bonding often occurs around food and can be anxiety-provoking rather than enjoyable for an ARFID sufferer. Meal times can be very stressful times for people with ARFID or other food phobias and due to this and the health implications of maintaining a restrictive diet, it is important to seek appropriate treatment. We offer ARFID and food phobia treatment programmes for adults, adolescents, and kids (through the Cool Kids program), enhanced with VR.

Claustrophobia

Fear of enclosed spaces, or claustrophobia, is an intense or irrational fear of small spaces or the possibility of having no escape from an enclosed space. People suffering from this type of phobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid situations involving small rooms, spaces, or elevators. This avoidance will frequently impact on the person's professional and personal life by avoiding taking elevators, going into a basement or small office, taking public transport, and sometimes even medical procedures such as MRI or CT scans.

Fear of flying

A fear of flying causes significant impairment as flying becomes more common for work and family.  People suffering from aviophobia will go to extreme lengths to avoid situations where they might need to take an airplane or helicopter. Although the fear can be localised to flying itself, it is frequently seen in combination with acrophobia (fear of heights), and/or claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces). Aviophobia often impacts on the person's personal and professional life, as they will tend to avoid situations such as traveling overseas with family or friends, or taking time-consuming travel alternatives for business trips. Luckily, treatment is available. Run in partnership with Flight Experience Sydney, we combine pilot education and Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the most effective treatment for specific phobias.

public speaking anxiety

Problematic anxiety symptoms in public speaking and/or presenting situations can disrupt an individual's ability to perform. People with intense fears around public speaking will go to great lengths to avoid presenting or even speaking in formal meetings. This can cause unnecessary anxiety in the workplace particularly and can even interfere with career progression.  Public speaking programmes are run on a one-on-one basis, corresponding to Sydney Phobia Clinic's 5-session model. For corporate teams, this content may be delivered in a 3-hour workshop format or otherwise depending on the team's needs.

Sports phobias/ ‘choking’

In sports, ‘choking’ refers to a failure to perform in a high pressure situation, due to psychological interference. It is a specific performance anxiety which typically occurs at the point of carrying out a ‘closed’ sports skills such as putting, serving, pitching, or kicking a goal. While the onset can be unpredictable, an athlete may subsequently suffer significant anxiety in apprehension of participating in their sport, for fear of choking again; which may in turn exacerbate the issue. In severe cases, an athlete may consider leaving their sport entirely, believing they have lost their skills. CBT in conjunction with broader sports psychology and performance principles can be an effective treatment for Sports Phobias.

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