Online Therapy for Phobias & Fears in NJ
You don’t need to be fearless,
JUST BRAVE.
Online Therapy for Phobias & Fears
| New Jersey |
With online therapy for phobias and fears, you can receive the help you need to reclaim your life. You may be happy to know that phobias and fears are very treatable with the help of a trained provider.
What are Phobias?
- Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation
- The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety.
- The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation & to the sociocultural context.
- The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.
- The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in important areas of functioning.
- The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more.
- The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder, including
fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations associated with panic-like symptoms or other incapacitating symptoms (i.e., agoraphobia); objects or situations related to obsessions (i.e., OCD); reminders of traumatic events (i.e., PTSD); separation from home or attachment figures (as in separation anxiety disorder); or social situations (as in social anxiety disorder).
Types of Phobias
Phobias are typically divided into two categories to help providers and clients best understand their experience.
Specific/Isolated Phobias
This type of phobia is triggered by a specific event, object, sensation or stimulus. This could include a phobic response to an animal, bodily sensations such as a racing heart, or a situation such as riding the bus. Typically, these types of phobias begin in childhood, and as the person get’s older, depending on their experiences, the phobia may fade, or it may be intensified.
- Animal Type (e.g., spiders, insects, dogs)
- Natural Environment Type (e.g., heights, storms, water)
- Blood-Injection-Injury Type (e.g., needles, invasive medical procedures)
- Situational Type (e.g., airplanes, elevators, enclosed places)
- Specify type: Other Type (e.g., phobic avoidance of situations that may lead to choking, vomiting, or contracting an illness; in children, avoidance of loud sounds or costumed characters)
Complex Phobias
Complex phobias aren’t triggers by a single event, object or stimulus, making these phobias more difficult for people to manage. Generally, individuals can identify more anxiety and panic feelings in some specific situations, though often report it can feel “unpredictable” or “inconsistent”. The most common complex phobias are social phobia & agoraphobia
Symptoms of Phobias
Phobia symptoms can be broken down into 3 categories to help clients and treatment providers understand the clients experience
This type of phobia is triggered by a specific event, object, sensation or stimulus. This could include a phobic response to an animal, bodily sensations such as a racing heart, or a situation such as riding the bus. Typically, these types of phobias begin in childhood, and as the person get’s older, depending on their experiences, the phobia may fade, or it may be intensified.
- Animal Type (e.g., spiders, insects, dogs)
- Natural Environment Type (e.g., heights, storms, water)
- Blood-Injection-Injury Type (e.g., needles, invasive medical procedures)
- Situational Type (e.g., airplanes, elevators, enclosed places)
- Specify type: Other Type (e.g., phobic avoidance of situations that may lead to choking, vomiting, or contracting an illness; in children, avoidance of loud sounds or costumed characters)
Cognitive Symptoms
These symptoms are related to the thoughts associated with phobias including:
- Irrational Thoughts
- Disproportionate Fear/Worries
- Overthinking/Overanalyzing situations in which the trigger may present.
Behavioral Symptoms
Behavioral symptoms are the action based behaviors individuals have in response to anxiety and fear. This may include avoidance of the feared situation/object.
Physical Symptoms
Many clients report that these symptoms are most disruptive and frightening. Physical symptoms include:
- Increased heart-rate
- sweating
- dizziness
- nausea
- panic symptoms aka the “fight or flight” response
Types of Treatment for PhobiAs
1. Exposure Therapy for phobias & Fears
Exposure therapy is a tried & true treatment option for phobias. Exposure Therapy is a direct approach that can feel intense, but warrants some of the quickest results. It’s important to recognize that a fierce, motivated & courageous attitude is required for someone with a severe phobia to engage in exposure therapy.
2. Direct Exposure
This type of exposure is an in-person, in real life, direct exposure to the feared stimulus. This includes exposure to bugs, animals, driving, etc. This is a commonly used approach for clients and providers.
3. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)
An immersive environment is created that allows you and your therapist to slowly experience the feared situation in s structured and guided way. We love it so much, we’ve got a whole page dedicated to it here: VRT.
4. Imagined Exposure
Here, clients “imagine” the feared stimulus with their therapist. The goal is that, through recalling and describing the stimulus, the client becomes less sensitive, decreasing the “fight or flight” response.
5. Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors associated with the patterns of the stress response to a feared stimulus. CBT is designed for individual work between a therapist and patient to identify the negative thoughts and non-effective harmful coping mechanisms. Once the obsessions and compulsions are identified, work can begin with a resolution.
6. Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing/Mindfulness is a therapeutic approach focused on fostering relaxation and body awareness during traumatic experiences. Through this technique, you will develop skills to control and comprehend your body’s responses when encountering trauma symptoms. Additionally, to enhance present-moment engagement, sensory work and grounding exercises like progressive muscle relaxation will be practiced, allowing you to cultivate a deeper sense of presence in your daily life.
What You'll Need to start
What you’ll need
Essential Requirements
- Stable internet connection
- Webcam and microphone
- A smartphone
What We'll send you
FOR VR CLIENTS:
**Free Of Charge:**
- VR Headset (usually ships within 3-4 days)
- Access to HIPAA compliant VR App
Ready to start online therapy for phobias in NJ?
