Specific Phobias

Treatment of Phobias in Tampa, Fl.

Have you experienced extreme anxiety, intense dread, or panic when confronted with specific feared place, thing, or situation? Have you reacted excessively and irrationally due to this fear? And have you avoided doing things that might involve the specific place, thing, or situation? If this sounds like something you have experienced, then you may have a specific phobia. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 12.5% of U.S. adults experience a specific phobia during some point in their life. The most effective treatment for a specific phobia is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention treatment (ERP). At Anxiety Center of Tampa, our therapists are specifically trained to provide CBT and ERP for the treatment of phobias in Tampa, Fl. and through telehealth services across Florida. If you are looking to regain control over your life and not allow fear to influence your behavior, seeking treatment with one of our anxiety therapists is the best choice you can make.

What is a Phobia?

Turning fear into freedom from phobias is a goal of ERP treatment for phobias such as emetophobia, fear of flying, fearing of vomiting, fear of enclosed spaces, claustrophobia, fear of needles, fear of blood.

Specific phobias are irritational and often exaggerated fears of a specific trigger. These fears may not affect affect your daily life overall but may cause you significant distress when in the presence of the trigger. You may find yourself going out of your way in order to avoid the feared object or situation, for example:

  • skip dentist appointments

  • miss routine bloodwork

  • avoid driving during rain

  • online shop instead of going to a store

It is important to understand that everyone has fears and simply fearing something does not mean you have a phobia.

Click here for a list pf phobias

Symptoms of a Specific Phobia Diagnosis

According to the DSM-V, the diagnostic criteria for a Specific Phobia is as follows:

A.  Marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation (e.g., flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood).

 Note: In children, the fear or anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or clinging.

 B. The phobic object or situation almost always provokes immediate fear or anxiety.

 C. The phobic object or situation is actively avoided or endured with intense fear or anxiety.

 D. The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the specific object or situation and to the sociocultural context.

 E. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance is persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more.

 F. The fear, anxiety, or avoidance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

G. 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 (as in agoraphobia); objects or situations related to obsessions (as in obsessive-compulsive disorder); reminders of traumatic events (as in posttraumatic stress disorder); separation from home or attachment figures (as in separation anxiety disorder); or social situations (as in social anxiety disorder).

***Specify if: Natural/environment type, injury type, animal type, situational type, or other type (described below).

Types of Phobias

  • Natural/Environment Type

    Lightning, thunder, storms, heights, open or deep water, darkness.

  • Animal Type

    Bees, spiders, dogs, snakes, scorpions, rats.

  • Injury Type

    Injections, needles, blood, dentist.

  • Situational Type

    Claustrophobia, public speaking, fear of flying, fear of open spaces or crowds.

  • Other Type

    Vomiting, dolls, louds sounds, fear of numbers.

Begin Treatment for Phobias in Tampa Bay Area

Our anxiety therapists at Anxiety Center of Tampa are specialized in providing treatment for anxiety disorders. All the clients seen at our practice have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, therefore, beginning treatment with us gives you the opportunity to start the evidenced-based treatment necessary for the treatment of anxiety. While many therapists can provide CBT, only a few in the Tampa Bay Area are trained to provide the crucial ERP component. Treatment is highly individualized at our practice. Your schedule, length of session, and frequency are considered when creating your treatment schedule. At your intake session, you and your therapist will discuss your needs and obstacles to treatment to set you up for success. Call Anxiety Center of Tampa at 813-773-5807 for more information or to schedule your appointment today. You can also contact us through email via our contact page. Here are the easy steps to so that you can get your life back on track:

  1. Contact us to set up an intake session.

  2. Meet our anxiety therapists.

  3. Learn for to cope with anxiety and live a meaningful life.

  Other Anxiety Related Disorders Treated at Anxiety Center of Tampa

               Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

               Panic Disorder

               Social Anxiety Disorder

               Illness Anxiety Disorder (Hypochondriasis)

               Agoraphobia