Phobias are one of my absolute favorite things to work with because there’s always a mystery to solve. If you have a phobia, you might think it’s because of a bad experience—but the truth is, there are multiple ways your subconscious can create a phobia, and it’s not always what you think.
Fear vs. Phobia: What’s the Difference?
We are born with only two natural fears—the fear of loud noises and the fear of heights. These are built into our survival instincts.
A phobia, on the other hand, is an intense, irrational fear that’s been learned. It’s not just about being startled or cautious—it’s a reaction that feels completely out of control.
And here’s where it gets interesting: A phobia can develop in different ways, and sometimes, the thing you’re afraid of isn’t even the real issue.
How Phobias Are Created
There are three main ways a phobia can form:
1. Negative Associations: Direct Conditioning
This is what most people assume causes a phobia—you have a bad experience, and your subconscious links it to the thing that hurt you.
Example: The Dog Bite Phobia
Imagine you’re two years old, and a dog bites you. Your subconscious, whose job is to keep you safe, associates "dog" with "pain", and boom—you now have a phobia of dogs.
But here’s where it gets interesting: The subconscious is illogical and tends to overgeneralize.
🚨 Not only does it decide that one dog is dangerous, it assumes all dogs must be dangerous.
🚨 It might even take it a step further and assume that stuffed dogs, dog pictures, or even a dog on TV could be a threat.
🚨 And just like that, a rational fear becomes an irrational phobia.
2. Emotional State + Random Association
But here’s where it gets fascinating. Sometimes, a phobia has nothing to do with the thing you’re actually afraid of.
Your subconscious doesn’t always understand what’s really causing your distress—it just knows you’re in an extreme emotional state and tries to find something to blame.
Example: The Highway Phobia That Had Nothing to Do With Driving
I once had a client whose wife had initiated a divorce. He didn’t want to get divorced, but he left for the weekend so she could move her things out of the house.
On his flight home, he started feeling overwhelming anxiety—he was dreading coming home to an empty house.
✈️ When he landed, he got into his car and onto the highway, still carrying all that anxiety.
His subconscious was scanning for the cause of his distress—and since the highway was what was present and novel in that moment, his mind latched onto it: "Maybe highways are dangerous."
And just like that—he developed a phobia of driving on highways.
🚨 The truth? The phobia had NOTHING to do with highways! His subconscious had simply linked his emotional pain to the highway because it was there when the fear peaked.
🔥 Fun fact: This is also how kinks and fetishes can form—except instead of an anxiety response being attached to something novel, it’s an arousal response. The brain takes a highly charged emotional state and links it to something in the environment.
3. Positive Associations That LOOK Like a Phobia
Now, here’s one most people never consider—sometimes, a phobia isn’t actually about fear at all.
In some cases, the subconscious creates a phobia because it gets a benefit from it.
Example: The Slug Phobia That Wasn’t Really About Slugs
I had a client with a severe phobia of slugs. She had never seen one until her family moved to Salt Spring Island.
She didn’t want to move—she missed her friends, her parents were arguing a lot, and she was feeling incredibly lonely.
One day, she saw a slug for the first time and freaked out. Her dad came running, gave her a big hug, and comforted her.
Her subconscious made the connection:Being afraid of slugs = Dad gives me attention and love.
From that moment on, every time she saw a slug, she reacted in full panic mode—because unconsciously, that fear was getting her a need met.
In fact, her dad would even go outside with a salt shaker to clear the slugs off the path for her.
💡 Her subconscious didn’t want to let go of the phobia—because it was benefiting her.
How Hypnotherapy Resolves Phobias—For Good
Unlike traditional therapy, which tries to help you cope with your fear, hypnotherapy goes straight to the root cause—whether that’s a negative experience, an emotional misfire, or an unexpected subconscious benefit.
Here’s how I help my clients permanently break free from phobias:
✅ Identify How the Phobia Was Created – In hypnosis, we uncover whether it’s a negative association, an emotional misfire, or a subconscious benefit. I do this without you reliving the experience. This is also done through our conversations.
✅ Reprogram the Subconscious Response – If your brain mistakenly thinks the fear is keeping you safe, we update the pattern so it no longer triggers panic.
✅ Replace the Fear with a Calm, Neutral Reaction – Instead of just managing symptoms, we create a new automatic response that makes sense for you.
💥 The best part? Hypnotherapy works FAST. Many clients feel a huge shift in just two or three sessions.
You CAN Break Free from Phobias
🚫 You don’t have to avoid certain places, situations, or activities anymore.
🚫 You don’t have to live with uncontrollable panic over something that isn’t truly dangerous.
🚫 You don’t have to cope with fear—you can eliminate it.
If this resonates with you, let’s talk. Hypnotherapy can help you break free from phobias—permanently.
💬 Book a free consultation: https://www.yourauthenticself.ca/free-consultation
Want to Help Others Overcome Phobias?
If you’re fascinated by how the subconscious works and want to help people break free from fear and live more fulfilling lives, why not become a hypnotherapist? My Whole Brain Hypnotherapy Certification Training teaches you the most effective ways to work with the subconscious mind.
💡 Try the first two units for FREE! 👉 https://www.horizoncenterhypnotherapy.com/free-trial
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