OPHIDIOPHOBIA
Whilst many of us have natural inborn fears and anxieties, there are times in our lives when these can get out of hand.
It may be quite natural for us to be fearful of extreme heights as many people do not relish mountaineering, as an example. In such a case we can cope quite happily without ever climbing a mountain. However, for some clients of mine even the thought of a particular fear can cause panic.
Take Carol (a fictitious name) for example. In 1995, she presented to me with a fear of snakes – Ophidiophobia. Now that is quite unusual as few of us meet snakes in our daily lives and may even avoid the reptile enclosures in zoos. However, Carol was in quite an anxious state and even asked if there were any snakes in my consulting room! I quickly put her at ease by saying, if there were, they would be got rid of before I entered as I too dislike snakes though I am not paranoid about them.
In hypnosis, I traced back her fears to a moment when she was seven years old. She had been playing hide and seek on Penglais Hill at Aberystwyth with a friend and was hiding in some ferns when a snake, presumably a grass snake or adder, slid alongside her. She screamed and ran home sobbing, and from that day onwards never went to Penglais Hill again and was always in fear of snakes appearing. Any new place she visited had to be vetted first until she was assured that no snakes were present.
I removed all her fears and phobias using Hypnotherapy but was perplexed as to how I could demonstrate that she would be calm with a snake confrontation.
She went on holiday to Blackpool and came back all smiles and said she had actually had a snake draped over her body. It was my turn to be shocked how this could happen until she told of an Indian entertainer who made his living on the prom at Blackpool by draping his pet cobra over willing holidaymakers.
Carol said it was a most excelling event in her life, and although I shuddered, she was truly cured and delighted.
“Rather her than me!” I said.
Yours in good health,
Anthony Wilson.