Inner Solutions

For Better Health Strategic Psychotherapy & Hypnosis, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) for better mental health

10/09/2026

A phobia can be confusing.
Even when the rational portion of the brain recognizes that little to no danger actually exists, the physical body will react with “fear” – as if great harm were imminent.
There is a reason for that reaction.
Fear responses can be learned.
And understanding how this was learned can also be very eye opening to why you are perceiving your situation differently.
That's why I created my free guide:
Why You're Not Broken: The Truth About Phobias
It explains why people develop fears, why their avoidance of things they are afraid of can become a long lasting problem, and how people can change their lives to stop these problems.

Download the free guide from Inner Solutions.

08/09/2026

It can start with one road.
“I’ll just avoid the highway.”
Then another.
“I don't like that bridge.”
Then:
“I'd rather not drive at night.”
“I'll go if someone else drives.”
“I'll take the longer route.”
Each decision seems small.
And each one provides relief.
But gradually, fear can start deciding where, when and how travel happens.
That’s when a driving fear can begin to affect areas of your life outside of your driving.
Influencing the independent way of life, how people enjoy their leisure time, their work, relationships and way of life.

06/09/2026

This explains something many people with phobias find incredibly frustrating.
They already know the fear is disproportionate.
They already know that the spider is small, that the plane will land safely, or that the needle will only be for a moment.
The logical brain may understand all of that perfectly well.
The automatic alarm response hasn't received the same message.

03/09/2026

You don't have to love needles in order to overcome a phobia of them.
Or spiders.
Or flying.
Or driving on a busy highway.
That isn't the goal.
Getting comfortable with a situation you are afraid of means you won’t have your old fear reactions automatically anymore.
Imagine noticing the spider without freezing.
Going to the dentist without days of dread.
Driving somewhere unfamiliar without planning an escape route.
Booking a holiday without the flight overshadowing the excitement.
Sometimes freedom is surprisingly ordinary.
It’s simply being able to get on with life.

01/09/2026

When asking someone with a severe Spider Phobia what scares them about spiders, first initial reaction would probably be: “Spiders!”
“Spiders!”
But look more closely and there can be another layer.
“What if it runs towards me?”
“What if I lose sight of it?”
“What if I freeze?”
“What if nobody is there to remove it?”
“What if I panic?”
So, the fear is not just of seeing a spider.
It can also be about the automatic reaction that is expected to follow.
It can completely change your way of thinking and understanding a phobia.

31/08/2026

The holiday might be exciting.
The destination might have been dreamed about for months.
But there’s one problem.
The flight.
For someone with flying fear, anxiety may begin days or even weeks before departure.
Checking the weather.
Thinking about turbulence.
Wondering what will happen once the doors close.
Imagining feeling trapped.
Sometimes the hardest part of flying fear isn’t being in the air.
It’s everything the mind does before the journey has even begun.

27/08/2026

Do Phobias Have to Be Confronted Head-On?

This approach to treating fears and phobias is sometimes mistakenly perceived to include forcing the patient to confront the object of their fear during the session.

That isn’t how I work.

My approach uses the Rewind Technique in a gentle, structured way that is designed to work with the learned fear response.

There is no requirement to face your feared object during the session (e.g. a spider, needle, etc).

There is no need for a client to recount distressing memories in detail.

The goal is not for the person to ‘prove’ they can handle their fear.
It is to help change the automatic response maintaining it.

25/08/2026

Avoidance makes perfect sense when something feels threatening.

Each time you avoid a situation, and all works out you are further convinced that your avoidance was the correct thing to do.

Your list of “safe” driving situations can become smaller.

The driving fear cycle is the key to understanding driving fear.

23/08/2026

MYTH: “I Should Be Able to Control This.”

One of the most frustrating things to note about a person’s fear is that even though it makes no sense, it still feels real to them.

That can lead to thoughts such as:
“I should be able to control this.”
“I know it’s safe.”
“Why can’t I just calm down?”

Automatic fear is different from intentional fear.

The alarm can be triggered before there is even time for rational thinking to intervene.

So, the better question may not be:
“Why can’t this be controlled?”

But:
“Why is the brain still sounding the alarm?”

A conversation about fear.

21/08/2026

Ben described his extreme fear of needles that caused him great anxiety even thinking about them.
The fear created such anxiety and fear that it would cause heart palpitations, sweating and even dizziness.

After we worked together, something changed.

He reported a very successful visit to the dentist where he had several injections without a single issue.

Ben told me:
“…That fear no longer has any power over me.”

This story reminds me that Ben’s fear of needles, although long standing, no longer has to be “so”.

If needle fear is interfering with your medical or dental appointments, you can read about my approach to handling needle fear on the Inner Solutions website. www.innersolutions.net.au

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Salamander Bay, NSW
2317

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Website

http://www.innersolutions.net.au/

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