Editing Phobia (section)

=== Hypnotherapy ===
Hypnotherapy is another effective therapy that uses hypnosis to help manage anxiety and stress. This therapy can help people gain control over their phobias.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Williamson |first=Ann |date=January 2019 |title=What is hypnosis and how might it work? |journal=Palliative Care: Research and Treatment |language=en |volume=12 |pages=117822421982658 |doi=10.1177/1178224219826581 |issn=1178-2242 |pmc=6357291 |pmid=30728719}}</ref>

[[Hypnotherapy]] can be used alone and in conjunction with systematic desensitization to treat phobias.<ref name="Iglesias">{{cite journal | vauthors = Iglesias A, Iglesias A, Iglesias A | title = I-95 phobia treated with hypnotic systematic desensitization: a case report | journal = The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis | volume = 56 | issue = 2 | pages = 143–151 | date = October 2013 | pmid = 24665816 | doi = 10.1080/00029157.2013.785930 | s2cid = 25059518 }}</ref> Through hypnotherapy, the underlying cause of the phobia may be uncovered. The phobia may be caused by a past event that the person does not remember, a phenomenon known as repression. The mind represses traumatic memories from the conscious mind until the person is ready to deal with them.

Hypnotherapy may also eliminate the conditioned responses that occur during different situations. People are first placed into a hypnotic trance, an extremely relaxed state<ref name="Vickers">{{cite journal | vauthors = Vickers A, Zollman C, Payne DK | title = Hypnosis and relaxation therapies | journal = The Western Journal of Medicine | volume = 175 | issue = 4 | pages = 269–272 | date = October 2001 | pmid = 11577062 | pmc = 1071579 | doi = 10.1136/ewjm.175.4.269 }}</ref> in which the unconscious can be retrieved. This state makes people more open to suggestion, which helps bring about desired change.<ref name="Vickers"/> Consciously addressing old memories helps individuals understand the event and see it less threateningly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-27 |title=Understanding habits and conditioning within therapy and hypnotherapy |url=https://hypnotc.com/understanding-habits-and-conditioning/? |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=hypnotc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>