Fears and phobias differ in as much as a fear is rational and phobias are irrational, mainly fueled by the imagination. A UK spider phobia as an example will send someone into a hot sweat, get them running out of a room screaming for help but they know on a concious level that the spider CANNOT hurt them. None the less it can be very deliberating and can cause a person much distress. In countries like Australia a spider fear will be useful.

There are hundreds of phobias and fears e.g. cats and dogs to lifts, dentists, hospitals, needles, vomiting, public speaking and social situations.

Attempting to deal with a phobia at a conscious level is often totally ineffective. This is because phobias happen automatically below the level of conscious awareness. In fact many people are already aware of the cause, or trigger of their phobia, and no matter how much they attempt to consciously control and rationalise it, they still experience them.

The most complete and effective way to eliminate or reduce the phobia is to break the unconscious association between the stimulus and the response, this can often be done in one or two sessions.