Is it my imagination or are more people suffering from phobias in the modern day? Perhaps this is the case, perhaps not; certainly there are more people who are willing to talk about having a phobia or suffering from anxiety. Phobias no longer have a stigma associated with them, and rightly so.

It is inevitable that when you live in an environment where you travel more or move in different circles more frequently that anxieties and phobias are more likely to arise. Our grandparents and great grandparents lived very different lives to that which we live; when you live in a more limited environment you more easily stay within the confines of your comfort zone. There is less going on which might give rise to a phobic reaction.

But the anxiety response does indeed date back to our more ancient ancestors. The surge of adrenalin which we experience in times of threat (commonly known as the "fight or flight" response) has remained with us throughout the course of our evolution. The forms of threat have changed, but our natural and instinctive physiological response has remained the same. In more primitive times this was essential; you had to be prepared to fight or run when faced with a hungry beast in search of a meaty dinner.

As a result of natural selection, those who had the most efficient "fight or flight" response ended up as the survivors, and they have passed these genes down to you and me. And so whenever we perceive something which might be construed as a threat, this natural reaction automatically kicks in and your heart starts to beat faster and your entire body goes on red alert.

This reaction is good and necessary, so long as the perceived threat is indeed a threat. It is not good when the perceived threat gives rise to a fear of flying, or a fear of heights, or claustrophobia or perhaps even just thin air. When one takes a step back and sees the sequence of events which leads to the creation of a phobia, it is easier to see how to find a phobia cure.

When you understand that the physical sensations experienced are merely your body's natural reaction to a perceived threat, you also appreciate that these physical sensations are "hard-wired" and that they are not going to change. The point at which change can take place is in how one perceives the threat as a threat. To cure a phobia one has to step back and learn to see things from a different angle, from a different perspective. The anxiety response will remain dormant so long as the perceptions you are making are not seen as a threat.

Therefore those in search of a phobia cure need to seek a way in which to see airplanes, spiders, heights or whatever else in a different light. You will know at a logical and conscious level how you should be thinking about them. But the emotional and subconscious response over-rides this logic. And so the obvious place in which to go to affect your phobia cure is to the area of your subconscious mind.

Hypnosis allows you to intentionally access the workings of your subconscious mind. With hypnosis you can learn to take a step back and see things from a different angle. This is why hypnosis is becoming well known as the quickest and easiest way in which you can cure a phobia.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis mp3 downloads to help cure phobias.