Different Types of Phobias (And How to Get Help That Works)
Everyone feels scared sometimes - in fact, it’s really quite normal! But if you feel really afraid of something — like being in crowds, speaking in front of others, seeing blood or spiders, or even going to the doctor — you might be facing phobias.
A phobia isn’t just a little bit of fear - it’s an intense reaction that can make your nervous system feel like it’s in major danger, even when you’re not. If you’ve felt a tight chest, trouble breathing, sweating, or shaking facing a real fear, you know what I mean! And, if this sounds familiar, don’t lose hope - there’s an effective way to help you move past your fears!
What is a Phobia?
A phobia is an irrational fear of something that typically poses no real threat. This fear can dominate your thoughts and lead you to avoid specific individuals, locations, or objects. Some people experience a sense of losing control when confronted with their fear or even when contemplating such a confrontation.
Signs that you may have a phobia include:
• Experiencing extreme anxiety or panic when exposed to a particular thing or situation
• Going to great lengths to avoid the feared object or scenario, even if it complicates your daily life
• Experiencing physical symptoms like dizziness, sweating, or difficulty breathing
• Recognizing that the fear may be irrational, but still feeling unable to control it
Phobias can significantly impact various aspects of your life, including your job performance, academic success, social relationships, and even your ability to leave your home. However, it's important to remember that effective treatments are available, and you don't have to continue living with this condition indefinitely.
What Causes Phobias?
Phobias can come from:
A scary or upsetting experience, whether that’s as a result of trauma or just an event that was particularly unusual to go through
Watching someone else react with fear, and then getting anxious watching their anxiety!
Genetics or how your brain works - some studies have found that neurodivergent brains tend to experience intense anxiety, like phobias, more often than those considered neurotypical
Being more sensitive to stress or danger signals
So, let’s talk about the most common types of phobias, including agoraphobia and social anxiety, and how phobia therapy can help you get back to living the life you want—whether you’re in Nashville, Clarksville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Knoxville, or anywhere you may be Tennessee.
1. Agoraphobia: Fear of Being Trapped or Far From Safety
Folks suffering from agoraphobia experience intense anxiety when they find themselves in situations where escape seems difficult or help might be unavailable if panic sets in. This fear extends beyond crowded or open spaces; it's fundamentally about feeling trapped!
If you have agoraphobia, you might avoid:
• Malls, grocery stores, any place that has social activity happening
• Riding the bus, taking a flight, and being in any type of transportation
• Going to medical appointments, work, even checking your mail or mowing your lawn
As the anxiety progresses, some people may come to view their home as the only safe haven, potentially leading to complete isolation from the outside world.
How therapy helps:
Phobia therapy, like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), can help you take small steps toward the places or things that scare you—without feeling overwhelmed!
2. Social Anxiety: Fear of Being Judged or Embarrassed
Social anxiety (also called a social phobia) is an intense concern with being watched, judged, or embarrassed around others; almost like you’re on display, and everyone is just scrutinizing you. You might worry about saying the wrong thing, being laughed at, wearing something 'uncool,’ or even trying to change how you walk!
Common triggers include of social anxiety include:
Meeting new people
Speaking in front of others
Going to social events, even when it’s required (like school or work!)
Eating in public, or using the bathroom in public - which can even mean at a friend or family member’s house
This type of anxiety can feel very lonely. You likely really want to have a social connection, but this fear keeps you from doing that!
How therapy helps:
Therapy for social anxiety helps you understand your thoughts and practice feeling more confident in social situations. You’ll learn how to calm that harsh inner critic and feel more at ease with people.
3. Specific Phobias: Fear of One Thing or Situation
Specific phobias are fears of a very specific thing—like heights, bugs, blood, or flying.
Some common phobic fears include:
Animal phobias – spiders, dogs, snakes
Heights or storms – being up high, loud thunder
Medical fears – shots, blood, going to the doctor
Situations – elevators, flying, or being in tunnels
While it’s natural to have a little bit of discomfort or anxiety of logically unusual or dangerous things (like a venomous spider, or experiencing the pain of a vaccine), specific phobias can make it to where you avoid anything that might possible expose you to your fear. Like hanging out at a bonfire (spiders! bugs!), or taking care of your health with regular appointments (injections! tests! blood!).
How therapy helps:
In therapy, you learn to face your fears gently and safely, one step at a time. It’s not about pushing you too fast—it’s about helping your brain learn, “I’m actually okay.”
4. Claustrophobia: Fear of Tight Spaces
Claustrophobia is means experiencing high anxiety of small or tight spaces, like elevators, closets, buses, bathrooms, or airplanes. You might feel trapped or like you can’t breathe, or even experience a panic attack, when faced with these situations.
Some people avoid:
Riding in cars, buses, airplanes, or even elevators
Getting MRIs or medical exams due to some of those spaces being fully enclosed
Being in the middle of a crowded room or space (like a classroom, or athletic club)
How therapy helps:
You’ll learn calming tools like breathing and mindfulness, and ways to challenge those anxiety-provoking thoughts so that you can live your life without restrictions!
5. Emetophobia: Fear of Throwing Up
Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting or seeing someone else throw up. We all know that vomit isn’t an appealing thing to witness or experience, having this type of phobia can notably limit how you move through your day.
This fear might make you avoid:
Public places
Certain foods or mouthfeel experiences
Kids (since they get sick a lot) or spaces where folks are known to sick more often (like a hospital, doctor’s office, or visiting your grandmother at her nursing home!)
Travel or social events
Even a small stomachache can set-off an obsessive focus on controlling that feeling, and control it with compulsive checking and habits.
How therapy helps:
Phobia therapy helps you understand and face the thoughts that make you anxious, so you can eat without fear and stop avoiding the places, situations, or people that you love!
Phobia Therapy in Tennessee—From Nashville to Knoxville
At Emboldened Therapy, I specialize in helping people overcome fears and phobias using proven tools like CBT, ERP, and mindfulness-based strategies. You deserve to live your life with confidence, calm, and connectedness - not fearful, avoidant, and stuck!
Whether you’re in Nashville, Clarksville, Chattanooga, Memphis, or Knoxville, I offer fully online phobia therapy to support you from the comfort of your own home. So, if you’ve got these fears, we can move a bit more gently from your safest space!
What You Can Expect in Phobia Therapy
A compassionate, understanding space to discuss your fears
Skills and practices to sooth your nervous system
Step-by-step, gradual, exposure activities to help you face fear gently
Support while building confidence and resolve
Real growth! Most folks I’ve helped through anxiety & phobia therapy have said at the end, “I can’t believe I was ever scare of that.” And you can get there, too!
Final Thoughts: You’ve Got This!
Having a phobia doesn’t make you weak — it’s just the way your brain has decided it can protect you. Having some fear or anxiety to a logistical threat is completely okay, but we know that sometimes that response becomes so intense that it gets in the way of you living your life. Therapy helps you retrain your brain to feel safe - whether it’s for the first time, or again!
You deserve to feel calm, confident, and in control—not ruled by fear.
Ready to take the next step?
Let’s work together to face your fears with courage and compassion. If you’re looking for phobia therapy in Tennessee—including Nashville, Clarksville, Chattanooga, Memphis, or Knoxville—I’d love to help you feel safer and stronger than ever.