I am currently seeing a young woman for a needle phobia.  Phobias are very common and, of course, can relate to a wide range of triggers - flying, heights, spiders, birds, claustrophobia, dental and needle phobias to name but a few - and they can begin to severely limit the suffers life, sometime culminating in their being unable to leave the house.

My young client has been needle phobic for many years, unable even to look at pictures or watch injections or needles on screen.  This is now a serious problem for her as she has to undergo a minor medical procedure for a condition that is causing her great pain but is unable to have the necessary blood tests or, indeed, receive anaesthetic. 

She is desperate for help and, fortunately, there is a very simple and effective technique to deal with phobias.  This can usually be effective in one or two sessions.  With a really ingrained phobia - or a more complex mindset where one fear masks another - it may take more sessions, possibly up to four.

Don't let a phobia limit your life - check out the Hypnotherapy Directory http://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk to find a trustworthy therapist near you.

I have just been listening to the Moral Maze on Radio 4. in the wake of the suicide of Frances Andrade.  The closing remarks struck a chord. Do victims of abuse have a moral obligation to “out” the abuser or testify?  My answer would be a definitive “NO”. 

 

A number of my clients have been abused, some of them horrifically, by both parents or other family members – or indeed strangers -  over many years.  Some have taken a decision to move on with their lives, put it behind them (and in some cases the abuse has been cruel and systematic) but the danger is past and why would they want to relive it all when, whilst it has shaped them, it is firmly in their past.   

For others the ramifications to their family, their children’s families and their wider environment would bring their whole world crashing down. They take the decision to take precautions to protect vulnerable family members where necessary but not to “out” the abuser and I have to respect that decision. 

So, some victims are more vulnerable than others.  We need to protect the innocent but we also have to respect the individual’s decision to testify or not to testify without apportioning blame.