2 + 3 = 5  Simple.

Its a straight forward formula to get to 5. You are provided with two other numbers and they make sense and you know the answer.

My use of the formula is to explain the simple torture of the phobia. The knowing and the avoiding that so many people experience every day.

I like the gameshow ‘Countdown’ where the mathematician presses a button and the computer computes a destination number and the contestants aim is to find the route to get there. Sometimes it’s obvious to them.

Often in life, the destination is very simple. From A to B – via a number of logical activities.

Course!

Ever had a phobia? Do you have one? If you have, it feels like countdown only you’re making it harder for yourself. Its like trying to find any other number of ways to avoid taking the most obvious route to the answer and often not achieving it.

For the purposes of explaining a phobia I might say

A + B = C.

But what if you are afraid of ‘B’ then how do you get to C?

The answer is either – “Any way that avoids ‘B’’ or Not at all!” which sadly takes precedence and can mean people limit their lives in dramatic ways all because of how their mind has learnt to represent an aspect.

Anyone with a phobia or a past phobia response already knows A + B = C. Hey, they aren’t ‘stupid’! In fact, it’s that they are hyper aware of it that provides some of the problem. An evolved reaction to keep them safe. They are aware of the equation enough to know to avoid the potentiating part of it…because lets say they are scared of what either A , B or C represents. They’ll create a new part in order to make the formula work or avoid doing it at all.

Phobias are painful because of this known fact to the sufferer. The mind simultaneously knows the answer is the simple route and calculates it quickly to then pick the aspect that requires avoiding. You know what you ‘should’ do but somehow you just ‘can’t’. Or more truthful – ‘Won’t’.

The reason for this could be the known fact among NLP practitioners and Hypnotherapists. “Your subconscious mind loves you and will take the path of least resistance” to get to the ‘goal’.

Your goal is to go and visit your sister’s family in Vermont for the first time. You are based in London. In order to go to Vermont you are required to leave home,  travel on a plane in order to get to the final  destination.

What if any of those stages posed a phobic response and fear in you, then suddenly the equation is fret with problems.

A is Leaving Home, ‘ leaving familiarity and safety’,

B is Travelling ‘in this case ‘Plane’

and ‘C’ is somewhere new in this case ‘Unknown Territory’

Because your mind loves you it wants you to get you to Vermont to, for example find the positive emotion of love with the family.  Love is a powerful driving motivation. Having said that, the fear may be more powerfully experienced energy than the end result. The mind doesn’t want you to experience the danger so will guide you to avoiding it in the form of symptoms and alerts to stop you in your tracks along an otherwise logical route to the destination . Some of you reading this may recognise some of your own symptoms and alerts! People often experience panic attacks and anxiety symptoms and can become frustrated with themselves.

What is really interesting is that if any part of the equation is linked to the others, other parts may newly trigger the response because of linking association.

Amazing how your mind learns for you and equally limiting if left unresolved. GOOD NEWS! Your mind loves to learn for you and would prefer no danger to ‘danger’. So when it learns the scary part actually isn’t a danger for you the symptoms will no longer be needed as a signal.

People can eliminate fear of heights, spiders, fear of flying, claustrophobia, agoraphobia, in fact any specific ‘danger’ that is personal to the bearer of the phobic response.

As an NLP Hypnotherapist uncovering the truth within this equation for someone is the key to relieving the fear. The perception of the aspect creating the problem can be so real and heightened in experience yet make no conscious sense and that incongruity and battle within them can cause lots of self doubt and negative emotion.

There are many ways your mind can choose to learn freeing and empowering new ways. Would you like to perceive old problems in a new light? The mind can totally alter it’s perspective on an old problem that can truly change your life, eliminate old limits within the mind and yes, you can experience this freedom in as little as one session.

If you want the freedom choice and flexibility to choose in an absence of fear and phobia then call me today on 0207 118 3738. I offer a Free Phone consultation for me to learn about you and your current phobia or fear and together we can work to free you from it for good! So 2 + 3 can = 5 again. Phew!

Diane Beck. Health-Success Therapist and Coach. London and Manchester.

www.health-success.co.uk