How do you overcome phobias?

[Poker_Babe]

Well I've actually been practicing self hypnosis/meditation almost every night since I got back from my last appt. I've had fillings before, actually, every time I went in for a dentist appt. as a kid, there was never a time when I didn't get my teeth filled. I have never had any teeth pulled however.
Thank you to everyone who has said words of encouragement btw. I definitely need it.

 

[gonegirl4]

Personally I think exposure therapy is a crock of shit, but different strokes for different folks and all. I have a severe phobia of the darkness, particularly being alone in it but mostly just it in general. And I face it every night and of course it hasn't gotten better.

yeah, what do psychiatrists know?!

but seriously, there's extensive scientific data that conclusively suggests that the most effective way of not just treating phobias but actually curing them is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy being a type of behavioral therapy that is given by somebody trained in psychology and takes hours of sessions, plus extensive work at home to be effective.
Exposure therapy is not just being exposed to the thing and hoping that fixes it. You have to do the therapy, obviously.