Professional help at JUVENIS in Vienna

Specific phobia

A specific phobia is understood as fears of narrowly defined objects, situations, or animals. For example, these fears may relate to flying in an airplane, spiders, snakes, heights, dogs, deep bodies of water, injections, dental visits, etc.

When the affected person is confronted with the feared object or situation, they usually react with intense fear – this appears cognitively ("I won't manage it"), behaviorally (flight, avoidance) and physiologically (increased respiratory rate, palpitations, trembling, sweating).

The fear can also reach the level of a panic attack. Adult patients also know that their intense fear reaction is exaggerated and unreasonable. If these fears lead to impairments in coping with everyday life and consequently to significant distress, professional help should definitely be sought.

JUVENIS consultation room for the treatment of a specific phobia

Development of a phobia

Specific phobias often arise from a traumatic experience, e.g.: a person is bitten by a dog or an engine catches fire during a flight. However, some people develop these fears without ever having experienced a trauma (e.g., fear of flying). It is therefore assumed that in some cases even information about a terrifying event (repeated reports of plane crashes) is sufficient to develop a specific phobia. Phobias can also develop through modeling, i.e., by observing another person's fear reaction.

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020, by e-mail at empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact form, to arrange a consultation or treatment appointment.

By fleeing the feared situation, the fear quickly subsides. In the short term this leads to relief; in the long term the anxiety disorder remains or even worsens. The patient believes they can only cope with the fear by escaping.

Treatments & Therapies

Treatment methods in behavioral therapy (BT) for a phobia

To rule out physical causes for the development of the anxiety disorder, a medical examination is strongly recommended before any psychotherapy. Every treatment is preceded by a comprehensive diagnostic assessment. An individual explanatory model is also developed, providing insight into the development of the disorder. This includes pre-existing risk factors (e.g., increased trait anxiety) as well as triggers and maintaining factors (e.g., avoidance of the feared situation, sedatives) of the illness, which receive special consideration in the course of treatment.

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020, by e-mail at empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact form, to arrange a consultation or treatment appointment.

  • Therapeutic relationship: The relationship between client and psychotherapist represents a significant therapeutic factor in treatment. The therapist supports coping and tries to maintain a balance between change and stabilization. The better the therapeutic relationship, the more successful the therapy will be.

  • Psychoeducation: The patient is provided with information about the nature of the anxiety, its development, course and maintenance, as well as the significance of avoidance behavior and treatment options.

  • Relaxation techniques: Learning relaxation techniques (e.g., progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, autogenic training) and their regular – daily (!) – practice by the patient is an integral part of the treatment.

  • Exposure: Together with the patient, those situations that trigger a fear reaction and are therefore avoided in everyday life are discussed in detail. In therapy the patient applies the learned relaxation technique and is – while refraining from safety behaviors (e.g., fleeing, avoidance, or carrying an emergency medication) – confronted with one of the fear‑provoking situations. The confrontation (exposure) can take place in imagination (in sensu) or in reality (in vivo). The patient experiences that the fears are unpleasant but not dangerous. They realize that the anxiety – after it has reached its peak – decreases on its own, that safety behaviors are not necessary, and that their fears usually do not come true! Through such corrective experiences, the patient reevaluates the original trigger of the fear. The patient should be repeatedly confronted with as many of these feared situations as possible until they no longer provoke fear.

  • Depending on the individual problem, additional psychotherapeutic methods may be used in the specific case.

Blood-injection-injury phobia

The treatment of a blood-injection-injury phobia proceeds somewhat differently due to the particular features of this phobia. The fears here relate to blood, injections and injuries. Affected individuals often report feelings of nausea or faintness. At the sight of blood, they may actually faint. Relaxation would promote fainting and is therefore contraindicated as a therapeutic method. Therefore, confrontation with the fear‑inducing object takes place under tension. The tension causes an increase in pulse and prevents fainting.

Costs

Treatment Price
1 therapy session (50 minutes) for the treatment of a specific phobia for new patients € 130
1 therapy session (50 minutes) for the treatment of a specific phobia for existing patients € 120

In behavioral therapy, a frequency of 1 session per week is usual.

A partial reimbursement of costs through your health insurance fund is possible if a clinically significant mental disorder is present. Some private supplementary insurances often cover part of the costs – however, this should be clarified by the patient with their supplementary insurance.

There is also the possibility of deducting clinical-psychological treatment as an extraordinary expense on your taxes.

FAQs

A specific phobia is a form of anxiety disorder in which a intense, excessive fear of specific objects or situations exists – for example, fear of animals, heights, injections, or flying.

Typical symptoms include:

  • strong fear or panic when in contact with the trigger

  • racing heart, trembling, or sweating

  • shortness of breath or dizziness

  • avoidance behavior

  • feeling of loss of control

The reactions usually occur immediately upon contact with the trigger.

Common forms are:

  • Animal phobias (e.g., spiders, dogs)

  • Fear of heights (acrophobia)

  • Fear of flying (aerophobia)

  • Fear of injections or blood

  • Fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia)

The causes can be diverse and include:

  • stressful or traumatic experiences

  • learned behavior

  • genetic predisposition

  • psychological factors

Treatment is individual and can include:

  • Behavioral therapy (particularly exposure therapy)

  • gradual confrontation with the trigger

  • anxiety management techniques

  • relaxation exercises

The goal is to sustainably reduce the anxiety response.

At the beginning, a detailed Diagnostics and medical history. Afterwards, an individual therapy plan is created, tailored to your personal situation.

Yes, specific phobias are in many cases very treatable. Often, significant improvement or complete overcoming can be achieved through targeted therapy.

The duration depends on the individual course. In many cases, already a few sessions sufficient, especially with targeted behavioral therapy.

Helpful measures are:

  • gradual approach to the trigger

  • breathing and relaxation techniques

  • conscious engagement with the fear

  • support through therapeutic guidance

If the anxiety restricts your daily life or you consistently avoid certain situations, a early treatment is advisable.

Psychotherapeutic measures are generally low in side effects.

The costs depend on the scope of the therapy and the number of sessions. A therapy unit (50 minutes) for the treatment of a specific phobia for new patients costs from € 130, for existing patients from € 120.

The Exact prices will be provided in a personal consultation..

Depending on the form of therapy, a (partial) coverage of costs by the health insurance be possible.

At JUVENIS you will be cared for by experienced specialists and therapists treated. Through targeted behavioral therapy, individual care and modern treatment methods, a sustainable reduction of anxiety and improvement of your quality of life aimed for.

We have answered the most frequently asked questions on the topic of Specific phobias answered. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us via empfang@juvenismed.at or at +43 1 236 3020.

Team

Mag. Hilde Winkler

Mag.Hilde Winkler

Psychotherapist (behavioral therapy), clinical and health psychologist, occupational psychologist
Curriculum vitae
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Mag.Dorothea Bertram

Clinical and health psychologist, psychotherapist (behavioral therapy)
Curriculum vitae

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Responsible for the content of this page: Mag. Hilde Winkler & Mag. Dorothea Bertram