“It’s just a worm.” But her body didn’t believe that.
A few years ago, I worked with a woman who had a strong fear of worms. It had started in childhood—during what was meant to be a playful game. A friend had chased her with a worm, laughing. But for her, it wasn’t funny.
It was overwhelming. She froze. She panicked. She felt trapped. And from that moment on, worms became something to avoid at all costs. Even as an adult, she knew it was “irrational.” But her body still reacted—tight chest, racing heart, a need to escape. She couldn’t garden. She avoided walks after rain. And she felt embarrassed by it, which only added to the distress.
Here’s what I’ve learned after 15+ years in hypnotherapy and a background in nursing: Phobias aren’t irrational. They’re over-learned protection.
In that moment as a child, her nervous system paired the worm with a flood of helplessness, disgust, and fear. The subconscious doesn’t reason—it remembers. It stores the feeling and links it to the stimulus. And it says: “Let’s never feel that again.” That’s how phobias form. Not from logic, but from experience. And unless we help the system update that response, it keeps firing the same alarm—even decades later.
Hypnotherapy can help by working directly with the subconscious mind—where that original learning took place. Using hypnotic tools, such as visualisation work, deep relaxation, the Watkins Affect Bridge technique and parts therapy (etc), we can revisit the root of the fear safely, reframe it, and create a new response.
In her case, after 50 years of avoidance, she was phobia-free in just four sessions. In some cases, phobias can be reversed in even fewer sessions. This particular case stayed with me because it reminded me how quickly the mind can learn to protect us… and how quickly it can unlearn, too.
If you’re struggling with a fear or phobia, please know that help is available. I work both online and face-to-face with clients all over the world. Get in touch to arrange a free, no obligation chat to see if hypnotherapy or my guided relaxation sessions would be suitable for you. I’m insured and registered as a Senior Practitioner with GHR and also with CNHC.
