A phobia is a conditioned response to a specific or non-specific stimulus resulting in strong anxiety. For many people, the anxiety is so strong, that their lives revolve around the avoidance of what ever sets of the high anxiety. Instead they choose not to go to the dentist, or not to drive, and in extreme cases not to leave their house feeling helpless in the grasp of the anxiety.
Our brains do not discriminate about the trigger, and we can literally get a phobia of anything. Often the phobia will seem irrational as the whatever sets of the high emotion is not threatening. All a person needs to get a phobia is to either be exposed to an object while experiencing high anxiety, or simply imagine being exposed to the object whilst being anxious. Robert Graves the English poet, for example, developed a phobia of telephones because he was using one when a bomb went off near him during the war.
The good news is that phobias can usually be cured quickly and easily, and there are several methods that are comfortable for the sufferer and will not cause any unnecessary further anxiety. So, there is no excuse to suffer any longer! Read more about phobias and how you can be cured here: How to get rid of your phobia
