I once treated a nine-year-old anorexic boy who had not eaten anything for three years (being fed at night by a tube into his stomach). This fear of gaining weight could not be overcome until he eliminated his fear of the consequence of being fat – that he would be teased and bullied. So we taught him how to be strongly assertive, using role-play. As he progressed in assertiveness, so he began losing his fear of gaining weight and was then able to eat. His recovery was complete.

It is seldom easy to identify the deeper fear underlying a phobia which does respond to systematic desensitisation. This is where the practice of meditation can play a pivotal role. As the mind becomes still in meditation we gain access to the intuitive or insightful aspects of our mind. it is in such quiet reflective moments that we can realise what this deeper fear is.

My fear of looking at sharp knives did not begin to diminish until I slowed down enough to recognize that I was afraid of the anger that had been locked away within me since childhood. As I learned to identify, accept and then transmute the anger into patience, tolerance and understanding, so too the fear of hurting others steadily faded away

All phobias can be overcome, but some have their own timing for their demise. To my understanding, the phobia remaines until its purpose has been fulfilled - that of leading us towards a deeper understanding of fear, and prompting us to step through the doorway of each fear into a new awareness of ourselves and the world around us.