What Are Phobias and OCD?

A phobia is a persistent, excessive fear of a particular object or situation. People with phobias often go to great lengths to avoid the things they are afraid of. Being around, or even just thinking about the object or situation brings on intense feelings of fear and anxiety. People can have phobias around any object or situation. Some common phobias include fear of going out in public or being around others, fear of being physically sick, fear of flying or driving, and fear of animals or objects such as spiders or blood.

Obsessive-Compulsive habits are characterized by repetitive, fearful thoughts similar to phobias (often called obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that seem to ward off the obsessive thoughts or keep one safe. For example, a person with a persistent fear of germs might have certain rituals they feel compelled to perform to keep themselves safe from germs, such as excessive hand washing or cleaning.

What You Might Be Experiencing

- Extreme and irrational fear of a particular object or situation
- Obsessive, distressing thoughts that seem to “loop”
- Compulsion to do certain behaviors or rituals that appear to keep one safe such as counting or checking
- Isolation from friends, family, or the outside world
- Fatigue
- Anxiety or panic attacks

What You Might Be Experiencing

- Extreme and irrational fear of a particular object or situation
- Obsessive, distressing thoughts that seem to “loop”
- Compulsion to do certain behaviors or rituals that appear to keep one safe such as counting or checking
- Isolation from friends, family, or the outside world
- Fatigue
- Anxiety or panic attacks

You Are Not Alone

Phobias are one of the most common mental health issues, with approximately 10% of the US population experiencing one or more phobias. Phobias affect people worldwide, not only in the US, and they affect people of all ages and demographic makeups.

There is a lot of variation in how debilitating a phobia may be, depending on what the person is afraid of and the extent to which they’ve changed their life to avoid the object or situation they fear.

Obsessive-compulsive habits are also common to experience at some point in life. Obsessive-compulsive tendencies can show up at any age, although they often tend to be initially experienced in childhood (often between the ages of 8-12) or in adults over age 40. Males and females experience obsessive thoughts and compulsions, with females having this habit slightly more than males.

What Can I Do About It?

Traditional treatment for phobias and OCD most often includes psychotherapy, including exposure therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy, and in some cases, medication. However, traditional treatment for these issues is not nearly as effective as we’d wish it to be.

Thankfully, there are newer, less traditional approaches that are incredibly effective. The No-Willpower Approach that I outline in my bestselling book, The Little Book of Big Change: The No-Willpower Approach to Breaking Any Habit has helped countless people find lasting freedom from phobias and obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

The No-Willpower Approach is an insight-based approach that helps you see yourself and your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a radically new way.

Phobias and OCD Are Changeable Habits

Although many people struggle with these issues, they are thought and behavior habits and they are very changeable. You are not ill or disordered, you’re simply experiencing some habitual thought that appears personal and unsettling. You do not need to “cope” with, or “manage” phobias or OCD long-term. No matter how long or how often you’ve been caught up in these thoughts, there is enormous hope for complete freedom.

With phobias and obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors, it’s not about the thing it appears to be about. You aren’t afraid of the object of your phobia or obsessive thoughts, you’re afraid of your experience. You’re afraid of thought. These issues are based on some very simple misunderstandings about how our thoughts, feelings, and habits truly work. Freedom comes from the inside-out, from seeing yourself, your thoughts and feelings, and your habit in a brand new way.

Hi, I’m Amy

I struggled with anxiety in many different forms (e.g., panic attacks, obsessive thoughts) for many years. I was told by many well-meaning professionals that I would likely struggle with this forever; that I could learn to cope, but that this habit might always come back when I was feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth today. I have been completely free of anxiety for 10 years with no effort or coping necessary. In that time, I’ve shared what helped me find freedom with people all over the world in my books, videos, online school, and my podcast, Changeable.

I’ve trained over 70 coaches to be experts in the no-willpower paradigm through my Change Coach Training Program. I’ve been a regularly featured expert on The Steve Harvey Show and Oprah.com, as well as in The Wall Street Journal and Self magazine.

REAL PEOPLE, REAL CHANGE

Pamela

“I was anxious and worried about daily life. The pandemic made this much worse. I worried about my family members’ health excessively. I had OCD habits related to my anxiety.

I feel more calm and peaceful on a daily basis. The Little School of Big Change has helped me feel so much better about who I am as a person…I don’t feel shame or guilt about things that weren’t my fault to begin with.”

Rachel

“I had thirty eight years of psychiatric drugs and hideous amounts of money spent on therapies which did nothing. I lost my job as a teacher and have lived a limited life full of suffering.

Now that I’ve done Amy’s work in The Little School of Big Change, I have stopped searching for an external miracle cure or drug or person and know the answers lie within me alone. There is no more desperate searching for a holy grail that does not exist.”

Tammy

“For almost 40 years, my struggle with food was constant. I thought about food most of the time. I would eat until I was in pain, and this made no sense to me. I felt so helpless. This went on for years. I would regularly give up, and just give in. I was skeptical when I found Amy’s program, but I figured I had nothing to lose because nothing else was working anyway.

Working with Dr. Amy and The Little School of Big Change has given me total freedom and relief. I no longer have obsessive thoughts about food or eating and I am no longer searching for “what is wrong with me”, or for a solution. I am super healthy, and at a weight I want to be. I feel 100% confident that it is permanent! I completed the program a couple of years ago, and have never had a relapse into my old way of being. Thank you Amy!”

What Can I Do To Change My Phobias and OCD?

Presents a new paradigm for freedom from phobias and OCD
Shares how anxiety is attempting to wake you up to your innate wisdom and health (yes, really!)
90 minutes long

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These students overcame intrusive thoughts and I’ll show you how!

Digital course – go at your own pace
This is a perfect course for those struggling with phobias and OCD
Watch Dr. Amy coach 5 people over 4 weeks
More than 9 hours of video content

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LSBC Self-Study – go through Dr. Amy’s flagship course at your own pace
19 video lessons that bring this paradigm to life
1000s of students have found freedom from habits including phobias and OCD
Option to upgrade to guided course

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About The Little School of Big Change

My bestselling book, The Little Book of Big Change, and my online school, The Little School of Big Change, have helped tens of thousands of people in 50+ countries find their own freedom from binge eating and other habits without therapy, revisiting the past, medication, or willpower.

The Little School of Big Change is a highly supportive 6-week course that shares a groundbreaking new paradigm in mental health that has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world to tap into their natural health and resilience.

The school helps you see yourself and your psychology in a radically new way—a way that leads to freedom from what holds you back.

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