Phobia Treatment Online
You know the fear is out of proportion, but that doesn’t make it go away. Maybe you’ve turned down trips because of flying or skipped medical care because of needles. Specific phobias are among the most common anxiety conditions, and among the most treatable: exposure therapy helps most people make major progress, often quickly. Our clinicians offer exposure-based phobia treatment by secure video in 44 states.
What Is a Specific Phobia?
A specific phobia is an intense, persistent fear of a particular object or situation that you avoid or endure with significant distress. The fear is out of proportion to the actual danger and interferes with your life. Common types include:
- Situational: flying, driving, elevators, bridges, tunnels, and enclosed spaces (claustrophobia)
- Blood, injection, and injury: needles, blood draws, medical or dental procedures
- Natural environment: heights, storms, and water
- Animal: dogs, spiders, snakes, insects, and birds
- Other: vomiting (emetophobia), choking, loud noises, and costumed characters
How Exposure Therapy Works
Exposure therapy, a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is the most effective treatment for specific phobias. Avoidance keeps fear alive because your brain never learns that the feared outcome is unlikely or that you can handle the anxiety. Exposure reverses that by having you approach what you fear, gradually and with support.
Treatment typically includes:
- Understanding your fear. What exactly do you predict will happen?
- Building a fear ladder. You and your clinician list feared situations from least to most difficult.
- Gradual exposure. You start low on the ladder and move up as each step gets easier.
- Dropping safety behaviors, such as distraction, escape plans, or reassurance.
- Practicing between sessions to make the change stick.
You’re always in control of the pace, and nothing is a surprise.
Example: Fear of Flying
A fear ladder for flying might include:
- Watching videos of takeoffs and landings
- Listening to cabin sounds and turbulence recordings
- Looking at photos of planes, then visiting an airport
- Practicing turbulence sensations, such as a racing heart, in session
- Booking a short flight
- Taking the flight, using what you’ve learned
Research shows internet-based and virtual-reality-assisted exposure can help fear of flying, and much of the work can be done from home.
Example: Emetophobia (Fear of Vomiting)
Emetophobia is more common than many people realize and can affect eating, travel, pregnancy, and parenting. Exposure might involve writing the word “vomit,” watching videos, imagining nausea, and gradually reducing avoidance. CBT with exposure is the best-supported treatment.
Example: Needle and Blood Phobia
Some people with blood and needle phobias faint, because blood pressure drops suddenly after the initial surge of fear. Treatment often adds applied tension, tensing your muscles to keep blood pressure up, along with gradual exposure, so medical care, vaccines, and blood draws become manageable again.
Example: Driving Anxiety and Highway Fear
Fear of driving on highways, bridges, or in heavy traffic is common, with or without a past accident. A typical ladder starts with short drives on quiet roads, then adds busier roads, merging, and finally highways or bridges. Your clinician can join by video from a parked car to plan and debrief each step.
What Fear Does to the Body
When you face a feared situation, your body’s alarm system triggers a racing heart, fast breathing, sweating, shaking, or nausea. These sensations are uncomfortable but not dangerous, and they peak and decline on their own if you stay with them. Learning this firsthand makes them far less frightening.
Phobias in Children and Teens
Phobias often start in childhood. Exposure therapy works well for young people too, usually with parents helping practice at home. Some of our clinicians work with teens, so contact us about availability.
Can Phobias Be Treated Online?
Yes. Many exposures can be done by video, using images, sounds, imagination, or real objects at home, and your clinician can coach you by video while you practice in your car, near a bridge, or in an elevator. Learn how our teletherapy works.
When a Phobia Is Part of Something Bigger
Sometimes a fear is connected to another condition:
- Panic disorder: fear of having a panic attack in certain places. See panic disorder therapy.
- Trauma: for example, fear of driving after a crash. See therapy after a car accident.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): fear of contamination or harm. See OCD therapy.
- Health anxiety: fear of illness. See health anxiety therapy.
How Long Does Treatment Take?
Specific phobias often respond quickly. Many people see major improvement in about 4 to 12 sessions, and some respond to a single extended session; long-standing fears may take longer.
Insurance Coverage
We’re in-network with:
- Aetna. See our Aetna page.
- Optum and UnitedHealthcare, in the states listed on our Optum and UnitedHealthcare page.
- Oscar, through the UnitedHealthcare network
- Anthem, accepted depending on the clinician and state
- Blue Cross Blue Shield, Ambetter (in Washington only), and others
We do not accept Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans.
Psychological Healing has 40 clinicians, offering in-person sessions in 20 states and video sessions in 44 states.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most effective treatment for phobias? Exposure therapy, a form of CBT.
Can phobias be cured? Many people overcome their phobias, or reduce them to the point where they no longer interfere with life.
How many sessions does phobia treatment take? Often about 4 to 12, depending on the phobia and how long you’ve had it.
Is phobia treatment covered by insurance? Usually, yes, as outpatient psychotherapy. We’re in-network with Aetna, Optum/UnitedHealthcare, and others.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.
Clinically reviewed by Karan Singh, Ph.D.
Last reviewed October 16, 2026