There are a number of explanations for why phobias develop, including evolutionary and behavioral theories. Whatever the cause, phobias are a treatable condition that can be overcome with hypnotherapy and cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques.

What do people fear most? Psychologists have categorized as many as 500 phobias. The following phobias are ten of the most common phobias that lead to symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and breathlessness. In some cases, these symptoms escalate into a full-blown panic attack. These common phobias typically involve the environment, animals, or specific situations.

1. Arachnophobia - The fear of spiders. This phobia tends to affect women more than men.
2. Ophidiophobia - The fear of snakes. Often attributed to personal experiences or cultural influences.
3. Acrophobia - The fear of heights. This fear can lead to anxiety attacks and avoidance of high places.
4. Agoraphobia - The fear of situations in which escape is difficult. This may include crowded areas, open spaces, or situations that are likely to trigger a panic attack. People will begin avoiding these trigger events, sometimes to the point that they cease leaving their home. Approximately one third of people with panic disorder develop agoraphobia.
5. Cynophobia - The fear of dogs. This phobia is often associated with specific personal experiences, such as being bitten by a dog during childhood.
6. Astraphobia - The fear of thunder and lightening. Also known as Brontophobia, Tonitrophobia, or Ceraunophobia.
7. Trypanophobia - The fear of injections. Like many phobias, this fear often goes untreated because people avoid the triggering object and situation.
8. Social Phobias - The fear of social situations. In many cases, these phobias can become so severe that people avoid events, places, and people that are likely to trigger an anxiety attack.
9. Pteromerhanophobia - The fear of flying. Often treated using exposure therapy, in which the client is gradually and progressively introduced to flying.
10. Mysophobia - The fear of germs or dirt. May be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder.