Exposure is the only treatment that has ever been shown to work for phobias. We do not believe in immediate exposure to the feared object or situation (referred to as flooding) because it can be too distressing to many people. So we start with boring stuff and work our way up as slowly as you want to. There is a little more to treatment, such as learning to alter your own expectations of danger and preventing other phobias from appearing. But it should not take very many sessions if we do it the right way.
Many people can beat a phobia (depending on severity) in just a few session. Some people need up to 12 sessions. As with any problem, not everyone gets better. But you probably have a better chance of getting over a phobia with the right treatment than someone who has another disorder. You can read more about exposure therapy here.
John Snyder is our anxiety specialist and he accepts Aetna, Anthem, Cigna and Tricare. If you are covered by another insurer, we will help you apply for out-of-network coverage, in which case they tend to cover a substantial amount.