Phobias; can you conquer them?; THE BIG QUESTION

Fear of...flying

Actor Chris Barrie - best

known as Gordon Brittas in the comedy series The Brittas Empire - has hated flying ever since he was old enough to think about the possibilities of things going wrong. So Personal magazine arranged for him to try to conquer his fear by facing up to it. Chris took a flying lesson in a 1933 Tiger Moth with instructor Brian Tapp at The Tiger Club in Kent.

"As a youngster I wasn't worried," says Chris, 38, who lives in Berkshire with his wife Aleks and can currently be seen on BBC2 on Thursdays in the new series of Red Dwarf. "I went to school in Belfast, and as my dad was a serviceman in Germany we had to fly from Dusseldorf or Heathrow to Belfast, usually in an ageing Vanguard plane, and as a child you don't understand the potential problems. But the older I got, and the more I thought about it, the more nervous I became.

"When I'm in big jets thoughts go through my head like, 'What happens if all the engines stop?'. I mean, I know some of them can glide, but they aren't generally known for that, are they? It's like flying in a block of flats.

"When it came to my lesson in the Tiger Moth I was apprehensive. It's the thought of going up in something that looks very flimsy that makes you feel vulnerable. As we taxied out, the thought that I might not come back flashed through my mind. However, when we took off I felt much safer than I have ever done in a jumbo jet.

"When you look at something like a Tiger Moth, the principles of flight are quite obvious. But when you are sitting in a jumbo jet, and charging down the runway with everything shaking, it's very different.

"I felt far more in control in the Tiger Moth. I could see that if anything went wrong then at least we had a chance of gliding down and landing somewhere, whereas if anything goes wrong in a jumbo jet they will glide but you'd be hard pushed to find a patch of grass big enough to land in.

"Surprisingly, there wasn't a single moment when I wanted to come down and get out, although there were a few adrenaline-pumping moments when I thought we were a bit close to the plane taking the pictures.

"In some ways it hasn't solved my apprehension about going up in a big aeroplane, and I think I'd still, if possible, take a train or boat, but it has helped a bit. It has made inroads into my fears.

"It's certainly shown me what good fun flying in small aircraft is. I might even start having lessons with a view to getting my pilot's licence - if that doesn't help build up my confidence about flying, nothing will."

Fear of...sleep Vivienne

Birch, 28, from

Manchester, was terrified of virtually everything for years - including going to sleep.

"My phobias began in my early teens with a fear of flying, and were coupled with depression and anxiety," she says. "My parents had split up and I lived with my father and stepmother - we didn't get on. This was no doubt at the root of my problems.

"Things got even worse when I went to university. I developed a fear of every other kind of transport and felt I was never going to get to university - I would die on the way. Once I was there I had quite a good time but my phobias rapidly snowballed. "I developed a social phobia and was unable to eat in front of others. I was so terrified fire would break out in the night that I had to check every kitchen and common room in my halls of residence to make sure electrical devices were switched off.

"I tried to reassure myself that I was just as likely to die in my sleep as in any violent circumstance, but that scared me even more and I became too scared to sleep in case I never woke up. My friends had to take it in turns to sleep with me so they could revive me if I stopped breathing.

"My doctor prescribed anti-depressants and I started having counselling, but the turning point for me was when I met Nicky Lidbetter from the National Phobic Society. It was a revelation. I realised there are millions of others like me and that my fears had a name. She suggested some drugs that could help and I also talked things through with a counsellor. "Being able to trace my problems back helped me understand where I was coming from. "Now I am so much better. I am still scared of flying and I hate lifts, but I can live with that. Just knowing I wasn't alone was the big thing for me.

"I am now doing my Advanced Diploma in counselling at City College in Manchester, so hopefully I can help others realise the same."

Fear of...spiders

Charlotte

Morrissey, 27, from Horsham, Sussex, decided she had to confront her phobia after it began affecting her job as the RSPCA's Head of Press Relations.

"I have been scared of spiders for as long as I can remember," she says. "My mum was the same and I think it rubbed off on me. "The whole thing was compounded when I got locked in the toilet with a spider when I was about seven.

"I know my fear is totally irrational, but I can't help it. There is something about the way spiders' legs move and how their bodies are suspended on top of their legs that I find absolutely hideous. It's not just repulsion - it's sheer terror. If I see one, my heart pounds, I break out in a sweat and I start to shake.

"I used to be even worse - I would run, scream, then burst into tears every time I saw one. My reaction was so out of character because I am generally such a calm person.

"Eighteen months ago I realised I had to do something about my phobia. I had been living on my own and was fed up with having to phone my friends or run to my neighbours every time I found a spider in the bath. Also, it was interfering with my work. Once, I was making a video for the RSPCA and had to film a scorpion in a tank. The scorpion didn't bother me - but the tarantula in the next tank did. I burst into tears and ran out of the room. I was so embarrassed.

"I signed up for the Friendly Spider course run by therapist Robert Farago at London Zoo, which was attended by some people who were even worse than me. One woman was sick every time she saw a spider.

"Firstly, a spider expert told us all sorts of fascinating facts, like how we squash hundreds of tiny spiders every time we sit on the grass. Next we underwent hypnotherapy - we were told to imagine our fears floating away on a cloud.

"Finally, we were taken into the Spider House and confronted with everything from house spiders to tarantulas. We were told to practise picking them up. "I burst into tears and started shaking, but the staff were really understanding and they coaxed me into approaching the tables. It took me forever - I was crying the whole time. Eventually I let them put a tarantula in my hands.

"A few weeks later I was able to put it to the test when I found a spider in my fireplace. I put a glass over it then lost my nerve. But the fire was on and I panicked at the thought of the spider frying, so I knew I had to do something. I opened all the doors so I had a clear escape, scooped the spider up on some cardboard and legged it outside. I was so pleased with myself.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could do that. I know I'm not cured of my phobia, but I have managed to get it under control."

The Verdicts

Nicky Lidbetter, Assistant Director of the National Phobic Society, says: "Phobias can be caused by all kinds of things - environmental factors, genetics and possibly a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some can be conquered by facing up to them. Severe phobias are more complicated and are linked with anxiety. Often people aren't actually afraid of a particular thing - just an association with it. Phobias often stem from panic attacks and people might develop, say, a phobia of the Tube because they suffered a panic attack on a Tube train. Cognitive therapy often helps; that is rationalising and addressing negative thought patterns. There are also drugs, and I wouldn't write off hypnotherapy or other alternative therapies. It's important to nip the problem in the bud. There is no instant cure, but knowing you are not alone is the first step." The National Phobic Society can be contacted on 0161 881 1937.

Sunday Mirror advice columnist Virginia Ironside says: "It is thought there are five million people who suffer from phobias in Britain. There are around 400 named phobias, including fear of going out, staying in, thunder, cats, going on holiday and signing your name in public. There seems to be a slight tendency for phobias to run in families and there are more female phobics than men. Phobias can be overcome usually with a mixture of drug treatment and visits to a behavioural psychologist. Even if the treatment does no more than ease the problem, it can make all the difference to a phobic's life." For a leaflet, with sources of further help, send an s.a.e. to me at Freepost, Sunday Mirror, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5BR.

Robert Russell, a personal development consultant at the London- based Hale Clinics, says: "It is possible to overcome a phobia if you are prepared to confront it. A phobia isn't just a spider, the darkness or a confined space - it is the feeling those things trigger. To overcome it, you have to realise what the feeling is and realise it won't make you evaporate or explode, so it is necessary to alter your perception. We usually suggest hypnotherapy or EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. That involves getting people to focus on something, then making their eyes move quickly back and forth or from side to side, which mimics the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) we experience when we are asleep. REM helps our brains to process things, and phobias are often the result of a traumatic experience that has not yet been "filed" away in the correct place in our brains.

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