Top Picks

Description

Jackie is petrified of feathers, Ryan cant fly, and Trevors scared of heights. Irrational phobias are damaging their lives. Will the latest treatments help like dropping them in at the deep end? When fear goes wrong it can turn into a phobia an irrational fear so strong it sometimes ruins lives. Jacqueline Kelly is petrified of feathers. Just seeing a bird can send her into a state of hysteria, so she cant even take her daughter to the park to feed the ducks. But then she finds the courage to visit a psychologist. Using a treatment called cognitive behaviour therapy he gradually forces her to confront her worst fear. Her first 45-minute session is painful - but the results are dramatic. Ryan Hackett loves roller coasters but is terrified of flying. He lives in Great Britain, so how will he get to the USA to ride one of the worlds largest roller coasters? With just days to find a cure he tries to force himself to fly in a small private aircraft. But at the last moment he pulls out hes just too scared. Then he contacts a hypnotherapist Trevor Swales is a builder. But because hes terrified of heights he can only work on buildings, which are no taller than one storey high. His phobia is such a handicap he decides to visit a clinic in Germany, which specialises in a radical therapy called flooding. Flooding involves hitting phobics with a massive dose of their worst fear. And theres no chance of escape. The next three days are like a horror movie for Trevor. First hes forced to climb to the top of a church spire, then a huge tower with glass sides. Just when he thinks things cant get any worse, they do. Hes raised into the air on a fire engines ladder. There are tears and foul language. But like Jacqueline and Ryan, Trevor shows remarkable courage and an incredible result.