what it feels like to have a phobia

Most people with a phobia are normal, happy and balanced.
They have just got this phobia, this thing they feel powerless to do anything to change. So it's very frustrating because a part of them (the rational thinking part) knows that it doesn't make sense, that they are okay and probably quite safe with that thing or in that situation. But they nevertheless find that when they are exposed to that thing or situation, or thinking about it, another part of them (the irrational unconscious part) drives out rational thought and anxiety and panic floods in.
Have a read through the science of phobias below to see exactly how and why this happens.
Phobias will often start to affect self-confidence and self-esteem. Sufferers feel they are not understood, that others think they are stupid. And it can make them feel embarrassed and stupid. Like a slur on their sanity.
But phobias are a very human thing. It's to do with the way we are wired. And they rarely go any deeper than that. It's like getting a puncture: it can happen to anyone and it doesn't matter when, where or how you got it. You just know you've got it and that it can be fixed.
About 10% of the human race has a phobia. So phobias are not strange or bizarre, in fact they are incredibly common. And although it can feel like you are the only one, you are not.