Overcoming Irrational Fears, Phobias, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Trauma: A Psychological Approach
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Do you struggle with irrational fears, phobias, anxiety, or panic attacks?
Have you experienced trauma that still feels present in your life?
Let me share a simple but powerful story that illustrates a core principle of how the mind works:
A monk is walking through the desert and suddenly sees a snake. His heart races, his palms sweat, and catastrophic thinking about being bitten emerge. But when he takes a second, closer look… he realizes it’s not a snake — it’s a rope.
In that moment, everything changes. His heart rate slows, his body relaxes, and the catastrophic thinking dissolves
Not because he tried to calm down or used a technique, but because he saw the threat that seemed to be there wasn’t really there:
The perceived threat wasn’t real — it was a psychological illusion.
All anxieties are a version of this snake-rope illusion.
Understanding the Illusion Behind Anxiety
Whether it’s fear of flying, public speaking, elevators, or social rejection, the mechanism is the same. The issue isn’t the situation itself — it’s the thoughts and feelings around it.
What people really fear is their own inner experience — their thoughts and their feelings.
How I Help
When I work with clients struggling with fear, anxiety, or panic, I don’t use generic techniques to “manage symptoms.”
Instead, I guide people through insight-based exercises that help them truly see how these illusions work — how the “magic trick” of anxiety is constructed in the mind.
And just like real magic, once you understand the trick, it loses its power.
Panic Attacks and the Catch-22 Loop
In over 28 years of working with clients, I’ve seen that panic attacks often emerge after long periods of:
- Overthinking.
- Chronic worry.
- Feeling emotionally stuck — caught in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” loop.
When the internal pressure becomes too much, the brain reacts with a panic attack — like it’s trying to “pop” us out of a mental trap.
But again, once we understand the mechanism, the fear surrounding panic attacks begins to dissolve.
Rethinking Trauma and PTSD
When people say they feel traumatized they usually experience a perception of inescapability. This perception of inescapability is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding about how memory works.
They tend to believe that memory is stored in the body like an old FILM strip or a VHS cassette — ready to replay at any moment. But the truth is, memory doesn’t work that way. We are not re-living something. Memory is a reconstructive process. Helping somebody embody a more accurate understanding of how memory works can break the spell of inescapability.
With the right guidance, it’s possible to clearly see that what once looked like a snake is, in fact, a rope.
Ready to Take the First Step?
If you’re dealing with irrational fears, anxiety, panic attacks, or unresolved trauma, and these perspectives resonate with you, I invite you to reach out. We can schedule a brief conversation to explore whether we’re a good fit to work together.
You can also check out the written and video testimonials from people who have gone through this process. I’ve done thousands of sessions with people navigating different forms of anxiety, and in my experience, these are some of the most rewarding and effective issues to work with.
👉 Click here to email me to schedule a brief introductory conversation.
Testimonials:
Where should I begin…how about Jorgen Rasmussen changed my life! I have spent 25 years studying personal, professional and spiritual development and in that time created a great life for myself and my family, but deep down I still felt unfulfilled. My thinking still caused me daily anguish and my anxiety filled moments held me back from not only greater success and fulfillment but also from enjoying what I had already created. Well I can tell you unequivocally all that changed in two brief Skype sessions with Jorgen. I have not had a single moment that resembles my past fears and worries. I feel as if the heavy weight of the world has lifted and well I can tell you unequivocally all that changed in two brief Skype sessions with Jorgen. I finally feel that I am enough just as I am. I have still been angry and sad and frustrated at times, but these emotions just seem to be healthy alerts, whereas before I would turn them into something much greater and attach painful meanings to them. That’s all disappeared! I cannot recommend Jorgen highly enough, he is the most powerful agent of change that I have ever spent time with and I have worked with some of the most well known in the world. I can’t tell you how he does it, all I can say is that all the reading and seminar attending and intellectual understanding of things did not resolve my inner conflicts, but Jorgen was able to take me to real knowing in a few short hours. Extraordinary doesn’t come close to describing his ability, he truly is amongst only a handful of people on the planet that can impact ones life at this. Matt Williams – Sydney Australia
FEAR OF FLYING
“The background to the consultation was three decades with the growing fear of flying as of the end of the last seven years – meant that the undertegnende sat “on the ground”. In the course of these three decades I have been with a psychologist, has been to the treatment with hypnosis, reviewed the two fear of flying courses in an airline’s director and has been several times in the flight simulator. After 2 x 2.5 hours with Jørgen Rasmussen so I have now “taken of and consider myself to be cured. Flights have been completed to the utmost satisfaction for all – not least myself.” ASLAK ILJELDE
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Hi Jørgen!
I wanted to send you some words about how this project has gone, and at the same time thank you for your invaluable help. I got me a nice home last week (Rome-Amsterdam-Bergen) and now have only problems with turbulence. Everything else is perfectly fine. From being filled with anxiety a week before, and maybe turn on the airport, I travel now quiet and pleasant thanks to your good advice. It is a forty-year “battle” that I am now experiencing is covered. After all the world’s therapies, and a significant monetary amount (total waste) have your help “cracked the code”, and I’m incredibly grateful for. It makes my life (and to those around me) very much better.
So I have experienced this have you done “thing” is totally different than all the others I have been in contact with. Just replace the word fear of flying with tankeskrekk, it to separate thought and event/reality, has been absolutely essential for me. But also there is to distinguish “the beast” out from the body and stop to feed it, has been just as important. So simple, but so genius! The good examples on what illusions do with people (including the orange glasses) has got me to think completely differently about it to have this problem/this tankeskrekken. After having been on six flights this spring, I find that this is a lasting change and is not afraid of a relapse, even during the turbulence that I think is unpleasant. When I made contact with you, I thought that this is the last attempt my own, and it seems to be!
I can’t stop to ask myself why none of my past therapists and therapies has not been in the vicinity of what you can offer? One thinks so differently about a problem that is large enough, but that is quite limited? Your approach and the way to treat the problem should be able to help very many, I would think?
I close by again thanking you, not only for the concrete help, but also for the kindness and helpfulness which mean so much when one is in a vulnerable situation. Since then there has only gone up, literally!
Sincerely, Elsa in Bergen😊🌿✈
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FEAR OF HEIGHTS
The bridge over to Tromøya has always been creepy. I’ve had two rounds of state-therapy. The last time I would run across this bridge so I’m actually up to it. Was looking forward to testing. It was not scary to think about. I saw the bridge as it really is; a way, just a little bit high above the water. And I knew now that if this was going to be dangerous, I had to actually go out of the car and climb over the fence. After this I feel assured that the way forward will be easier. Now, there are only a couple of weeks ago I had the last round of therapy, so I have not been tested out all the variations, but it bodes well. I also have noticed that I’m working easier and is more focused on one thing at a time. Is simply more relaxed.Thanks for the help! Targjerd Waterfall
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Fear of heights, I’ve had as long as I can remember. It has limited me the most in everyday life, is the fear of some bridges, and steep roads with hairpin bends where the views are awesome. Light on the internet for assistance because I was am full of to be afraid of this. There I found Jørgen.
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I go a lot on trips both summer and winter. My fear of heights has, however, set limits for me, and I have not always come up on the tops that I want to go, or dared to take the slopes as I like to ski. In addition, I had really wanted to try me on the outdoor climbing, but failed to see that it was possible for me to implement.
I have experienced to react both with nausea and dizziness if it has been too steep or loose. At times I have tried to adapt the høydeskrekken even with visualization in various forms, without that I absolutely have managed to get into the goal.
In the summer I had a desire to climb the Svolværgeita. This is a very airy trip with an anti-theft device. I took contact with In a couple of weeks in advance, and we had a 2 hour conversation on Skype.
To put it simply; the trip went awesome!!! Even though I was excited and a little nervous before we started to climb, I felt absolutely no fear, not even where it went stupbratt down. I must admit that I was a little surprised afterwards of how smoothly it went. Now I’m looking forward to try me on hikes without an anti-theft device in the summer.
With kind regards, Trude Johnsen
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CLAUSTROPHOBIA
I have had claustrophobia, or what I have called for claustrophobia, as long as I can remember. To take the lift has always been unthinkable for me, and this has manifested itself in a kind of fear of flying time.
After the two sessions with you, that I really felt was grasping at straw man, just because I wanted to try out everything that was to try out, I have taken the elevator, on the job every day. Without thinking about it. The trip to Riga went terrific, and for the first time in a long time I was able to enjoy the flight, both to and from. On the way to Riga, there were both hot, crowded and lot of turbulence, but I was very calm, and fell asleep many times.
As I said, this is probably normal for you, but very unusual for me, and the incredibly rare and fine. I feel I can get to anything now! It is a bit bombastic to say, though, that this is released in me, or rather, that I have released in it is an absolutely amazing feeling.
Mona Sørby
FEAR OF SPIDERS
After several years with an extreme fear of spiders, I finally got the help to recognize and understand the tankerekkene my. I don’t have now to check my shoes for 2 times before I take the view over the front door before I go in and I can be in the stable without sacrificing the thought of the nightmare-like tankerekkene I got about spiders. Now, after the second hour with Jørgen, I have even taken up a little spider and held it. This would have been inconceivable before this tilstandsterapien.
By learning and recognize my own trains of thought and understanding how the brain scares me, so have several things in life become easier! I have also been more focused and can sort my thoughts better. If I become stressed, now it’s much easier to keep the focus on one thing at a time without many second thoughts about that things go wrong, come and disturb. You can’t go wrong, there is only the brain that overtenker and creates a train of thought which, so to speak, almost acts like a nightmare.
I feel more focused, calm, and will not be as fast as annoyed as before. Has not thought that also is due to the tankerekkene my. This tilstandsterapien has taught me to understand that it is the only approach.
Thank you very much for your help!
Mvh Mariann Waterfall Larsen
Mariann Waterfall Larsen
FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Taleskrekk? I?
The speech went really well at the wedding of my brother! He was not nervous in advance, and was very quiet when I held it. Now the problem out of the world. Thank you very much for your help!
Tonje B.
Tonje B.