Should I get counseling for this phobia - is counseling even available for it??!

Should I get counseling for this phobia - is counseling even available for it??

I am 22 years old and ever since I was little I have had an extreme fear of ghosts and spirits - it only seems to be getting worse. I am constantly scared, especially at night that I am going to see a ghost. I am always imagining that wherever I look next, I am going to see something terrifying and I imagine in my head what it is, so it's almost like I'm already seeing it -if you've seen the movie "The Sixth Sense" it's usually images like that - gruesome looking. It sounds crazy and it is because I know it's completely irrational, but no matter what I do I can't stop terrifying myself with the thoughts and images my mind comes up with. Is there counseling or therapy for this kind of thing or has anyone else experienced it?? Thanks in advance for any help or advice...

Having a fear of ghosts/spirits is not specifically that fear. That may sound like gobbledygook, but what I mean is that you only developed this fear as a way of dealing with something else - you put your feeling of something being scarey and not OK into the idea of ghosts. The 'something' could be difficulties you experienced when very young. So counselling or psychotherapy is definitely going to help IF you are willing to look at the whole of you and not just your fear of ghosts. If you feel ready to do this, I am as sure as I can be that you will find your fear gradually going away. Do find someone really well-qualified who can work with unconscious things - perhaps a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, or any other therapist who can do that sort of work. In the UK, check out http://www.psychotherapy.org.uk... or http://www.bcp.org.uk to find someone properly qualified and registered, working to a recognised Code of Ethics.