If the thought of peering down a sheer drop makes you feel dizzy, or the sight of a spider makes you scream, you're in good company.

More than four out of five of us suffer from phobias, and a quarter say it affects their daily lives, according to a survey.

Heights and spiders are the most common reasons to break out in a cold sweat, but fear of open spaces, flying and public speaking also appear to affect millions. A fishing spider: Fear of these little beasts is one of the most common phobias

There are also dozens of more obscure conditions, ranging from fear of the sound of paper being torn to swallowing tablets.

There are even those who cringe at the idea of baked beans or garden peas.

But experts say almost all phobias or anxiety disorders can be made more manageable by a combination of admitting the problem, having therapy and following simple self-help strategies.

According to the survey of more than 1,000 people, 82 per cent regard themselves as having at least one phobia, with some saying they have two or more.

The most prevalent is fear of heights, or acrophobia, affecting 28 per cent of those polled, followed by arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, which afflicts 22 per cent.

Women were more likely to suffer from a phobia than men, at nearly 87 per cent of those surveyed against 70 per cent.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) said their condition affected their day-to-day lives and, while a fifth attempted to deal with their phobia by confronting what they feared, almost two-thirds went out of their way to avoid it.

The survey was commissioned by hypnotherapist Joseph Clough, who claims he can help victims combat their fears by 'offsetting' or counteracting their phobias in a matter of minutes.

'A phobia is our body's sub-consciously roundabout way of trying to protect us,' he said yesterday.

'It is a mix of hypnotism and neuro-linguistic application that enables me to help my clients.'

He said 'neuro-linguistic programming' meant restructuring how the brain reacts to scenarios by altering the way our senses respond to specific words and phrases.
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