On Screen B1+ Unit 6 Reding (Sum.)

I. Read the text and for questions 1-5 choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

   Jessica Daniels had been frightened of clowns ever since she can remember. Jessica’s mother had bought her a balloon from a clown on the street and the experience terrified the toddler. Now aged 25, Jessica has overcome her childhood fear with the help of a simple hypnotherapy programme.

  Coulrophobia is the name for a phobia of clowns. Jessica’s coulrophobia was so bad that she avoided them at any cost. Going into town on a Saturday was not a possibility for Jessica. There were always clowns in the town centre making balloon models and juggling at the weekends. ‘Being anywhere near a clown made me really frightened, my heart would start beating really quickly and I’d feel a little dizzy’. Jessica realised that she needed to get treatment when a local circus put advertisement posters around the neighbourhood with a clown’s face on them. She couldn’t even drive down the road without feeling sick and the palms of her hands sweating.

  Once the hypnotherapy programme had begun Jessica’s phobia improved dramatically. ‘I wasn’t sure at first about the idea of hypnotherapy’ she said. ‘I didn’t think it would work. But now, after trying it out, I would recommend it to anyone with a phobia’. The hypnotherapist had asked Jessica to imagine a clown and to think of other things that she likes. Now Jessica associates clowns with those happier thoughts and walked out of her final session feeling much calmer. ‘I feel like this has totally changed my life, I can go shopping in town at the weekend and even visit a circus!’

  Many people confuse a phobia with fear. It is completely sensible to be frightened of things sometimes. However, some fears can be so bad that they affect the life of the person with the fear. This is called a phobia. The good news for Jessica is that she has faced her phobia and can now feel at ease with this smiley entertainer.

What is the writer doing in the text?

When did Jessica decide to get treatment?

What was Jessica’s attitude towards hypnotherapy?

What effect did the treatment have on Jessica?

What might Jessica tell someone else with a phobia?

II. Read the texts and write C for Carrie, D for Daniel or N for none.

Carrie –Selachophobia

Ever since I was little I have been afraid of sharks. I know that a lot of people are afraid of sharks, and that’s not a strange phobia, but I am actually just afraid of pictures of sharks. I can’t open a National Geographic or any other wildlife magazine without getting nervous. It’s even worse when the shark has its mouth open in the picture. I feel like the shark can still bite me. One time, while I was reading a magazine in the library, I turned the page and there was a big picture of a shark! The worst part is that when my hand turned the page, my fingers were actually touching the picture. I screamed and threw the magazine across the room. Everybody laughed and I was really embarrassed. Oddly enough, sharks in aquariums or zoos don’t bother me at all.

Daniel –Oneirophobia

Have you ever known anyone who was afraid to go to sleep? Well, now you have! That’s a little misleading though, as I’m not actually afraid of sleeping, I’m afraid of dreaming. It’s not like I’m afraid of nightmares or something, I just don’t like the idea of dreaming at all. It feels like you completely lose control of your own mind when you’re dreaming, and I don’t like that, even if it’s a good dream. Usually, when I go to bed and feel myself starting to fall asleep, I get panic attack, and my heart starts racing. Sometimes I even feel like I will be sick! It is a serious problem, because it’s very unhealthy to go without sleep. I’ve tried everything to make myself really tired when I try to sleep, drinking warm milk, herbal sleeping aids, even therapy! A friend suggested hypnotherapy, so I think I will try that. I really do want to sleep, it’s just impossible. 

My phobia is food-related.  

I’ve visited a therapist to help me deal with my phobia.

My phobia influences what I wear. 

My phobia made me feel very uncomfortable once. 

I have tried to cure my phobia. 

I’ve had a couple of accidents because of my phobia. 

My phobia is related to animals.