A phobia is an intense fear of an object or situation that causes severe anxiety. A person can develop a phobia to several different objects or situations, such as insects or other animals, heights, seeing blood, receiving an injection or having blood drawn, or traveling on an airplane. The person avoids the object or situation, which temporarily reduces the anxiety, but also perpetuates and maintains the phobia. Treatment for phobias involves the person working with a trained therapist to gradually expose the affected person to the feared object or situation. This helps to neutralize the fear and to help the person realize that the object/situation is not as harmful or threatening as they believe.