Patient shudders with uncontrollable tears while being forced to stroke a fish-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

A patient has been left in tears and shaking uncontrollably while they battle to overcome their phobia… by stroking a fish.

For a new series of The Fear Clinic, contestants are forced to face their fears, with incredible results.

People who suffer from a range of phobias, from the rare ones of ichthyophobia (the fear of fish) and ovinophobia (the fear of sheep), to the more common like emetophobia (the fear of vomit) and thalassophobia (the fear of open water), have their lives turned around.

Each episode of the new series sees three Brits with debilitating phobias attend a clinic in Amsterdam over 48 hours, where they’re put through a new, cutting-edge psychological treatment and face their worst fears, which also include sausage dogs (cynophobia) and even balloons (globophobia).

A radical treatment developed by Dr Merel Kindt and based on 20 years of scientific research sees the contestant face to face with their worst fears, before overcoming it.

The Memrec treatment, which has a success rate of 84%, relies on emotional memory which is altered, changing how the patients react when they see their fears.

To overcome them though, they have to experience their most extreme terror head on without running away.

Patients are testing their worst fears (Picture: Channel 4)

From frogs to sheep… (Picture: Channel 4)

After the exposure, patients take a beta-blocker to interfere with how the fear memory that has been activated during the confrontation is resaved during sleep.

24 hours later, the contestants face their phobias again, and look to have a less heightened fear response.

The emotional trailer hears patients trying to convince themselves ‘there’s no reason to be scared’, while others squeal and squirm away from live animals and creepy crawlies.

‘I can’t… this is my limit,’ one man shudders, near a box with a spider roaming around inside.

It’s terrifying, but also life changing for the patients (Picture: Channel 4)

Another leaps away from a frog, while someone else sobs as balloons are popped around them.

‘I’ve convinced myself that I’ll never be fixed,’ another patient says.

Tearing up, she adds: ‘This is the biggest challenge of my life.’

Another patient is encouraged to dive into open water, and told: ‘We are not going to escape, we are going to go through it.’

They face the biggest challenge of their lives (Picture: Channel 4)

After several screams and plenty of tears, the patients have their lives turned around after the treatment.

One with a fear of clowns is even able to hug their worst fear.

‘I feel alright,’ another says, as a mouse crawls up his leg, having shouted in fear at the attempt the day before.

‘I’m so proud of this person that they’ve done this terrifying thing and now they’re probably going to be free from this fear,’ a guest adds.

The Fear Clinic airs on Monday, November 11, at 8pm on Channel 4.

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