SOCIAL PHOBIA By Simon Ellis In his university days, Simon found the prospect of group presentations terrifying. At this point in his life, he had been suffering from social phobia for ten years, the symptoms of which ranged from a racing heart beat to blushing and sweating. Student life eventually forced him to step outside his comfort zone and he believes this was vital to his recovery. With his confidence on the up, Simon trained as a swimming instructor and soon found his fears began to fade away.