Secret Lives of Women profiles three women in their quest to overcome their life long fears and phobias. With interviews with leading authorities on phobias, this documentary gives the viewer an in depth analysis of how a fear can take root, how it manifests physically and how to ultimately look fear in the face and conquer it.

Chalfonte is a single mother of three. Since childhood she has struggled with a deathly fear of water. After a near drowning incident at the beach, Chalfonte came to believe that water was not her friend. She made many attempts to learn to swim as she grew older, but all her efforts left her feeling hopeless. Chalfonte and her children live near the beach and have a pool in their condo complex. She longs to be able to swim with her youngest daughter and to enjoy the beach without fear, but she finds it nearly impossible to forget the past. After suffering for most of her life, Chalfonte is committed to making progress and begins therapy to overcome her fear of the water once and for all.

Loretta is 35, but her fear of flying has kept her captive. In her teens, Loretta was on a flight returning from her grandmother’s funeral. The bumpy ride left her in a state of absolute panic causing her to never want to fly again. She became obsessed by airplane disasters and would watch planes land near her home for hours. Later when she was forced to fly, she turned to drinking to cope. She feels her fear has prevented her from fully living her life. She has been unable to take a job that requires her to travel, much less visit places she wants to vacation. But Loretta is determined to get over her fear. She starts a course of hypnotherapy to learn relaxing techniques and coping skills to deal with her fears.

Melissa is a mother and an administrative assistant. In her late 20s, she experienced her first panic attack. She felt a wave of fear wash over her causing her heart to race, her hands to shake and her stomach to churn. She had no idea what was happening, but it scared her to death. Soon there after, she started experiencing panic attacks more regularly and retreated to her home for safety. Before long, Melissa couldn’t even leave her house she was so afraid of her panic attacks. Melissa was suffering from agoraphobia. She became housebound for years at a time. Her family life suffered and she became severely depressed. After struggling for decades, Melissa’s daughter became engaged. She would do anything to be able to attend the wedding. She started searching on the Internet for cures and found a therapy called CTRN – Change That’s Right Now. Melissa was dedicated to following the program via the phone and after five years of not leaving her house, made it to her daughter’s wedding. She is completely recovered and now lives each day to the fullest.