I tried a similar technique a couple of years ago. I had an irrational fear of drains (the ones at the bottom of a pool) after seeing on the news that a woman drowned when her hair was caught in one. After panicking in a public pool once when I realized I was swimming above one, I decided to stand on top of the drain (shallow end of the pool) at my house for a while. It took a while, but it works over time. The fear diminished a good amount. I still feel a compulsion to avoid them, but don't panic or feel too anxious when around them.

I'm glad this was posted here. This is a good habit to pick up.