I have a phobia of dogs. It is so bad that I don't like going walking in my street and if I see any kind of dog, especially big ones I get really panicky. People tell me that dogs can smell fear which makes the fear worse and it's embarressing. My DH doesn't understand and loves dogs but I get angry that people don't keep them in their own yards instead of letting them roam the streets. I know it's a form of anxiety and I do get mild anxiety but I want to get over this fear of dogs that I have had since I was a little girl.
Anyway I was wondering whats your phobia? What have you done to get over your phobia and did it work?
TIA
Where does the phobia come from?
Can you remember not being affraid of dogs? Or when you started being affraid of them?
You could probably see a hypnotherapist and they would be able to help you out f you really want to get over it, if it is severe.
I dont really have any phobias...I used to be scared of heights...but not really anymore since doing a fair bit of abseiling. My mum was deathly affraid of heights.
Oh, I lie. I am petrified of GIANT BIRD LIKE MOTHS! lol But I am getting better - it used to be all moths. Now it is only if they are inside with me and the size of a small dog.
My phobia - going to the toilet in a public place or someone else's house, doing a #2, and the toilet not flushing. Having to stand there and reflush and reflush until it goes away.
Limeslice - I'm not sure why i'm afraid of daogs but I have been my whole life. I remember being 4yrs old and jumping up on my nan cause there was a little tiny puppy coming towards us. Do you know anyone who has tried hypnotherapy? Does it work?
I have a phobia of open water. Scares me so much. Whenever I am in a plane over the ocean and cant see any land, cant be the person furthest out in the ocean at the beach.
I remember it becoming very clear to me when I went snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. I was on the reef snorkelling then all of a sudden I swam off the reef and just saw pitch black below me. Had a massive panic attack!
And dont even talk to me about that movie Open Water where they get left on the reef!!!
I'm not sure about hypnotherapy in that I've never tried it.
Specific phobias such as yours with dogs are very very treatable. General fears are really common, I think they're only called phobias once the fear is changing your behaviour or restricting you in some way. Since this sounds like it is really starting to affect you negatively, I'd recommend that you see your GP and get a referral to a medicare registered psychologist who deals with anxiety. You'll get around 6 sessions that are claimable on medicare making it reasonably affordable. It should generally take around 6-8 session to get a good outcome with something like this.
There are a number of behavioural and thinking techniques that you can learn to help you reduce your fear and get to the point where you can cope with seeing a dog on the street and not panic and also to help you feel more comfortable going out without worrying about it constantly. You'll get relaxation techniques, information about the physical panic response, and help to change your thinking to be more helpful - like searching for evidence of a threat - and more realistic.
HTH. I really encourage you to seek some help from someone qualified in this area. It is really treatable.
btw - my fear is of confined spaces. I don't think I have a full blown claustrophobia but I do have to concentrate on my breathing and staying calm when in small spaces, especially crowds and lifts and things.
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