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This article was co-written by Evan Parks, PsyD. Dr. Evan Parks is a licensed clinical psychologist and visiting assistant professor at the Michigan State University School of Medicine. With over 25 years of experience, he specializes in helping patients manage chronic pain with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. He also has experience in many areas, from stress management to mental flexibility. Dr. Parks is also the author of Chronic Pain Rehabilitation: Active Pain Management That Helps You Get Back to the Life You Love. return to your favorite life). Parks holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Cedarville University, a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the School of Professional Psychology at the University of California. Forest Institute.
There are 21 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 16,627 times.
The fear of dogs, also known as cynophobia, is a very common phobia of animals. Animal phobia is classified as specific phobia, as opposed to social phobia. In general, a phobia is a persistent, irrational, and uncontrollable fear of something (an object, situation, or activity). [1] X Research Sources Characteristic of agoraphobia is an irrational and uncontrollable fear of dogs. However, the degree of fear can vary from person to person. Some people may feel scared when they see dogs, others even think about dogs. No matter the extent of your phobia, there are ways to help you overcome it.
Steps
Determine your fear level
- Maybe you’ve had a bad experience with one or more dogs in the past. Maybe you’ve been threatened, chased, or even bitten by a dog, and now that’s the only memory of a dog left in your mind. Encountering dogs today can bring about that same bad feeling, making you feel afraid of dogs in all situations.
- Maybe you inadvertently received fear of dogs from someone, such as your parents. Maybe when you were growing up, your mother always talked about dogs negatively, or told you stories about people being attacked by dogs. Your mother’s fear will inevitably pass on to you. Maybe you don’t know anything other than dogs and grew up thinking all dogs are terrible, and that’s probably why you’re afraid of dogs. It’s even possible that your anxiety is related to a disorder that runs in families.
- Maybe you’ve witnessed a terrible thing a dog does to someone. Maybe you’ve seen someone get attacked and injured by a dog, or you even watched a dog movie at an emotional age. This event, whether real or fictional, can cause you to develop agoraphobia even if nothing has happened to you personally. [3] X Research Sources
- There is a sense of impending danger.
- Feeling the need to run or hide.
- Heart palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness or chills.
- It feels like things aren’t happening.
- Feeling out of control or going crazy.
- Feeling can die.
- Do you avoid socializing with certain people because they have dogs?
- Did you completely change your path to avoid a certain house or block with dogs?
- Do you avoid talking to certain people because they talk about their dogs?
- Consider recording your fears in a journal. Write down your outstanding memories of dogs and how you felt during those experiences.
- Learn meditation and relaxation techniques to stay calm and manage your nervousness.
- Break your fear into smaller pieces to overcome; Don’t think you need to deal with everything at once. [7] X Research Sources
- Believe in yourself that you will overcome your fear of dogs. Accept all your mistakes in that journey.
- Consider finding a therapist in your area through the Depression and Anxiety Association of America (ADAA) website at http://treatment.adaa.org. Enter your zip code to find a list of therapists near you. This list will include disorders under the specialty of each therapist so you can choose one who specializes in treating specific phobias or phobias.
Changing perception
- It is important that you change your perception with an open mind and willingness. You need to accept the fact that your fear may not be based on rational thinking, and that also means you can train yourself to think differently. If you enter this treatment pessimistically or with the belief that your fear is completely justified, you will make the healing process more difficult. [10] X Research Source
- You and your therapist can also determine if there is an underlying medical condition or mental condition that is worsening your phobia. Potential causes could be an anxiety disorder, depression, or even a specific, unrelated event that could trigger the phobia.
- This is also a good time to start keeping a journal, where you can record all the information about your phobia, and this can help with further therapy and analysis. Record in your diary each event in your memory, and everything that might have led up to that event that you remember.
- Keep journaling about your memories and thoughts. At this point, start jotting down the reasons you think the events scare you. Write down everything you remember about your beliefs at that time.
- Analyze your beliefs and thoughts to see if they include any of the following: [13] X Research Sources[14] X Research Sources
- All or nothing — do you think EVERY dog is bad, no matter what? Or do you strangely distinguish dogs based on certain characteristics? For example , “I can’t be friends with anyone who has a dog”.
- Should, yes, need — do you look at a dog and assume you must be afraid of it? Do you feel you have no other choice in that case? For example, “My mom told me to never trust a dog.”
- Overgeneralizing — have you tried unsuccessfully to overcome your fear of dogs in the past, and now you think you’ll never be able to overcome that fear? For example, “I tried to get close to the dog before, but it didn’t work. I have no choice but to be afraid of dogs.”
- Mental filters — do you automatically draw conclusions about dogs based on one or two previous experiences with dogs? For example, “That dog attacked me when I was three years old, dogs are so evil, they will attack humans if given the chance.”
- Take the positivity for granted — do you ignore the good because you don’t believe it will happen again? For example, “Yes, I could sit next to that dog, but it’s so old and sick that it can’t walk anymore and attacks me.”
- Rushing to conclusions — do you see or hear a dog and automatically draw conclusions about what’s going to happen? For example, “It’s a pit bull, they’re a terrible breed of dog and can’t be trained properly.”
- Continue logging. At this stage you need to document your reactions (both internal and external) to the events that trigger your fear and the beliefs that contribute to that fear.
- Possible reactions are:
- You go down the street for a walk and encounter a dog in a certain yard. From then on you never go down that street again.
- Your neighbor has a dog and they let them play in the backyard, so you never enter your backyard if the neighbor’s dog is outside.
- You refuse to go to a friend’s house because they have a dog, and you can’t go out with that friend if they bring the dog.
- Log each of your beliefs and related evidence to show that what you believe is true and reasonable. If you are truly a rational person, can you find any scientific evidence to support your beliefs?
- For example, you believe that every dog will attack you, no matter what. Why do you think this is true? Do all the dogs you meet attack you? Has anyone else been attacked by every dog they come across? Why do people keep dogs as pets if they are constantly attacked by dogs?
- This sounds easy, but this will be the most difficult step in overcoming your fear of dogs. Beliefs can be ingrained in our minds, so it takes time (and persuasion) for us to realize that belief is irrational. After all, those irrational beliefs can help you avoid bad situations, so what’s wrong with them?
- For example, you believe that all dogs are aggressive. You can’t find any evidence to support that belief, so why do you still believe it? Maybe your belief comes from a movie you watched when you were seven years old (which you shouldn’t have seen) in which dogs attack and kill people. After watching that movie, you start to fear dogs because you think the movie is 100% true. In reality, it’s just a movie and there’s no reality in it. And if you think about it, you’ll see that you never actually see that happen in real life.
- First, you need to learn how to relax when fear or anxiety arises so that you don’t back down.
- Next, you have to gradually interact with the dog (in a variety of ways) until you feel comfortable around them.
Learn relaxation techniques
- Spontaneous relaxation is a technique that uses visual and sensory images of the body while repeating words that relax and relieve muscle tension.
- Dynamic relaxation, stretch – slack is a technique of stretching and relaxing each muscle in the body to feel the sensation of the muscles in both tense and relaxed states.
- Imagination is the technique of visualizing specific scenes to create a feeling of relaxation and peace (e.g. forest, beach with waves, etc.)
- Deep breathing is a technique that focuses on taking deep breaths from the diaphragm to release tension and cure hyperventilation. [20] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to Source
- Biofeedback is a technique in which you learn to control each function in your body, such as your heart rate or breathing. [21] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source
- Sit or stand somewhere you feel comfortable and keep your back straight. One hand on the chest and the other hand on the abdomen.
- Take a slow, deep breath through your nose for a count of four. The hand on the abdomen should be raised, while the hand on the chest should not move much.
- Hold your breath while counting to seven.
- Exhale through your mouth while counting to eight. Push the air out of the lungs as much as possible using the abdominal muscles. That is, the hand on the abdomen should move down, and the hand on the chest should not move much.
- Repeat these steps until you feel calmer and more relaxed.
- Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Take off your shoes.
- Try your best to relax your body and take five deep breaths.
- Start with a specific muscle group (eg left leg) and focus on those muscles.
- Perform with each muscle group: each foot; legs and feet; whole leg; each hand; whole arm; butt; belly; chest; neck and shoulders; mouth; eye; and forehead.
- Take a slow, deep breath while tensing the selected muscles for 5 seconds. Be sure to feel the stretch before continuing.
- Relax your selected muscles as you exhale.
- Pay close attention to how the muscles feel when tense and when they relax.
- Relax for 15 seconds, then choose another muscle group and repeat the steps above.
- These recordings guide you on how to prepare and what to do. They come in different lengths, so you can choose what works best for you.
Treatment with exposure therapy
- The plan must be customized to your unique fear and the situations you experience. You need to write a list in order from least afraid to most scary so that you can step by step conquer the most frightening situation for you.
- An example of a plan for overcoming a fear of dogs would be as follows:
- Step 1 – draw a picture of a dog on paper.
- Step 2 – Read the dog information.
- Step 3 – look at the photos of the dogs.
- Step 4 – watch dog videos.
- Step 5 – look at the dog through a closed window.
- Step 6 – look at the dog through a partially open window.
- Step 7 – look at the dog through the open window.
- Step 8 – look at the dog through the doorway.
- Step 9 – look at the dog from outside the doorway.
- Step 10 – look at a dog (on a leash) in the next room.
- Step 11 – look at a dog (on a leash) in the same room.
- Step 12 – sit next to a dog.
- Step 13 – petting a dog.
- The fear scale can also help you decide when to move on to the next step in your exposure plan.
- Patiently and slowly. Do not move to the next step too quickly. [28] X Research Sources
- Practicing with puppies is not a good idea, even if you think they are cuter and less aggressive. Puppies are untrained and very unpredictable. They may behave unexpectedly in front of you and will only aggravate your phobia.
- Finally, if possible, ask your friend to teach you some basic commands so you can control the dog yourself. Having control over your dog can help alleviate your fears when you realize that you have control over their actions.
- Use a diary to track your progress. Record all your efforts and the effectiveness of those efforts. Assess your anxiety and fear levels before and after you try to do something.
- Remember that the method of contact with dogs must be planned, long-term, and iterative.
- Don’t be impatient. Take each step in the plan slowly until you feel comfortable moving to the next step.
Advice
- Once you have overcome your fear of dogs, you should try playing with dogs if you know someone who owns an easygoing dog. Observing how dogs play can help you better understand how to interact with them.
This article was co-written by Evan Parks, PsyD. Dr. Evan Parks is a licensed clinical psychologist and visiting assistant professor at the Michigan State University School of Medicine. With over 25 years of experience, he specializes in helping patients manage chronic pain with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. He also has experience in many areas, from stress management to mental flexibility. Dr. Parks is also the author of Chronic Pain Rehabilitation: Active Pain Management That Helps You Get Back to the Life You Love. return to your favorite life). Parks holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Cedarville University, a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan University, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the School of Professional Psychology at the University of California. Forest Institute.
There are 21 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 16,627 times.
The fear of dogs, also known as cynophobia, is a very common phobia of animals. Animal phobia is classified as specific phobia, as opposed to social phobia. In general, a phobia is a persistent, irrational, and uncontrollable fear of something (an object, situation, or activity). [1] X Research Sources Characteristic of agoraphobia is an irrational and uncontrollable fear of dogs. However, the degree of fear can vary from person to person. Some people may feel scared when they see dogs, others even think about dogs. No matter the extent of your phobia, there are ways to help you overcome it.
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