[Carolyn (OP)]

My fear of birds seems to be getting worse.  Last week while driving to an out of town class, I drove by a very grassy area where there were hundreds of birds hiding in the grass.  They flew up and surrounded my car.  I was so frightened I nearly ran off the road.  That same day I stopped at a convenience store and when I came out, my car was again surrounded by dozens of little birds just walking around on the ground.  I was nearly paralyzed by fear.  I couldn't get in the car.  I thought about tossing something on the ground to scare them off, but couldn't do it cos I thought they would attack me.  When another car pulled up and they flew away...in my direction....I nearly came unglued.

For as long as I can remember I've been somewhat fearful, but it hasn't held me back.  The last few years have gotten much worse.  It's becoming somewhat debilitating.

Is there hope for me?  Is it really possible to overcome fear?

[DoctorBeaver]

Is it really possible to overcome fear?

Yes.

[Carolyn (OP)]

Is it really possible to overcome fear?

Yes.

How?

[MonikaS]

The trick with phobias is to re-learn that there's nothing to be afraid of. Do you know someone with a pet bird? At first you can face it while it's still in its cage. The next step would be facing the bird outside its cage until you don't care about it anymore.

All in all it will be hard work for you, perhaps you'll need professional help with it, talk to your family doctor, he might be able to refer you to the right person. Phobias are not to be underestimated, it's really great that you want to do something about it!

[neilep]

Eat more chicken !

[neilep]

I agree with Eth and monika,

A phobia is an emotional neurosis. The fact that it's a ' phobia  ' demonstrates that it can be cured...eventually.   By definition it is an irrational fear yes ?

Can ewe remind us how this fear developed ?

[Carolyn (OP)]

The trick with phobias is to re-learn that there's nothing to be afraid of. Do you know someone with a pet bird? At first you can face it while it's still in its cage. The next step would be facing the bird outside its cage until you don't care about it anymore.

All in all it will be hard work for you, perhaps you'll need professional help with it, talk to your family doctor, he might be able to refer you to the right person. Phobias are not to be underestimated, it's really great that you want to do something about it!

Thank you Monika.  I did visit a friend a few months ago that had a bird.  I managed, but was very uneasy the entire time I was there.  When her kids took it out of the cage, I nearly came unhinged, it was not a pretty picture.

[Carolyn (OP)]

I agree with Eth and monika,

A phobia is an emotional neurosis. The fact that it's a ' phobia  ' demonstrates that it can be cured...eventually.   By definition it is an irrational fear yes ?

Can ewe remind us how this fear developed ?

When I was a child, I had a parrot that was not very friendly, I was thrilled when it flew away.  The Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds" terrified me, and for years I thought that was the reason behind my fears, but I don't think it is now, though I'm sure it is a contributing factor.

I suffered a trauma many years ago, and though I never forgot what happened, I blocked out many parts of it, but the last few years I've started remembering more and more of the details which included lots and lots of birds.  I would say in excess of 30 birds were present, some of them in cages and some were flying around.  Some were typical pet birds, but some weren't.  There were black birds, ravens maybe and they had a hawk too.  They were sqawking and shrieking and some were talking and they looked and sounded very scary. 

[MonikaS]

The trick with phobias is to re-learn that there's nothing to be afraid of. Do you know someone with a pet bird? At first you can face it while it's still in its cage. The next step would be facing the bird outside its cage until you don't care about it anymore.

All in all it will be hard work for you, perhaps you'll need professional help with it, talk to your family doctor, he might be able to refer you to the right person. Phobias are not to be underestimated, it's really great that you want to do something about it!

Thank you Monika.  I did visit a friend a few months ago that had a bird.  I managed, but was very uneasy the entire time I was there.  When her kids took it out of the cage, I nearly came unhinged, it was not a pretty picture.

You need to go very slowly with this training, you can't expect a behaviour that developed over years to go away in just a few days. Visit your friend again, perhaps you can tell her about the reason and make sure the bird stays in its cage. And again and again until you're not uneasy anymore. The next step would be getting it out of the cage, repeat until you're not uneasy anymore. Best would be dayly visits. It will take time, but chances are very good that you can overcome your phobia.
It's excellent that you've decided to do something about it, because phobias tend to get worse over time and may even extend to other objects when untreated.