- Viewing pictures of a dog
- Viewing videos of a dog, allowing person to see and hear the dog
- Seeing a dog through a window, where they can view the dog but no contact is possible
- Seeing a dog in a cage, where they can see the dog and leading up to holding their hand out for the dog to smell
- Seeing the dog on a leash, but not close enough for contact
- Moving the dog on the leash closer as the person becomes more comfortable
- Petting the dog
Each person’s anxiety will be different. For some, viewing pictures of a dog or seeing a dog on a video is not a problem and exposure therapy would begin with seeing a dog on a leash across the room.
A therapist specializing in anxiety disorders and exposure therapy would be able to work with each person to determine their level of anxiety and proceed with exposure therapy as needed for their particular situation.
Medication
For specific phobias, exposure therapy has been found to be the most effective type of treatment. Medication, however, can be helpful if a person cannot avoid the situation in their daily life. In this case, medication can help a person cope while exposure therapy continues.
Short acting anti-anxiety medication is also useful it the person’s anxiety is so high they will not benefit from exposure therapy without some additional assistance. The anxiety medication sometimes helps a person to get more benefit from exposure therapy.
Self Help
- Take one step at a time, however, accept you may need to deal with a little anxiety before moving on to the next step.
- Learn relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, to help cope with anxiety symptoms as they develop.
- For specific fears, such as dogs, viewing pictures or reading about the animals can help in exposure therapy by increasing the desensitization toward the object.
- Work on exposure on a daily basis, even if it includes videos and pictures of the animal or bird that invokes anxiety symptoms.
- Keep a journal of your treatment so that you can view your progress. This can help when you feel you are not progressing as quickly as you would like. If you can see steady progress, it can motivate you to continue your therapy.
Remember that treatment is available. You do not need to have a phobia control your life. It is possible to control the phobia.
References:
“Animal/Bird Phobias”, 2008, Author Unknown, AnxietyCare.org
“Phobias and Fears”, 2008, Aug 2, Melinda Smith, Helpguide.org
