Index
WHAT IS ORNITHOPHOBIA?
As strange as it sounds, statistically the fear of birds is a much more common disorder than you might believe.
Having a wide range of variety in this , it would not be strange to speak of fear of predatory birds, taking into account the size, agility and strength that some of these can have, but at the same time there are people who fear even birds. domestic animals such as parakeets and other small birds.
PHOBIA OF BIRDS
Those who suffer from this phobia may fear being attacked by a bird, whether it is being pecked by a domestic bird or being ambushed by a larger wild bird or simply feeling uncomfortable in the presence of these.
The origin of this fear can be based on one or more reasons, such as the fact that birds are usually aggressive, the fluttering of their wings, fear of possible diseases that they can transmit or some combination of these can lead to be enough cause to panic at the sight of a bird.
This type of disorder is easy to identify , but being such a general fear and taking into account that birds are quite common animals in all cities, towns, etc.
That there are even birds that have the same life expectancy as us humans , this can become a life limitation .
Ornithophobia can be inherited from the parents or be related to some traumatic event that the person has had with the birds.
Over time, if this phobia is not treated, it can evolve into agoraphobia, which is basically the fear of going outside for fear of having to meet a bird.
SYMPTOMS OF ORNITHOPHOBIA
Although it is a fear that can be controllable and that varies greatly depending on each person, Ornithophobia causes all the symptoms related to fear , such as paranoia, stress, tremors, tachycardia, rapid and forced breathing, malaise, nausea , among many others.
These fears, as mentioned above, can be fatal, such as that the person does not want to leave their house for fear of meeting a bird , since it can become extremely overwhelming for those who suffer ornithophobia to be close to one.
TREATMENT TO OVERCOME ORNITHOPHOBIA
Ornithophobia usually responds quite well to behavioral and cognitive therapies.
A trained therapist will take care of the patient’s recovery from this disorder by replacing his negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
You are also given tools such as relaxation techniques to decrease anxiety when encountering a bird.
There are other types of techniques such as systematic desensitization, in a nutshell this technique is to familiarize the person with the disorder with tame birds so that the phobia is put aside.
If the fear of birds is severe and cannot be treated with the aforementioned means, hypnosis or medications may be a good option.
Alexa Clark specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She has experience in listening and welcoming in Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy. It meets demands such as generalized anxiety, professional, love and family conflicts, stress, depression, sexual dysfunction, grief, and adolescents from 15 years of age. Over the years, She felt the need to conduct the psychotherapy sessions with subtlety since She understands that the psychologist acts as a facilitator of self-understanding and self-acceptance, valuing each person's respect, uniqueness, and acceptance.
