Ornithophobia is the irrational and obsessive fear of birds when, in reality, their presence does not imply any danger. It causes anxiety and sometimes leads to behaviors to avoid these animals. When there are birds around, it is possible to feel dread or frightened and exhibit physical symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat and sweating, but also feel helpless. If this fear prevents you from going to work in the morning or forces you to take the long way to avoid the sight of birds, it means that it is compromising your daily life; therefore, you should consider getting help, perhaps using some technique that allows you to expose yourself to your problem or by consulting a professional.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Prepare a Strategy to Overcome Your Fear
Step 1. Learn about exposure therapy
The most effective way to start defeating the fear of birds is to expose yourself to the problem. The goal is to progressively reduce the reactions dictated by fear through prolonged contact with what triggers it. Research shows that this therapy - in various forms - is quite effective against phobias. It is possible to expose yourself in different ways and often the initial approach involves steps that gradually mitigate the fear. Here are the exposure therapies that can help you overcome your phobia (they can also be combined with each other):
- Imaginative display - consists of closing your eyes and imagining birds or a very detailed situation in which you are surrounded by these animals;
- Live Exposure - is a system that leads you to face fear in real life, and in this case, you should actually be surrounded by birds.
Step 2. Think about why you have ornithophobia
Most phobias are a "conditioned" reaction, that is, it is not an innate fear, but induced over time due to an external source. Take the time to get to the root of your problem.
- It may be helpful to keep a journal in which to write down your thoughts so that you can process information about the cause of the phobia more slowly and accurately.
- Describe your earliest memory related to the fear of birds. Did you have any particular experience that triggered the phobia?
- Have you always been afraid of birds? Maybe you have any positive, or at least non-distressing, memories where these animals didn't scare you before they turned into a source of anxiety?
Step 3. Analyze the triggers
As annoying as it may be, you will never be able to handle stress and overcome your phobia until you fully understand what causes it. What are the characteristics of these animals that cause you the most anxiety? Here are some examples of the main factors that trigger ornithophobia:
- The fact that they swoop down from above;
- The way the wings move;
- Their gait when walking on the ground;
- Fear of the diseases they might transmit;
- The way they approach people looking for food.
Step 4. Create a hierarchy of anxiety-inducing stimuli to gradually expose yourself to your phobia
In this way, you will come to put in place a plan that will help you overcome the fear of birds. It is a simple list of steps that, starting from less terrifying situations, gradually become more shocking. Each hierarchy is unique and personal; it is based on the most feared birds or the factors that trigger the phobia. Remember that only you can know what you are feeling, so establish a hierarchy that is useful to your needs. This strategy can also be used to track your progress as you move from level to level during therapy. Here's how you might outline a hierarchy for overcoming the fear of birds:
- Draw pictures of birds;
- Look at black and white photos of birds;
- Look at photos of birds in color;
- Watching bird videos without sound;
- Watch bird videos with sound;
- Watching birds in the backyard with binoculars;
- Sit outside where birds could arrive
- Observe birds at the zoo or in a pet shop
- Stroking or feeding a bird in a protected and controlled environment;
- Take care of a friend's bird.
Step 5. Learn about your discomfort by measuring your discomfort
Another useful tool for assessing the progress achieved is to draw a scale of one's distress. It is usually used to realize how upset you can be during each exposure. Basically, it makes you understand how fear affects you at each step established in the hierarchy, but also when you are ready to move to the next level because the previous one no longer triggers any panic. Consider developing a scale of your distress consisting of several levels.
- 0-3: at 0 you are completely at ease, while at 3 you feel a slight anxiety, evident but not counterproductive in everyday life;
- 4-7: at 4, mild anxiety begins to create a bit of discomfort, while at 7 you are rather anxious and feel that agitation that could affect your concentration and management of the situation;
- 8-10: At 8 you are very anxious and cannot concentrate when surrounded by birds, while at 10 you are on the verge of having a panic attack or are already dealing with it.
Step 6. Decide the pace at which to move through the hierarchy
In addition to choosing how you export, you can also set the pace. There are two main rhythms with which to manage the exhibition:
- Gradual exposure is much more common and pushes you to slowly move through the various stages of the hierarchy. You advance to the next level when the previous one no longer generates any fear and, generally, when the current one produces discomfort that can be classified from 0 to 3.
- Immersion requires starting from the top of the hierarchy, exposing yourself to the situation that causes the most discomfort of all. If you are interested in this method, you should apply it by being guided by a therapist rather than going through it yourself.
Step 7. Familiarize yourself with relaxation techniques
Since, by applying the hierarchy method, you will encounter reactions that generate a great deal of stress, it would also be useful to learn some relaxation techniques to be able to find calm during exposures. By calming your mind, focusing on your breathing and relaxing your muscles, you could avoid a panic attack and reduce your discomfort to 7.
You can find more information on how to stay calm during exhibitions in the article How to Calm Down
Part 2 of 2: Overcoming the Fear of Birds
Step 1. Implement the first step which is at the bottom of the hierarchy
Almost all patients begin with an imaginative exposure. Start by simply closing your eyes and imagining a bird.
Remember that the hierarchy you have established is personal. Depending on the phobia, the imaginative exposure can produce a reaction corresponding to 0 on the discomfort scale, while in other cases it is necessary to start by imagining a stylized bird because the simple thought of a real bird could generate a discomfort equal to 8
Step 2. Continue to go through the steps of imaginative exposure
If the mere thought of a bird triggers 0 to 3 discomfort, continue to intensify your imagination exercises. Also, try to describe out loud the events you imagine using the present in order to make the experience more real. For example, you might:
- Contextualizing the birds, perhaps imagining them on telephone cables outside the home or on the fence of a garden;
- Imagine yourself in a certain situation, for example at the park with a group of birds 5 meters away;
- Imagine giving pieces of bread to ducks or geese swimming in a pond;
- Finally, imagine taking a friend's bird.
- Keep repeating these imaginative exposure exercises until your fear diminishes noticeably.
- If you've made a decision in your hierarchy to watch a video of a bird before imagining touching a real one, stick to this order. Don't feel compelled to do your imagination exercises first if you haven't organized your hierarchy that way. Ask yourself honestly which order is best suited to your needs.
Step 3. Expose yourself in a virtual way
For most patients, virtual bird exposure occupies a higher level within the fear hierarchy. Once the thought of these animals and their proximity produces almost no effect, begin to implement the next series of steps outlined in your hierarchy. Here are some tips to virtually expose yourself to birds and generate a phobic reaction:
- Draw birds (first stylized and small, later more detailed and large);
- Look at photos of birds (first in black and white, then in color);
- Listen to the recorded song of birds;
- Watch bird videos (first without audio, then with audio);
- Remember to measure your discomfort at each step. Your goal is to alleviate it by hitting 3 (and maybe even 0) during each virtual exposure.
Step 4. Try exporting live for the first time (ie, in real life)
Most likely, the situations that occupy a higher place within the hierarchy are live experiences with birds. Once you are familiar with imaginative and virtual exposure, try to expose yourself in person so that at first the phobic reaction manifests itself slightly. For example, you could just look at a bird out the window using binoculars (and stay safe inside the house).
As you get used to seeing birds live - that is, when your reaction goes from 0 to 3 on the discomfort scale - try opening the window through which you are observing them
Step 5. Watch a bird through an open door
Once the open window no longer has a strong effect, try to take the next step, literally, which is going out the door. Watch the bird as you go out. Notice when the distance to the door generates a reaction greater than 3 on the discomfort scale and stop. Stay there and watch the bird until you feel the fear is disappearing, then take two more steps forward. Get closer and closer to the object of your fear as you continue to monitor your level of discomfort.
Step 6. Expose yourself live more and more intensely
The situations that occupy a higher place in your hierarchy depend essentially on how your phobia is characterized, but also on how much you want to overcome it. Your ultimate goal may be to walk past a group of pigeons without panicking, while for another person they may have the ability to touch some friend's bird without getting anxious. Proceed along the path of the hierarchy that you have established, exposing yourself to each step until the reaction on the discomfort scale reaches 3 or lower.
If you run into any obstacles, remember that you can always change the hierarchy. For example, you have no difficulty when your friend releases his parrot in your presence, but the thought of touching a large bird causes you discomfort equal to 8? Try asking your friend to take you to a pet shop and see if you can hold a much smaller bird, such as a parakeet, in your hand
Step 7. Consider therapist-led exposure
If between steps in the hierarchy you find yourself in an impasse and don't know how to move forward - or maybe you just want to try exposure therapy under the guidance of a professional, consider consulting a psychotherapist who specializes in treating phobias.. In addition to helping you find the best way to organize and manage your hierarchy, it can also recommend some exercises related to so-called "systematic desensitization". It is a procedure that combines gradual exposure with relaxation exercises to be carried out under the guidance of the therapist.
- In addition, it can teach you cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques that help you understand the extent to which mental processes reinforce the fear of birds. In this way, you will become aware of the (irrational) thoughts from which your fear arises and you will be able to modify them before they produce phobic reactions during exposures.
- According to some research, self-exposure works, but therapist-led exposure is even more effective. A study showed that only 63% of patients subjected to self-exposure maintained constant progress, compared to 80% of those who sought help from the therapist. So, if you are having difficulty overcoming your fear on your own, consult a therapist so that you can learn the most suitable techniques.
