Fear of Birds – Ornithophobia
Anyone who has ever seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds or subsequent re-makes, is probably going to shudder when reading this post. If you have ever seen this movie it is easy to understand how an individual could acquire a fear of birds or bird phobia.
Check out Hypnosis for Fear of Birds
In magpie season (that’s when the young magpie chicks are hatching out of their eggs) it is prudent to carry something to ward off magpie attacks by the parent birds. I remember walking along a footpath and saw a baby bird and stopped, leant over and said, “oh you poor thing, where’s Mum?” I found out within about 15 seconds as the parent bird swooped down dangerously close to my head and caught me a glancing blow.
For the rest of the walk home, I had my eyes peeled and it took a few minutes for my heart to stop pounding through my chest. So, is it a fact of life to get used to and take in one’s stride? Not everyone develops a phobia so what pushes an individual to become phobic about birds?
Causes of Ornithophobia
There are several things we can blame:
- Movies
- Attacks by birds on the individual or a significant other
- The reaction of someone else during an attack or a friend’s attitude to birds
- Natural predisposition of fear towards birds, insects, animals etcetera
- Role modelling by parents or other family members of being frightened of or disliking birds
- Avoidance of the phobia
For an individual with Ornithophobia, the anxiety that this phobia produces can prevent many enjoyable outings with friends or family as he or she avoids any setting where a bird might be encountered. “We’re going bush-walking”, they say. “I’m staying home then”.
“We’re going to the beach,” “Well I’m not coming.”
“We’re only going to ride our bikes along the bikeway next to the creek and go to the park.” “Then go without me.”
The more that the object of fear is avoided, the more entrenched the phobia may become.
Read more about anxiety and panic attacks here
Symptoms of Bird Phobia
Symptoms are typical of most phobias with physical symptoms that may include trembling, dry mouth, dizziness or lightheadedness, numbness or tingling, shortness of breath, sweaty palms or face, fear of fainting and palpitations. Cognitive symptoms may include obsessive thinking and persistent negative thoughts, while emotional symptoms may run to feelings of anger, hurt, rejection, fear, guilt, anxiety and panic at the thought of facing a bird or birds.
The fear escalates out of proportion to the likelihood of the event and the person may become even more distressed by the knowledge of their own irrational thoughts and responses.
Because the individual may not socialise because of the fear of birds, they may also become depressed due to loneliness.
Treatment for Fear of Birds
- Hypnosis
- Cognitive Therapy
- Systematic desensitization
- Deep breathing and Relaxation techniques
Hypnosis
Because the trigger for the phobia is not always known, hypnosis or hypnotherapy may be used to treat this phobia. Hypnosis may be able to bypass the cognitive barriers in place to prevent letting go of this phobia, and allow positive suggestions to flow through for change to occur at a subconscious level.
Read more about Hypnosis treatment for overcoming Fear of Birds
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive barriers to treatment may have become firmly entrenched because the individual believes that to avoid the problem is to solve the problem. However, this does not work because the focus on the fear persists in tandem with any thoughts of avoiding the fear.
Systematic Desensitization
Systematic desensitization may also be used, along with Timeline therapy and the specific phobia technique. NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) also offers tools for reduction of responses to phobias.
Deep breathing and Relaxation
Certainly, learning deep breathing and relaxation techniques will be helpful not only for phobias but also for a more relaxed approach to life. As there are so many beautiful birds to see and enjoy, and listen to, it seems a shame to be unable to experience these beautiful creatures. Check out my video and information on deep breathing here
If you have a phobia of birds help is definitely available.
