What for some people is a reason for happiness and well-being, for others it can be terrifying. Some of their related to animals and it is not difficult to understand the phobia of spiders or snakes, for example. But how is it possible to be afraid of dogs? Everything is possible in the world of phobias and that is why today we are talking about cynophobia or that terror towards dogs.
Do you know what cynophobia is?
Cynophobia is the fear of dogs. Yes, some people will find this amazing as they find great support and happiness in their pet. But other people feeling the presence of a dog or just imagining it. Here the danger of some specific breeds does not come into play, but rather any dog, however harmless it may seem, can cause fear.
It is true that there are some dogs that are scary and it is logical that you feel a certain fear if you are walking in the park and a huge dog runs towards you barking menacingly. That’s not cynophobia, that’s a perfectly understandable adaptive fear.
Is my fear of dogs a phobia?
People who suffer from cynophobia cannot be close to an animal as common as the dog and tend to avoid these situations, something that is quite complicated. These people experience typical anxiety when they see a dog or when they imagine it, because the reactions can also be anticipated.
If you have to pass in front of the house of your neighbors who have a dog, surely you will take a detour if you can, even if it takes more time. All in order to avoid that feeling of panic, dizziness, nerves, the desire to run away or the impossibility of moving, the feeling of unreality or palpitations.
Causes of cynophobia
Sometimes it is difficult to find the origin or the of the phobia. In the case of cynophobia, the most common reason is having lived through a traumatic experience. If you have ever been bitten by a dog or someone close to you, or if you experienced a delicate situation and there was a dog around you.
Cynophobia can also arise by imitation, that is, if your older brother, for example, is afraid of dogs, you too can experience the same terror even if you have not had any negative experience with these
The best treatment for this phobia
It is important to try to overcome some phobias that can limit your life as soon as possible. It’s not the same as having ophidiophobia because you don’t come across a snake every day, but you do with a dog. And to treat phobias you have to seek psychological help, have no doubt.
The most effective treatment for phobias is cognitive behavioral therapy, which is capable of transforming the thought that generates fear in the face of the stimulus and, therefore, is capable of transforming behavior in turn. In any case, relaxation techniques are always welcome to overcome a phobia due to their close relationship with anxiety.