Feeling fear is something as human as eating, sleeping or going to the bathroom, comes with us from our ancestors because it is part of the survival instinct. We avoid it, but if we do it again and again we develop a phobia, which triggers a kind of extreme defense that limits us, leaves us as a statue of ice and we run like the soul that the devil leads ... and more if the animal is in motion. Zoophobia is a fear of animals. This phobia is quite common among young children, and in some people, it persists into adulthood.
For patients, this condition can be very debilitating and distressing, since many people make animals a part of their lives, and non-human animals are common throughout the world.
In some cases, a person with zoophobia simply fears all animals, large and small alike. Other patients may fear a specific class of animals. Arachnophobia, for example, is the fear of spiders.
Causes
There are a number of causes for this disorder to develop, from trauma during childhood to dark labors of the brain. Understanding the cause is often an important part of the therapy.
symptom
An individual with zoophobia experiences classic symptoms of panic when he or she encounters animals. Nervousness, anxiety, an accelerated heart rate, sweating and dizziness can occur all along with symptoms such as vomiting.
The patient may mentally run through a series of worse situations, or simply experience generalized anxiety around the animal. Patients may also feel socially awkward or uncomfortable because other people do not understand or respect the severity of the phobia.
Treatment
The treatment can incorporate a number of approaches. A kind of behavior therapy is usually highly recommended. This may include sessions in which the patient simply talks to a therapist about the phobia when exploring the cause and possible approaches or sessions of desensitization, in which the patient is exposed to animals or the images of the animals in small increments for grow more comfortable with them. The therapy animals that have been trained specifically to deal with people in distress can be used for this type of therapy.
People can also take medications to control zoophobia. This option is usually offered in cases in which people suffer from this fear and severe anxiety that other types of therapy can not even get going because the patient is too afraid. The medications are used to calm the phobic response to the animals so that the patient and the therapist can work together in the sessions and develop a plan for the patient to work at home so that the fear is under control.
While the idea of being mortally terrified by something like a stuffed bunny or a friendly pony may seem strange to people who love animals, zoophobia is a very serious condition. Friends and relatives who are afraid of animals should be treated with compassion and support, and encouraged to seek psychological help, rather than being mocked, as this can increase emotional distress and make the phobia worse.
Source: http://guiapsicologia.com/fobias/zoofobia/