I have always maintained that my specialist subject is phobias, because I had so many for so many years. I even had hypnotherapy for them, but it didn’t work first time round – but that’s another story that needs analysing another time. There were two major aspects in my ‘curing’ (not a word the advertising standards like for eradicating a problematic response, but I feel cured!) my phobias 1) understanding what exactly was going on in my brain and body, at the moment of panic and 2) Having an incentive for success in a positive context – NOT – I won’t be scared of driving BUT I want my independence.
I’m particularly fascinated by odd phobias such as bananas, mushrooms, Santa Claus and a like, but the usual ones tend to be sickness, spiders, snakes, mice and dogs.
Cynophobia is a phobia of dogs. For those who love dogs – and it appears that hypnotherapists are particularly fond of dogs for some reason! – a dog is a man’s best friend and how could anyone be scared of one? When I started to see a lady from Congresbury with such a phobia we went through the usual rewind, reframe and lowering general anxiety and an extra session, but not with myself but Jo Buckingham a dog psychologist.
I later visited Jo to ask her more about dog behaviour as my client really benefited from her understanding our furry friends a bit better. Instead of just running away, the hypnotherapy had bought her enough time to interpret the dog’s demeanour and to act accordingly.
Many people misinterpret a dog bark as ‘go away’. Jo said that dogs quite often learn this from the postman! Person walks past the house or up to the door and the dog barks. Because that person then carriers on or turns away it reinforces the behaviour in the dog’s mind. Dog thinks ‘I had some influence here’ and so tries it again and it works, which reinforces it more. If the dog is out on the street or in a garden, this is when the behaviour is unhelpful. So whenever this happens, these are the kind of signs to look out for.
A relaxed jaw, tongue out; tail up is a happy dog.
If the mouth is straight, the dog is tense, if it’s licking it’s lips and yawning it’s not too keen on the situation, if it’s baring it’s teeth, it’s not best pleased. At this point you can decide what to do, but Jo pointed out not to approach the dog front on and look straight in it’s eyes. When other dogs approach they will do so side on and move round to sniff, so you need to move side on and try and make yourself less threatening. If the dog comes up, present the back of your hand to sniff and lick – they lick to see if they recognise the taste. If they get excited and start nipping, it’s not a bad thing, try and rub their chest. Dogs like to feel secure and some dog owners bandage the chests of nervous dogs, to make them feel better. Try smiling and speaking with a quiet voice, don’t shout.
Just remember if a dog barks they might just be stating they are there and may just be thinking you’ve got treats. If you ignore them, they usually go away, don’t confront them or run away – this can make them think it’s a game!
My client felt this knowledge, and taking Jo’s dogs out for a walk helped her enjoy the countryside she loved so much, but had been too afraid to walk in for many years.
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