[youwillrise]

so last night, i'm walking up stairs and i see everyone smiling at me...get all the way up the stairs to find a dog in my home. my brother bought it from the pet store. i am afraid of dogs. have been since i can remember. they make me nervous. tense.

the rest of my family has wanted a dog for a long time and i dont want to be a jerk...they're allowed to have a dog if they want to. im just...really uncomfortable right now.

it took me a long time to get up the nerve to go out of my bedroom and upstairs to get food today.

every time i go up, he comes over and sniffs me...i automatically stop, i TRY not to be too tense, but whenever he's near me, i become really still and really quiet. i cant even talk! i havent touched the dog...no petting or anything.

it's hard to stay relaxed.

i dunno...this is gonna be a challenge for me.

it's too bad i cannot afford a place of my own at the moment. i guess for now, i'll have to deal with it. =/

[Travelinglady]

Were they hoping this dog surprise would help you get over your fear of dogs?

If need be, then how about talking to a therapist about this fear? Maybe you can get some help in finally overcoming it. I'd hate for you to have to feel this discomfort so much.

There is a technique called "flooding," which has been used to help people get over fears, which involves putting them in the fearful situation. But.....

[youwillrise]

yeah...i was going to bring it up with my therapist during my next session (saturday). i dont know what their intention was...other than they wanted a dog. they've always said to me that having your own dog is different than being around other people's dogs. ive found no comfort yet. i know it's only been a couple of days.

yesterday, the dog was kinda just sniffing me...today he's trying to jump on me and it's making me even more uncomfortable. i assume it's just trying to play, but i cant...i just cant.

i still havent touched him or spoken to him.

flooding? sounds intense. im not sure i'd be able to take it.

Originally Posted by youwillrise

yeah...i was going to bring it up with my therapist during my next session (saturday). i dont know what their intention was...other than they wanted a dog. they've always said to me that having your own dog is different than being around other people's dogs. ive found no comfort yet. i know it's only been a couple of days.

yesterday, the dog was kinda just sniffing me...today he's trying to jump on me and it's making me even more uncomfortable. i assume it's just trying to play, but i cant...i just cant.

i still havent touched him or spoken to him.

flooding? sounds intense. im not sure i'd be able to take it.

what started your fear of dogs- do you know?

i agree, having your own dog is so diffrent.. it's another member of your family- that's what i've always said!. pets are just the same as family members- i know i'm not helping, but yeah...

[youwillrise]

i really dont know. ive been afraid of them since i was quite young and i dont remember any incidents that happened to start the fear. i have had incidents with dogs through the years, but the fear existed before those incidets....so, i dont know what the original reason or incident was. maybe i was too young to remember? maybe i just dont want to remember? i dunno.

i dont even feel like a member of my family...im sure the dog will be more wanted/invited/cared for here than i have ever been.

((shrugs))

i do okay with dogs that dont care about your presence...aka old or lazy dogs. the ones that just lay around. ha...but if it comes near me, i just...caaaaaaaaaaaaaaant.