
To make a long story short, I was contacted via teacher internet service to create a high school unit on the short story by Daphne du Maurier "The Birds." How very ironic, verda? So I am head into the unit for these kiddos and trying to make it all fun and all....and I continue to work out my emotional problems with these creatures.
How does one develop such a phobia? Some event has to precede the phobia. What was mine? I'm not sure other than at age 5 I was not afraid of birds. Our landlord had taken me to his chicken coup and I was picking up the chickens, hugging them, etc., until he told me to never come in to the coop alone. He proceeded to tell me stories of how the rooster could even hurt me, etc. Was it this solo event that precipitated my fears? Maybe not....another memory I have of when I was about four - my next door neighbor (presumably a neighbor) was wringing the necks of chickens who proceeded to hop about with their heads off. What a gory scene! And the neighbor hastened to caution her son and me that if we did anything bad EVER that would happen to us. Not sure I ever told my mom that one.....So, who knows what happened? But the fear is real and alive.
Some family members are irritated by how I react to this fear. They see it as unreasonable and, pretty bluntly, tell me, "Stop trying to get attention. It is NOT cute." I am incredulous at their seemingly callousness to how I react, as I don't want to react violently, shrieking for all the world to hear me scream for fear of a pigeon or seagull possibly touching me. It seems irrational. But my psyche has embraced the fear factor and to eradicate it, I would have to have therapy for a long, long time. I don't have the money or time to do so and the bottom line is that this phobia does not keep me from living a productive and full and even joyous life. I must just deal with it the best I am able. To be fair, the process is known as desensitization and I have already begun that same process....
So writing and learning about birds is a good thing. It is helpful, so as I continue to read the story and write activities, I am dealing with a subject that was formerly a torment. Now I view it as a project. Maybe one day I can touch a bird. No. I don't think so. No. Not. But I might not shriek as if I were being attacked by "The Birds." Now that I think I can do....
3 comments:
Where you scared by some kind of large bird as a kid? That's usually where such traumas start.
Do you have a friend who has a small bird or maybe keeps a bird feeder in their back yard? That might be a great place to begin to not just deal with the phobia but get to know birds in a natural environment.
Val
What a terrible thing to say to small kids! By being able to consider the source that is the first step to getting past the fear!
5 cents please!
Those events of neighbour wringing necks off chickens may have been a prompt let alone his saying that would happen to people if EVER they did anything bad... that is horribly graphic and would make an impression on any young child's mind body and spirit. Desensitisation sounds a good way to way ...
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