Ranidaphobia – Fear of frogs
Ranidaphobia is the fear of frogs. The causes of fear are many. Frogs are often considered dirty and ugly. They may have been the object of antagonistic threats by young male bullies in school or they may have jumped in the general vicinity of an individual who already had a general fear of amphibians.
Perhaps because most frogs can also blend in with their surroundings their sudden appearance can also arouse an immediate instinct to flee.
The fear response may be mild with the phobic personality only responding negatively to live frogs. In more severe cases the visual response may extend to photographs or even toys that have the appearance of frogs. Other symptoms may include air hunger, heart palpitations, trembling, screaming, crying, fainting, control loss, panic attack, strong urge to flee.
As with most fears related to creatures this one can be overcome with a variety of therapies if the individual is willing to participate in the recovery process.
Behavior therapy is often used to help modify response to fear stimuli. This is often what the therapist uses to treat this phobia and often meets with positive results. This therapy works to modify the way an individual responds to the fear stimulus and allows a therapist to walk the phobic individual through the most difficult moments when every bone in their body wants to escape the situation. It may not cure the fear, but it can provide the means to successfully altering personal response to fearful situations.