For most people, the very bottom on their hierarchies will be in the realm of imaginal exposure. Start by simply closing your eyes and imagining a bird. Remember that your hierarchy is unique to you. Your phobia may be such that imaginal exposure produces a zero discomfort scale response, whereas someone else may have to start by imagining a cartoon bird because a real one would produce an eight of their scale. As simply picturing various birds begins registering only a zero to three on your discomfort scale, continue through the parts of your hierarchy that qualify as imaginal. Additionally, try to describe the events you’re imagining aloud in the present tense to help make the experience more real. You might picture, for instance:  Contextualize the birds by picturing them on the telephone line outside your house or on your back fence. Imagine yourself in the situation, such as at a park with birds twenty feet away. Picture yourself feeding bread to ducks or geese at a local pond. Finally, imagine yourself actually handling the pet bird of a friend. Keep coming back to the imaginal exposure on your hierarchy until it produces a minimal fear response. If your particular hierarchy has watching a video of a bird placed lower than imagining yourself handling a bird, you can still do it in that order. You don’t have to tackle all of the imaginal exposures first if that’s not how your hierarchy is organized. Ask yourself honestly what order makes the most sense for you. For most people, the virtual exposures to birds will be further up the hierarchy can the imaginal ones. Once you can imagine birds and yourself around birds with little to no effect, then begin exposing yourself to the next set of fears on your hierarchy. Virtual exposures to bird that produce a fear response may include:  Drawing birds (first rough drawings and small birds and later detailed pictures of larger birds) Looking at photos of birds (first in black and white and then in color) Listening to recorded birdsong Watching videos of birds (first without sound then with sound) Remember to keep a close inventory of your level on your discomfort scale for each step. Your goal is to reduce it to no more than a three (and hopefully a zero) for each virtual bird exposure. The top items on your hierarchy are most likely the real experiences with real birds. Once you’ve mastered imaginal and virtual exposure to birds, try the in vivo exposure that you believe will produce the least fearful response. This could be as simple as using a pair of binoculars to look at a live bird out your window (from the safety of being inside). As you begin acclimating to watching the live bird—registering a zero to three discomfort response—then try opening the window through which you’re looking. After the open window no longer produces a strong effect, then try taking the next step—in this case, a literal step out your door. Walk outside while watching the nearby bird. Note the distance from your door that generates a response higher than a three on your discomfort scale and pause there. Watch from there until you begin to feel the fear ease away and take a few more steps. Consistently move closer to the bird while monitoring your comfort level. The top items on your hierarchy will ultimately depend on your specific phobia, as well as the degree to which you want to overcome it. Your ultimate goal may be to walk past a group of pigeons without panicking while someone else might want to be able to handle a friend’s bird without anxiety. Proceed up the remainder of the points along your hierarchy by exposing yourself to each progressive one until your discomfort scale response is a three or lower. If you find that you run into snags, remember that you can always amend your hierarchy. For instance, maybe being around your friend’s uncaged parrot no longer bothers you, but the thought of handling the large bird still produces an eight on your discomfort scale. Try having the friend accompany you to a pet store and see about holding a much smaller bird, such as a parakeet. If you run into roadblocks between rungs of your hierarchy that you can’t figure out how to grade in the right way—or even if you simply want to try exposure therapy under the direction of a professional—then consider seeing a therapist who specializes in helping those with phobias. In addition to helping you find the best way to arrange and approach your hierarchy, a therapist can also provide steps for what is called “systematic desensitization.” This process combines graded exposures with learned relaxation exercises under the guidance of your therapist.  In addition, a therapist can help you learn cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, in which you will learn how your thought processes reinforce your fear of birds. By doing this, you can be more aware of your fear-inducing (yet irrational) thoughts, and you can cognitively alter them before they produce the fearful response during exposures.  Research has shown that self-exposure is successful, but that therapist-directed exposure is more successful. One study showed that 63 percent of those who did self-exposure maintained their progress while 80 percent of those who had a therapist maintained their progress. So if you’ve had difficulty overcoming your fear on your own, then make sure you look into therapist-directed methods.
قم بتنفيذ أول خطوة في خطتك. استمر في محاولاتك لمواجهة مخاوفك بصورة تخيلية وفقاً لخطتك. واجه مخاوفك بصورة إفتراضية. حاول خوض تجربتك الأولى في مواجهة الطيور واقعياً. راقب الطيور بوقوفك أمام بابٍ مفتوح. استمر في التقدم في مستويات خطتك. ضع في حسبانك أن تواجه مخاوفك تحت إرشاد مختص.