Hey AllL!!
This might sound ridiculous to some but its truee..
as the title goes, i am really an animal phobic this includes cats, dogs, which gives u a rough idea that i am extremely afraid of almost all animals..no matter how domestic they are..
Not only that.. Insects too!! not a big fan of them to. i jsut can't allow myself to touch them..even butterflies..beetle..its not that i hate them.. but they really scare me somehow..really subjective

by saying that i definitely think i am giving a very clear picture of how phobic i am towards animals..

however, having said that, is it possible to do a PhD when one is so afraid to work with mice?? is it really a matter of getting use to??
anyone as phobic as me out there?? do advise..please and thank yoU!

I have a pretty big phobia of fans (don't laugh) - this includes window extractor fans, desk fans, even the little fans in the back of computers and other machines. They're unavoidable in labs; but I am OK as long as there is someone else in the room. If I have to be alone, I can force myself to stay calm for a short time.

Personally I didn't find any kind of desensitization therapy helpful, but it may work for you.

Well obviously not all PhD's require experiments involving animals.. So if you are scared of them, then you would probably have to pursue a project where you don't need to handle animals..

On the other hand if you were to start a PhD where you had to handle mice or something then you would have to get used to handling them as it could get awkward if you aren't confident enough to put your hand in a cage and pick the mouse up.

Hi,

are you also afraid of apes/monkeys or similar animals. If yes, you should be afraid of yourself, i.e. the homo sapiens as we are not very different. Ok, we are wearing suits and glasses, eat with cutlery but we also kill other human beings for no logical reasons, think about sex and re-production most of the time, and are generally behaving like animals.

zoophobia

Academia-phobia

Come to think of it..i can actually overcome my zoophobia(hehe..new term i just learnt..thanks)
one way or another..just hoping that at the end of the day i won't be too attached with those mice
Juno there's nothing funny about being afraid of fans. We're all different and living as an own individual
and i seriously din mean to offend o.stoll for being afraid of animals.for all that matters(or not at all) you are you and i dun think u will ever understand how i feel from the way u reply.oh well u have ur right to think that way...

Thanks all...definitely taking my next step into the world of academia!al the best in wat u are doing too!!

I was just joking with the monkeys. I know how you feel, I got my own phobias.

Trying to imagine if my thesis involved handling spiders...bleurgh!

Can you arrange to try spending some time in a lab with mice and see how you get on? There is a lot to be said for seeing something you're scared off with the detached view of an academic reseracher who is conducting an experiment.

Lol - if its any consolation I used to have a phobia about speaking in public. I actually passed out on one occasion because my dissertation tutor kindly thought he'd help me prepare for my viva by allowing me to practice with just him present!!! I think he felt differently after I hit the deck, knocking his papers akimbo and leaving him to get me a glass of water

When I finally returned to uni I got a zero for one part of an assessment as it involved giving a presentation and I found I actually couldn't walk into the room as I was hyperventilating so much - never mind actually get to the front of the room and use the OH projector. We had to progress very slowly with me. My first 'successful' presentation took place on the strict condition that the lecturer turned the lights out and pulled the blinds and that everyone (staff/students) faced the back wall and I faced the front wall. I still couldn't stand up(!) but I managed.

Eventually I learnt to handle them through the use of hypotherapy, going on presentation skills workshops and the temporary use of prescribed drugs (beta blockers) and then by just making myself do them every opportunity I got. The farce of it is I am normally very chatty and reasonably confident - the sort of person that gets pushed up the front to do the group presentations! Madness. I am now doing a phd and actually applied for and got offered a fulltime lecturing post. Even more madness. The point I am trying to make is - if you want something badly enough sheer bloody mindedness will carry you forward. It will be hell at times and, yeah, maybes you'll end up feeling a right fool becuase you've had a panic attack at smelling a rodent (you'll smell 'em way before you get that close ) but it'll be a temporary setback and you'll get there. Goodluck.

Ps. Do you really want to work with animals that much. You can avoid them with a judicious choice of phd project. I had no choice with public speaking. Its present or perish. I even promised myself that if I didn't get over the phobia I would train to be an accountant as accountacy was so boring that I'd never get asked to present. It was a promise I did not want to have to keep

It depends whether you are motivated to get over it. It could be a very big hurdle, and tricky if your project really relies on it. PhDs can be tough as it is. It's down to your priorities. You could avoid handling mice by choice of project. I have a biochem PhD (nearly) and have been nowhere near mice as don't want to cut them up.

HmMm..What can i say..I guess i'll have to face it to take a challenge in this so called temporary setback..mind over matter..just gotto let myself get over animals..they are way smaller than me for the matter of fact! *heheh* what i'm picturing in my head might not be as bad as when i am actually doing it(that's me being optimistic) like all of you out there who faced their temporary setbacks to achieve your passion..Way to go!

SixKitten: i'll do exactly that..thanks for being so reassuring..take care urself and 6kittens too?

Blueberry:glad to know that you have such courage and now congratulations in making the right choices along the way. Keep it up!! it was all worth it..

cc: Nearly there with your PhD ey!! keep it going..you know you can and will get there..

As for me i've got a LONG way to go...