Theory 3:

An extension of arachnophobia.

Let’s be honest: we’ve got some

pretty big spiders in Australia

and some of them are the size of

mice, especially if you live

further north in tarantula

territory.

Arachnophobia is quite common,

and often stems from childhood

– possibly a traumatic

experience involving a redback

or a funnel web could have

caused the arachnophobia.

Alternatively, you can “catch”

arachnophobia from parents,

where we learn to be afraid of

spiders after one or both of our

parents reacted strongly

(possibly with some justification)

when they saw us trying to poke

that pretty red and black spider

– the implanted message that

spiders are dangerous sinks deep

within us and creates a fear of

quite harmless spiders.

Like spiders, mice are smallish,

scuttle quickly and are found in

dark cupboards where we don’t

expect them. At first glance,

mice can look like very large

spiders, and a fear of mice can

arise as an extension of

arachnophobia.

This can be dealt with by

addressing the original trauma

and the underlying beliefs.

Theory 4:

Horror movies. This applies more

to a fear of rats rather than a

fear of mice, but rats have been

used to create scary scenes in

films

Scenes can involve large

numbers of rats swarming over a

character or even, in extreme

cases, eating some helplessly

trapped person alive.

The latter case is not

exaggeration – there have been

cases in the past where large

numbers of rats have done this

to children… but we won’t dwell

on this one too much.

If you accidentally stumbled on a

scene like this when you were

far too young to watch one of

these films or if you saw one

film too many, this can create a

fear of rats, which can become

extended to a fear of mice and

small animals in general.

The makers of these films have a

lot to answer for, sometimes…

The fear of mice, as mentioned

earlier, is not limited to females.

However, you have probably

seen the stereotype situation

where a woman jumps onto a

chair at the sight of a mouse.

The reason for

this reaction

comes from the

past and the

fashions women

once wore.

Mice and rats are quite good at

climbing and when they are

taken by surprise by a human,

they take cover in the nearest

hiding place

(after all, they are just as afraid

of you as you are of them – you

can kill them with one quick

stamp of a heavy boot). In the

past, women often wore long

skirts with lots of petticoats,

which makes a perfect hiding

place from the perspective of a

mouse.

Is suriphobia or a fear of mice,

rats and similar small critters a

major problem?

Is it really worth booking a

session with a therapist for a

few sessions of hypnosis? This

really depends on you.

If you live in the middle of the

city and don’t regularly come in

contact with mice, etc. then you

may be able to continue with

your normal life without trouble.

However, mice can and do go

everywhere, including homes in

the middle of town, so you may

come across them some day.

And what if you meet Ms or Mr

Right and he/she keeps pet mice

or rats? Are you going to let an

unnecessary phobia get in the

way of a potential relationship?

Nobody should live with a

phobia, no matter how big or

small it is, or how silly it seems

to be.

If you know you have a problem

with mice or rats (meaning an

intense fear of them – if your

problem is an infestation, you

need a vermin control specialist

or a good cat rather than help

from hypnotherapy), find help as

soon as you can.

Visit Hypnosis Brisbane

or call

(07) 5576 6410